page-turner

[peyj-tur-ner]

noun

1. a book so exciting or gripping that one is compelled to read it very rapidly.

page-turner

noun

1. an exciting novel, such as a thriller, with a fast-moving story

Word History and Origins

Origin of page-turner¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

The judges said: "A novel about class ascension and a man who is remarkably detached from his desires, and a disquisition on the art of being alive. It is also an absolute page-turner."

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The creeping horror at the center of Ishiguro’s science fiction is surrounded by the tensions of growing up in this literary page-turner.

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However, both he and Fiennes are thrown by the reaction some audiences have had to the movie, celebrating “Conclave” as an addictive, eminently meme-able page-turner.

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The Guardian's Anthony Cummins said the book was "truly wonderful – a tender, funny page-turner about the derangements of grief, and Rooney’s richest treatment yet of messy romantic entanglements".

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Edward Berger adapts Robert Harris’ 2016 page-turner employing the same propulsive editing technique and bombastic score that made his last movie, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” a hit with audiences, awards voters and earplug salespeople.

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Related Words

• anxiety 
• apprehension 
• confusion 
• doubt 
• insecurity 
• tension 
• thriller 
• uncertainty