Fortune SmilesFortune Smiles
Score Modern
What it's about
Six stories by Adam Johnson: a Silicon Valley programmer whose wife is paralyzed creates a hologram of an assassinated president to keep him company; a former warden of an East German prison denies what happened there; two North Korean defectors in Seoul struggle with their new lives; and a man fights his own dark urges.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award, from the author of The Orphan Master's Son. The stories are inventive, funny and unsettling.
You'll love it if you liked
The Orphan Master's Son
Tenth of December
Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin WallGood to know
The story Dark Meadow is narrated by a man fighting pedophilic urges, which many readers find very hard.
By the numbers
- Readers46 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics63 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller1 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz3 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
- #710 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1336 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Adam Johnson
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Quick answers
Is Fortune Smiles worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award, from the author of The Orphan Master's Son. It ranks #1,336 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Fortune Smiles about?
Six stories by Adam Johnson: a Silicon Valley programmer whose wife is paralyzed creates a hologram of an assassinated president to keep him company; a former warden of an East German prison denies what happened there; two North Korean defectors in Seoul struggle with their new lives; and a man fights his own dark urges.
How long does it take to read Fortune Smiles?
About 8 hours (312 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Fortune Smiles won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (2015).
What should I read after Fortune Smiles?
If you liked it, try The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, Tenth of December by George Saunders or Stasiland: Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder.