#187 in Classics
Les Liaisons dangereuses
- 418
- Pages
- about 8 h
- Reading time
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Our view
Two aristocratic schemers and the letters they write drive “Les Liaisons dangereuses”, a cold, exact picture of cruelty among the privileged. Their contest is fought with real suspense, and the letters are more than a form: they become weapons inside the plot. Some readers find the victims’ letters melodramatic and conventional, others do not get on with a novel in letters, and others still find it more moralising than they expected.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Les Liaisons dangereuses is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu on 23 March 1782. It was initially translated into English in 1812 and has since been widely recognized as one of the most important early French novels. It is also considered one of the earliest and most famous examples of a roman à clef, written by Laclos as a thinly disguised takedown of the French aristocracy.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.7 across 119 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 45% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Classics average of 7.7. That is how 7.7 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.9 | 17 | 14% |
| Hardcover | 7.7 | 102 | 86% |
Frequently asked
How long is Les Liaisons dangereuses?
It has 418 pages — longer than 82% of the ranked books in Classics.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Classics — with scores between 7.7 and 7.8, closest to this book.
