The Beauty of the HusbandThe Beauty of the Husband
Score Modern
What it's about
Anne Carson tells the story of a marriage to a beautiful, charming, unfaithful man, from first love to divorce, in twenty-nine 'tangos', short poems that mix narrative, philosophy and the poetry of John Keats, who believed that beauty is truth.
Why it's worth reading
The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century, and it won the T. S. Eliot Prize. It's witty, painful and original.
You'll love it if you liked
Birthday Letters
Ariel
The ArgonautsGood to know
It's a book-length poem, fragmented and allusive.
By the numbers
- Readers79 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller2 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
- #395 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #778 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Thought-provoking
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Quick answers
Is The Beauty of the Husband worth reading?
Yes. The Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century, and it won the T. It ranks #778 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Beauty of the Husband about?
Anne Carson tells the story of a marriage to a beautiful, charming, unfaithful man, from first love to divorce, in twenty-nine 'tangos', short poems that mix narrative, philosophy and the poetry of John Keats, who believed that beauty is truth.
How long does it take to read The Beauty of the Husband?
About 3 hours (114 pages), or about 6 days at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Beauty of the Husband?
If you liked it, try Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes, Ariel by Sylvia Plath or The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson.