A Tale of Two Cities vs Macbeth: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, History, Fiction
A Tale of Two Cities
“DEPENDING ON WHO you listened to, it was either the best of times, or it was the worst of times.”
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A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long…
Macbeth
“Thunder and lightning. Enter three Witches.”
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The play concerns a trusted general who secretly lusts for power. Encouraged by the prophecies of three witches and urged on by his ambitious wife Macbeth commits regicide. Left fearful and superstitious by this…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate A Tale of Two Cities highest: A Tale of Two Cities 3.9 · Macbeth 3.5.
- Macbeth is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 7 for A Tale of Two Cities.
- A Tale of Two Cities has the widest readership — 1032035 ratings behind its score.
- A Tale of Two Cities runs the darker storyline; Macbeth stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| A Tale of Two Cities | Macbeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (1032035) | 3.5 (18773) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (904) | 3.9 (1169) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (144) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (2145) | 3.5 (555) |
Reception
| A Tale of Two Cities | Macbeth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1032035 | 18773 |
| Editions | 2060 | 1867 |
| Citations | — | 66 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1006172 | 8761 |
| Reading it now | 69914 | 325 |
| Written reviews | 28604 | 190 |
| Wikipedia attention | 62565 | 485 |
| Pages | 405 | 84 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Tale of Two Cities or Macbeth?
A Tale of Two Cities has the higher combined reader rating across sources (A Tale of Two Cities 3.9/5, Macbeth 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Tale of Two Cities or Macbeth?
Macbeth is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Macbeth (84 pages, ≈ 1 h 33 m); A Tale of Two Cities (405 pages, ≈ 7 h 30 m).
Which is harder to read: A Tale of Two Cities or Macbeth?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Tale of Two Cities: Demanding; Macbeth: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
A Tale of Two Cities: 5 film adaptations; Macbeth: no film adaptation on record.