From Here to EternityFrom Here to Eternity
Score Classic
What it's about
In 1941, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a gifted bugler and boxer, transfers to an infantry company at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. When he refuses to box for the company team, his officers make his life hell. Meanwhile, his tough, capable first sergeant, Milt Warden, starts a dangerous affair with the captain's wife. Their stories play out in the months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award, spent months at #1 on the New York Times list, and is on the Modern Library's list of the best novels. It's a classic portrait of army life, written by a veteran who was at Schofield Barracks during the attack.
You'll love it if you liked
The Caine Mutiny
The Naked and the Dead
Catch-22Good to know
It's long and blunt about sex and violence. The restored edition includes passages cut from the original.
By the numbers
- Readers59 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics85 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller51 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
Reads as
Epic, Dark, Moving
If you like this, read next
Middlemarch
Memoirs of Hadrian
Arch of Triumph
Anna Karenina
Katherine
For Whom the Bell TollsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is From Here to Eternity worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award, spent months at #1 on the New York Times list, and is on the Modern Library's list of the best novels. It ranks #308 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 81.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is From Here to Eternity about?
In 1941, Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt, a gifted bugler and boxer, transfers to an infantry company at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. When he refuses to box for the company team, his officers make his life hell. Meanwhile, his tough, capable first sergeant, Milt Warden, starts a dangerous affair with the captain's wife. Their stories play out in the months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
How long does it take to read From Here to Eternity?
About 21 hours (821 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has From Here to Eternity won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (1952).
What should I read after From Here to Eternity?
If you liked it, try The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer or Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.