The English PatientThe English Patient
Score Modern
What it's about
At the end of the Second World War, four people shelter in a ruined villa in Italy: Hana, a young Canadian nurse; her patient, a man burned beyond recognition who remembers only fragments of his past; Caravaggio, a thief who knew Hana's father; and Kip, a Sikh soldier who defuses bombs. Slowly the patient's story emerges: a desert explorer and a doomed love affair in North Africa.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Booker Prize and became the film that won nine Oscars, including Best Picture. Its prose is lyrical and dreamlike.
You'll love it if you liked
Atonement
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
The Garden of Evening MistsGood to know
It moves between times and characters without warning. Kip's story is much bigger in the book than the film.
By the numbers
- Readers18 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller27 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
- #980 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1813 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 English Patient worth reading?
Yes. It won the Booker Prize and became the film that won nine Oscars, including Best Picture. It ranks #1,813 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The English Patient about?
At the end of the Second World War, four people shelter in a ruined villa in Italy: Hana, a young Canadian nurse; her patient, a man burned beyond recognition who remembers only fragments of his past; Caravaggio, a thief who knew Hana's father; and Kip, a Sikh soldier who defuses bombs. Slowly the patient's story emerges: a desert explorer and a doomed love affair in North Africa.
How long does it take to read The English Patient?
About 8 hours (301 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has The English Patient won?
Booker Prize winner (1992).
What should I read after The English Patient?
If you liked it, try Atonement by Ian McEwan, Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières or The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng.