HousekeepingHousekeeping
Score Classic
What it's about
In the remote lake town of Fingerbone, Idaho, Ruth and her younger sister Lucille are left by their mother, who drives off a cliff into the lake. They're raised by their grandmother, then two fussy great-aunts, and finally by their mother's sister, Sylvie, a drifter who has never kept house in her life. Lucille longs to be normal; Ruth is drawn to Sylvie's strange, wandering way of being.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and is on TIME's list of the best novels. It's Marilynne Robinson's first novel, quiet and haunting, with gorgeous prose.
You'll love it if you liked
Gilead
Home
To the LighthouseGood to know
It's short and meditative, with little plot. Loss runs through it.
By the numbers
- Readers12 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics90 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller19 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
Moving, Thought-provoking
More by Marilynne Robinson
If you like this, read next
The Color Purple
The Caine Mutiny
East of Eden
I, Claudius
A Room of One's Own
Angle of ReposeExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Housekeeping worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and is on TIME's list of the best novels. It ranks #1,540 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Housekeeping about?
In the remote lake town of Fingerbone, Idaho, Ruth and her younger sister Lucille are left by their mother, who drives off a cliff into the lake. They're raised by their grandmother, then two fussy great-aunts, and finally by their mother's sister, Sylvie, a drifter who has never kept house in her life. Lucille longs to be normal; Ruth is drawn to Sylvie's strange, wandering way of being.
How long does it take to read Housekeeping?
About 6 hours (224 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Housekeeping?
If you liked it, try Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, Home by Marilynne Robinson or To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.