A Tale of Two Cities vs The Great Gatsby: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Classics, Drama, 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…
The Great Gatsby
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
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Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero like no other – one who could live at no other time and…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Great Gatsby has the widest readership — 6120259 ratings behind its score.
- A Tale of Two Cities runs the darker storyline; The Great Gatsby stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| A Tale of Two Cities | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (1032035) | 3.9 (6120259) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (904) | 4.5 (2) |
| Google Books | 4.0 (144) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (2145) | 4.5 (806) |
| LiveLib | — | 4.0 (5) |
Reception
| A Tale of Two Cities | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1032035 | 6120259 |
| Editions | 2060 | 1179 |
| Citations | — | 24 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1006172 | 2127185 |
| Reading it now | 69914 | 85180 |
| Written reviews | 28604 | 138625 |
| Wikipedia attention | 62565 | 94574 |
| Pages | 405 | 431 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Tale of Two Cities or The Great Gatsby?
The Great Gatsby has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Great Gatsby 3.9/5, A Tale of Two Cities 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Tale of Two Cities or The Great Gatsby?
A Tale of Two Cities is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: A Tale of Two Cities (405 pages, ≈ 7 h 30 m); The Great Gatsby (431 pages, ≈ 7 h 59 m).
Which is harder to read: A Tale of Two Cities or The Great Gatsby?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Tale of Two Cities: Demanding; The Great Gatsby: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
A Tale of Two Cities: 5 film adaptations; The Great Gatsby: 5 film adaptations.