Where Late the Sweet Birds SangWhere Late the Sweet Birds Sang
Score Classic
What it's about
As pollution, famine and plague bring civilization to an end, the wealthy Sumner family in a Virginia valley prepares, building a hospital and a research lab. When their children turn out to be infertile, they turn to cloning. The clones grow up as close-knit groups who think and feel together, and they come to see individuality itself as a danger.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Hugo Award. It's a quiet, thoughtful novel about cloning, conformity and what makes us human.
You'll love it if you liked
Never Let Me Go
Cyteen
Brave New WorldGood to know
It's told in three parts across generations.
By the numbers
- Readers18 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller12 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
- #220 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #335 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #627 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2185 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Thought-provoking, Epic
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Quick answers
Is Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang worth reading?
Yes. It won the Hugo Award. It ranks #2,185 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 62.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang about?
As pollution, famine and plague bring civilization to an end, the wealthy Sumner family in a Virginia valley prepares, building a hospital and a research lab. When their children turn out to be infertile, they turn to cloning. The clones grow up as close-knit groups who think and feel together, and they come to see individuality itself as a danger.
How long does it take to read Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang?
About 6 hours (251 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang won?
Hugo Award winner (1977).
What should I read after Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang?
If you liked it, try Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Cyteen by C. J. Cherryh or Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.