Oscar and LucindaOscar and Lucinda
Score Classic
What it's about
Oscar Hopkins, a nervous, awkward young English clergyman, and Lucinda Leplastrier, a rich, independent young Australian woman who has bought a glass factory, are both compulsive gamblers. They meet on a ship to Australia in the 1860s, and their love story leads to the most extravagant bet of all: to carry a church made entirely of glass through the wilderness to a remote town.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Booker Prize. It's a strange, beautiful, comic love story about faith and chance.
You'll love it if you liked
True History of the Kelly Gang
The Luminaries
PossessionGood to know
It's long, with very short chapters. The ending is sad.
By the numbers
- Readers4 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller9 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 Peter Carey
If you like this, read next
The Brothers Karamazov
The Thorn Birds
The Age of Innocence
The Great Gatsby
Middlemarch
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Quick answers
Is Oscar and Lucinda worth reading?
Yes. It won the Booker Prize. It ranks #2,337 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 60.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Oscar and Lucinda about?
Oscar Hopkins, a nervous, awkward young English clergyman, and Lucinda Leplastrier, a rich, independent young Australian woman who has bought a glass factory, are both compulsive gamblers. They meet on a ship to Australia in the 1860s, and their love story leads to the most extravagant bet of all: to carry a church made entirely of glass through the wilderness to a remote town.
How long does it take to read Oscar and Lucinda?
About 13 hours (515 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Oscar and Lucinda won?
Booker Prize winner (1988).
What should I read after Oscar and Lucinda?
If you liked it, try True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey, The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton or Possession by A. S. Byatt.