Adam Bede vs The Scarlet Letter: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Illegitimate children, Triangles, Fiction

Cover of Adam Bede

Adam Bede George Eliot · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 548 pages · ≈ 10 h 09 m · Light Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter Lake Education · 1935 ★★★☆☆ 3.4 220 pages · ≈ 4 h 04 m · Easy Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate Adam Bede higher: 3.8 vs 3.4 from 26751 votes.
The Scarlet Letter is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 10 for Adam Bede.
The Scarlet Letter is the easier read (Easy), Adam Bede more demanding (Light).

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