A Widow for One YearA Widow for One Year
Score Modern
What it's about
In the summer of 1958 on Long Island, four-year-old Ruth Cole's parents are still shattered by the deaths of their two teenage sons. Her father hires a sixteen-year-old boy as his assistant, and her mother begins an affair with him, then leaves the family. The novel follows Ruth as she grows up to be a famous novelist, through love, grief and a murder she witnesses in Amsterdam.
Why it's worth reading
It hit #1 on the New York Times list. It's a big, funny, sad Irving novel about writers and loss.
You'll love it if you liked
The Cider House Rules
The Hotel New Hampshire
A Prayer for Owen MeanyGood to know
It includes an affair between an adult and a teenager, explicit sex and a murder in the red-light district.
By the numbers
- Readers8 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller47 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- 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
- #225 of the 233 romances we rank
- #1452 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2642 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by John Irving
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The World According to GarpThe Cider House RulesThe Hotel New HampshireIf you like this, read next
Purple Hibiscus
Rules of Civility
Bel Canto
Possession
Lonesome Dove
The God of Small ThingsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is A Widow for One Year worth reading?
Yes. It hit #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #2,642 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 56.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Widow for One Year about?
In the summer of 1958 on Long Island, four-year-old Ruth Cole's parents are still shattered by the deaths of their two teenage sons. Her father hires a sixteen-year-old boy as his assistant, and her mother begins an affair with him, then leaves the family. The novel follows Ruth as she grows up to be a famous novelist, through love, grief and a murder she witnesses in Amsterdam.
How long does it take to read A Widow for One Year?
About 14 hours (576 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Widow for One Year?
If you liked it, try The Cider House Rules by John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving or A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.