50 Must-Read 50 Beta
← The Must-Read 50
Cover of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel SparkThe Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Classic · Fiction, Classics, History

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

by Muriel Spark
1961 · 164 pages · Fiction
65.6Must-Read
Score Classic
Critics' pick
≈ 4 hours to read · about 8 days at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

In 1930s Edinburgh, Miss Jean Brodie, an unconventional teacher at a girls' school, chooses a few favorite pupils, the 'Brodie set', to shape into the 'crème de la crème'. She fills their heads with art, romance, stories of her love life and admiration for Mussolini. As the girls grow up, one of them comes to see Miss Brodie clearly, and decides to stop her.

Why it's worth reading

It's on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It's short, witty and sharp, and the 1969 film won Maggie Smith an Oscar.

You'll love it if you liked

Cover of The Secret History by Donna TarttThe Secret History
The Secret HistoryDonna Tartt
Cover of The Sea, the Sea by Iris MurdochThe Sea, the Sea
The Sea, the SeaIris Murdoch
Cover of The Golden Notebook by Doris LessingThe Golden Notebook
The Golden NotebookDoris Lessing

Good to know

It's short and jumps forward in time, revealing the girls' futures early.

By the numbers

65.6Must-Read Score
  • Readers2 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller20 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

On the lists
TIME All-TIME 100 NovelsModern Library 100 Best NovelsGuardian 100 Best Novels in English

Reads as

Moving, Thought-provoking

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

If you like this, read next

Cover of The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton WilderThe Bridge of San Luis Rey
The Bridge of San Luis ReyThornton Wilder
Cover of The Golden Bough by James George FrazerThe Golden Bough
The Golden BoughJames George Frazer
Cover of East of Eden by John SteinbeckEast of Eden
East of EdenJohn Steinbeck
Cover of Schindler's List by Thomas KeneallySchindler's List
Schindler's ListThomas Keneally
Cover of War and Peace by Leo TolstoyWar and Peace
War and PeaceLeo Tolstoy
Cover of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor DostoevskyThe Brothers Karamazov
The Brothers KaramazovFyodor Dostoevsky

Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Classic booksTop 25 · 762 rankedBooks of the 1960sTop 25 · 92 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie worth reading?

Yes. It's on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It ranks #1,796 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.6 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie about?

In 1930s Edinburgh, Miss Jean Brodie, an unconventional teacher at a girls' school, chooses a few favorite pupils, the 'Brodie set', to shape into the 'crème de la crème'. She fills their heads with art, romance, stories of her love life and admiration for Mussolini. As the girls grow up, one of them comes to see Miss Brodie clearly, and decides to stop her.

How long does it take to read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie?

About 4 hours (164 pages), or about 8 days at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie?

If you liked it, try The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch or The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing.