True History of the Kelly GangTrue History of the Kelly Gang
Score Modern
What it's about
Ned Kelly, Australia's most famous outlaw, writes his own story for the daughter he'll never meet: growing up desperately poor in a family of Irish immigrants in colonial Australia, being apprenticed to a bushranger at fifteen, the police who hounded his family, and how he became a wanted man who made armor from plowshares.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Booker Prize, and the Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. Ned's voice, rough and unpunctuated, is unforgettable.
You'll love it if you liked
Lonesome Dove
Blood Meridian
Days Without EndGood to know
It's written with almost no commas and lots of swearing, which takes a few pages to adjust to. There's violence.
By the numbers
- Readers13 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller10 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
- #187 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #839 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1558 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving, Gripping
More by Peter Carey
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Quick answers
Is True History of the Kelly Gang worth reading?
Yes. It won the Booker Prize, and the Guardian named it one of the best books of the 21st century. It ranks #1,558 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is True History of the Kelly Gang about?
Ned Kelly, Australia's most famous outlaw, writes his own story for the daughter he'll never meet: growing up desperately poor in a family of Irish immigrants in colonial Australia, being apprenticed to a bushranger at fifteen, the police who hounded his family, and how he became a wanted man who made armor from plowshares.
How long does it take to read True History of the Kelly Gang?
About 10 hours (388 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has True History of the Kelly Gang won?
Booker Prize winner (2001).
What should I read after True History of the Kelly Gang?
If you liked it, try Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy or Days Without End by Sebastian Barry.