# In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust

7 Hacker News commenters recommended In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Readers find it engrossing and exquisitely written, far more accessible than school suggested, and rewarding once you settle into its rhythm.

## Why people recommend it

- Exquisitely described prose, even in translation (2 comments): "a story in which almost nothing happens but it is described exquisitely" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49407448)) "even in a mediocre translation it's quite stellar" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48667610))
- Engrossing and satisfying once into it (2 comments): "if you get into its rhythm, most of it is blissfully engrossing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45971843)) "it's very satisfying so far" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909652))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crime-and-punishment.md): 39 recommend
- [The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brothers-karamazov.md): 28 recommend
- [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace](https://hackerapproved.com/p/infinite-jest.md): 26 recommend
- [The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://hackerapproved.com/p/great-gatsby.md): 24 recommend
- [Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atlas-shrugged.md): 23 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/140904162X?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781409041627) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust", https://hackerapproved.com/p/in-search-of-lost-time/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).