The MeasureThe Measure
What it's about
One morning, every adult in the world wakes up to find a small wooden box on their doorstep. Inside is a string whose length tells them how long they will live. The novel follows eight people, with long strings and short ones, as the world divides over this knowledge and they decide how to live.
Why it's worth reading
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. It's a thought-provoking, moving novel.
You'll love it if you liked
Here One Moment
Station Eleven
Life After LifeGood to know
It deals with death and discrimination.
By the numbers
- Readers28 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller45 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.
On our reserve shelf: it's well reviewed, but isn't currently a prize winner, a lifetime bestseller or a book everyone's talking about, so we don't rank it. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Adventurous, Dark
If you like this, read next
The Tainted Cup
A Drop of Corruption
The Will of the Many
The Everlasting
Cloud Cuckoo Land
BabelExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Measure worth reading?
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 61.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Measure about?
One morning, every adult in the world wakes up to find a small wooden box on their doorstep. Inside is a string whose length tells them how long they will live. The novel follows eight people, with long strings and short ones, as the world divides over this knowledge and they decide how to live.
How long does it take to read The Measure?
About 12 hours (480 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Measure?
If you liked it, try Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel or Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.