Red Plenty
Red Plenty by Francis Spuffordby Francis Spufford
Shares rank 53 of 122 novels by recommenders
A novel about Soviet central planning and economic computing, recommended for readers interested in economic policy and how systems go wrong.
A novel about Soviet central planning and economic computing, recommended for readers interested in economic policy and how systems go wrong.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Explores economic policy through fiction
“interesting book if you are into economic policy or quirky ways that systems can go haywire”
Comment from 19 Oct 2026 in “"I'm on a war footing": Terry Tao and the crisis in math” Traces consequences of a planning thesis
“You might enjoy the book "Red Plenty" by Francis Spufford, which traces the consequences of this thesis”
Comment from 27 Apr 2026 in “An amateur just solved a 60-year-old math problem–by asking AI” Strongly recommended by a commenter
“Francis Spufford explores this idea in Red Plenty , which I highly recommend.”
Comment from 15 Apr 2026 in “A Communist Apple II and Fourteen Years of Not Knowing What You're Testing”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Red Plentyby Francis SpuffordThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 4 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“interesting book if you are into economic policy or quirky ways that systems can go haywire”
“You might enjoy the book "Red Plenty" by Francis Spufford, which traces the consequences of this thesis”
“Francis Spufford explores this idea in Red Plenty , which I highly recommend.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.