Angle of ReposeAngle of Repose
Score Classic
What it's about
Lyman Ward, a retired historian confined to a wheelchair and estranged from his family, sets out to write about his grandmother, Susan Burling Ward, a talented artist from the East who married a mining engineer in the 1870s and followed him to the raw mining camps of California, Colorado, Mexico and Idaho. As he reconstructs their marriage from her letters, he starts to see his own failed marriage more clearly.
Why it's worth reading
It's a quietly magnificent novel about the American West, marriage and the gap between generations, and it won the Pulitzer Prize. Readers who love it often call it the great American novel nobody talks about.
You'll love it if you liked
Lonesome Dove
East of Eden
The Grapes of WrathGood to know
It's slow and long, about 570 pages. Stegner drew heavily on the real letters of the artist Mary Hallock Foote, which has been controversial.
By the numbers
- Readers84 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics86 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller20 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
- #17 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #41 of the 762 classics we rank
- #139 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Wallace Stegner
If you like this, read next
The Color Purple
The Caine Mutiny
I, Claudius
A Room of One's Own
The Winds of War
A Tree Grows in BrooklynExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Angle of Repose worth reading?
Yes. It's a quietly magnificent novel about the American West, marriage and the gap between generations, and it won the Pulitzer Prize. It ranks #139 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 85.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Angle of Repose about?
Lyman Ward, a retired historian confined to a wheelchair and estranged from his family, sets out to write about his grandmother, Susan Burling Ward, a talented artist from the East who married a mining engineer in the 1870s and followed him to the raw mining camps of California, Colorado, Mexico and Idaho. As he reconstructs their marriage from her letters, he starts to see his own failed marriage more clearly.
How long does it take to read Angle of Repose?
About 17 hours (672 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Angle of Repose won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1972).
What should I read after Angle of Repose?
If you liked it, try Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, East of Eden by John Steinbeck or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.