Levels of LifeLevels of Life
Score Modern
What it's about
A short book in three parts. The first tells of 19th-century balloonists and the photographer Nadar, who first photographed the earth from the air. The second is a love story between a British balloonist and the actress Sarah Bernhardt. The third is Julian Barnes's own account of grief after the sudden death of his wife of thirty years.
Why it's worth reading
The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. Its final section is one of the most honest pieces ever written about losing a spouse.
You'll love it if you liked
The Year of Magical Thinking
A Grief Observed
The Sense of an EndingGood to know
It's very short, and the first two parts seem unrelated until the third.
By the numbers
- Readers25 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller4 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
- #248 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #1181 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #2179 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, True story
More by Julian Barnes
The Sense of an Ending
Arthur & GeorgeIf you like this, read next
A Man Called Ove
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Me Before You
Alexander Hamilton
Born to Run
AcheronExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Levels of Life worth reading?
Yes. The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It ranks #2,179 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 62.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Levels of Life about?
A short book in three parts. The first tells of 19th-century balloonists and the photographer Nadar, who first photographed the earth from the air. The second is a love story between a British balloonist and the actress Sarah Bernhardt. The third is Julian Barnes's own account of grief after the sudden death of his wife of thirty years.
How long does it take to read Levels of Life?
About 2 hours (90 pages), or about 4 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Levels of Life?
If you liked it, try The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, A Grief Observed by CS Lewis or The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.