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Cover of A Passage to India by E.M. ForsterA Passage to India
Classic · Fiction, Classics, History

A Passage to India

by E.M. Forster
1924 · 376 pages · Fiction
65.8Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 9 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Adela Quested, a young Englishwoman, and Mrs. Moore, her fiancé's mother, travel to a town in British India, hoping to see the 'real India' rather than the stuffy English community. Dr. Aziz, a warm, young Indian doctor, offers to take them on an outing to the Marabar Caves. In the caves, something happens, Adela accuses Aziz of assault, and the town explodes.

Why it's worth reading

It's on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It's Forster's masterpiece, a profound novel about friendship across the divide of empire.

You'll love it if you liked

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Good to know

What happens in the caves is never fully explained. The final section is slow and mystical.

By the numbers

65.8Must-Read Score
  • Readers2 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller22 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

On the lists
TIME All-TIME 100 NovelsModern Library 100 Best NovelsGuardian 100 Best Novels in English

Reads as

Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Classic booksTop 25 · 762 rankedBooks of the 1920sTop 25 · 36 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is A Passage to India worth reading?

Yes. It's on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It ranks #1,769 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.8 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is A Passage to India about?

Adela Quested, a young Englishwoman, and Mrs. Moore, her fiancé's mother, travel to a town in British India, hoping to see the 'real India' rather than the stuffy English community. Dr. Aziz, a warm, young Indian doctor, offers to take them on an outing to the Marabar Caves. In the caves, something happens, Adela accuses Aziz of assault, and the town explodes.

How long does it take to read A Passage to India?

About 9 hours (376 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after A Passage to India?

If you liked it, try Howards End by E.M. Forster, A Room with a View by E.M. Forster or The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye.