A Handful of Dust vs Vanity Fair: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Married people, British, British and irish fiction, England, Fiction

A Handful of Dust

A Handful of Dust Evelyn Waugh · 1934 ★★★★☆ 3.6 232 pages · ≈ 4 h 18 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 699 pages · ≈ 12 h 57 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.6 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
A Handful of Dust is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 12 for Vanity Fair.
A Handful of Dust is the easier read (Challenging), Vanity Fair more demanding (Demanding).