The Sun Also RisesThe Sun Also Rises
Score Classic
What it's about
In the 1920s, Jake Barnes, an American journalist in Paris, was wounded in the war in a way that leaves him unable to make love. He's in love with Lady Brett Ashley, a beautiful, reckless Englishwoman who loves him too but won't give up other men. With a group of drinking friends, they travel to the fiesta in Pamplona, Spain, for the bullfights, where jealousy boils over.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels and was voted onto PBS's Great American Read. It defined the 'Lost Generation' and Hemingway's spare style.
You'll love it if you liked
A Moveable Feast
The Great Gatsby
For Whom the Bell TollsGood to know
There's heavy drinking and little plot. The portrayal of Robert Cohn is openly antisemitic.
By the numbers
- Readers9 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller49 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
Reads as
Moving, Dark
More by Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast
The Old Man and the SeaFor Whom the Bell Tolls
A Farewell to ArmsIf you like this, read next
The Brothers Karamazov
The Thorn Birds
The Age of Innocence
Middlemarch
Lolita
Giovanni's RoomExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is The Sun Also Rises worth reading?
Yes. It's on the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels and was voted onto PBS's Great American Read. It ranks #1,306 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Sun Also Rises about?
In the 1920s, Jake Barnes, an American journalist in Paris, was wounded in the war in a way that leaves him unable to make love. He's in love with Lady Brett Ashley, a beautiful, reckless Englishwoman who loves him too but won't give up other men. With a group of drinking friends, they travel to the fiesta in Pamplona, Spain, for the bullfights, where jealousy boils over.
How long does it take to read The Sun Also Rises?
About 7 hours (264 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Sun Also Rises?
If you liked it, try A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald or For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.