The Facts of Life
#5073.92 adjusted 3.94 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2002 Reading commitment Low Graham Joyce Last reviewed 2026-09-28
Overview
Graham Joyce's 2002 novel, winner of the World Fantasy Award, follows the Vine family of Coventry through the Blitz and the austerity years that followed: the indomitable matriarch Martha, who is visited by ghosts, her seven daughters, and the youngest daughter Cassie's illegitimate son Frank, born of a wartime liaison with an American GI. Cassie is fey and unstable, given to wandering off in 'blue' periods, and has inherited her mother's second sight; rather than see Frank adopted, Martha decrees that her daughters will raise him between them. A magic-realist family saga in which the dead have a place at the table, it is also a portrait of a bombed city and a country starting again.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Facts of Life (2002) core · 3.92 (1,272 ratings); Gollancz, December 2002; US edition Atria, June 2003. Historical fantasy set in Coventry during and after the Second World War.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Facts of Life? The Facts of Life's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Facts of Life finished? Complete (2002).
- How much reading does The Facts of Life take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~263 pages).
- How is The Facts of Life ranked? #507 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,272 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #507?
Ranked #507 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.92 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (1,272 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #506, The Fox Woman / Fudoki.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 1k ratings · Ranks #507 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2003: won: The Facts of Life; Tied with Patricia A. McKillip's Ombria in Shadow.
- British Fantasy Award (August Derleth Award (Best Novel)), 2003: nominated: The Facts of Life; Shortlisted.
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Suggestions computed from what The Facts of Life and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- The Once and Future Witches Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.02
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.92 across 1,272 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Facts of Life (Graham Joyce) accepted 2026-09-28
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-28
Rule: Core Canon = The Facts of Life (2002) only, standalone.