A Separate Peace
American novelist, 1926–2001.
A Separate Peace is a 1959 novel by John Knowles. It was shortlisted for the National Book Award for Fiction in 1961.
On 2 of the 17 lists it was eligible for.
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At a glance
- Author
- John Knowles
- First published
- 1959
- Length
- 224 pages (UK paperback)
- Awards
- National Book Award for Fiction shortlist, 1961
- Genre
- Literary fiction, Coming of age, War and conflict, Autobiographical
Is A Separate Peace worth reading?
2 of the 17 best-of lists it could have made include it: the National Book Award for Fiction and The Great American Read (PBS).
| List | Place | Original |
|---|---|---|
| National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists) (National Book Foundation, 1961) | Shortlist | See the list |
| The Great American Read (PBS, 2018) | Listed | See the list |
Best edition of A Separate Peace
The edition we link to is the Scribner UK paperback (2025), 224 pages.
- Publisher
- Scribner UK (paperback, 2025)
- Pages
- 224
- ISBN
- 9781398550698
How critics, prizes and readers rate A Separate Peace
Prize juries rate it most highly: it earned 33% of the points available on prize lists, against 15% on readers' and booksellers' lists and 0% on critics' lists.
Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work
Books like A Separate Peace
If you liked A Separate Peace, try Invisible Man, Under the Volcano or Go Tell It on the Mountain.
