Cover of Sophie's Choice

Sophie's Choice

William Styron, 1979

American novelist, 1925–2006. Won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1980 and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1968.

Sophie's Choice is a 1979 novel by William Styron. It won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1980.

Acclaimed
  • Critics' Darling
  • Prize Winner

On 3 of the 17 lists it was eligible for.

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At a glance

Author
William Styron
First published
1979
Length
656 pages (UK paperback)
Awards
Genre
Literary fiction, War and conflict, Psychological, Southern gothic

Is Sophie's Choice worth reading?

3 of the 17 best-of lists it could have made include it, among them the National Book Award for Fiction and 100 Best Novels (board's list) (Modern Library).

ListPlaceOriginal
100 Best Novels (board's list) (Modern Library, 1998)No. 96See the list
100 books of the century (Le Monde, 1999)No. 82See the list
National Book Award for Fiction (winners and finalists) (National Book Foundation, 1980)WinnerSee the list

Best edition of Sophie's Choice

The edition we link to is the Vintage Classics paperback (2004), 656 pages.

Publisher
Vintage Classics (paperback, 2004)
Pages
656
ISBN
9780099470441

How critics, prizes and readers rate Sophie's Choice

Prize juries rate it most highly: it earned 50% of the points available on prize lists, against 19% on critics' lists and 0% on readers' and booksellers' lists.

Critics
19%
Prizes
50%
Readers and booksellers
0%

Share of the available points it earned on each kind of list it was eligible for. How the scores work

Books like Sophie's Choice

If you liked Sophie's Choice, try The Confessions of Nat Turner, Brave New World or A Clockwork Orange.

Lists used on this page