QB VIIQB VII
Score Classic
What it's about
Sir Adam Kelno, a Polish doctor who was a prisoner at a Nazi concentration camp, has built a respected career in London. When an American novelist writes that Kelno performed brutal experiments on Jewish prisoners, Kelno sues him for libel. The case goes to trial in courtroom Queen's Bench Seven, and what happened in the camp comes out piece by piece.
Why it's worth reading
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It's a gripping courtroom drama and a serious reckoning with the Holocaust.
You'll love it if you liked
Exodus
The Escape Artist
The Diary of a Young GirlGood to know
The trial testimony describes medical atrocities in the camps in detail. The 1974 TV miniseries was a major event.
By the numbers
- Readers78 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller50 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- 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
Adventurous
More by Leon Uris
If you like this, read next
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Color Purple
1984
The Lord of the Rings
A Brief History of TimeExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is QB VII worth reading?
Yes. It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #823 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is QB VII about?
Sir Adam Kelno, a Polish doctor who was a prisoner at a Nazi concentration camp, has built a respected career in London. When an American novelist writes that Kelno performed brutal experiments on Jewish prisoners, Kelno sues him for libel. The case goes to trial in courtroom Queen's Bench Seven, and what happened in the camp comes out piece by piece.
How long does it take to read QB VII?
About 11 hours (428 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after QB VII?
If you liked it, try Exodus by Leon Uris, The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland or The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.