A Tale of Two Cities vs Wuthering Heights: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: British and irish fiction, Drama, Historical Fiction, Children's fiction, 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…
Wuthering Heights
“1801.-I have just returned from a visit to my landlord-the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with.”
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Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons,…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Wuthering Heights has the widest readership — 2281673 ratings behind its score.
- A Tale of Two Cities runs the darker storyline; Wuthering Heights stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| A Tale of Two Cities | Wuthering Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (1032035) | 3.9 (2281673) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (904) | — |
| Google Books | 4.0 (144) | 4.0 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (2145) | 4.0 (5966) |
Reception
| A Tale of Two Cities | Wuthering Heights | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1032035 | 2281673 |
| Editions | 2060 | 2887 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1006172 | 1742187 |
| Reading it now | 69914 | 184443 |
| Written reviews | 28604 | 125002 |
| Wikipedia attention | 62565 | 139844 |
| Pages | 405 | 356 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: A Tale of Two Cities or Wuthering Heights?
Wuthering Heights has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Wuthering Heights 3.9/5, A Tale of Two Cities 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: A Tale of Two Cities or Wuthering Heights?
Wuthering Heights is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Wuthering Heights (356 pages, ≈ 6 h 36 m); A Tale of Two Cities (405 pages, ≈ 7 h 30 m).
Which is harder to read: A Tale of Two Cities or Wuthering Heights?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — A Tale of Two Cities: Demanding; Wuthering Heights: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
A Tale of Two Cities: 5 film adaptations; Wuthering Heights: 5 film adaptations.