Sophie's Choice by William Styron
Set in post-World War II Brooklyn, this novel follows the story of a young Southern writer who becomes friends with a Jewish scientist and a beautiful Polish Catholic survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The narrative unravels the tragic love triangle between the three characters, with the woman's haunting past and the horrific choice she had to make in the concentration camp serving as the heart of the story. The book delves into themes of survival, guilt, and the struggle to find meaning in the aftermath of atrocities.
The 795th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 374
This book was first published in 1979
- score: 60 -- Books Of The Century - 1999 (Weight: 110)
- score: 48 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 89)
- score: 42 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 60)
- score: 41 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 80)
- score: 40 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 80)
- score: 31 -- Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century - 1999 (Weight: 60)
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- score: 22 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 30)
- score: 20 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 30)
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- score: 10 -- National Book Award - Fiction - Yearly Book Award (Weight: 50)
- score: 5 -- Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English since 1939 - 1984 (Weight: 20)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List - 2018 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Best Books Ever - 2006 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read - 2015 (Weight: 1)