Ariel vs Poems: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: American poetry, Poetry
Ariel
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"A restored edition of Sylvia Plath's collection of poems that were published after her death that restores the selection and arrangement of the poems as Plath left them at the point of her death." Upon the publication…
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Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Ariel highest: Ariel 4.2 · Poems 3.6.
- Ariel is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 6 for Poems.
- Ariel has the widest readership — 92334 ratings behind its score.
- Ariel runs the darker storyline; Poems stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Ariel | Poems | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (92334) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (104) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (14) | 3.5 (37) |
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Reception
| Ariel | Poems | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 92334 | 37 |
| Editions | 57 | 51 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 165705 | — |
| Reading it now | 3844 | — |
| Written reviews | 5874 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 3712 | 19870 |
| Pages | 96 | 324 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Ariel or Poems?
Ariel has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Ariel 4.2/5, Poems 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: Ariel or Poems?
Ariel is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Ariel (96 pages, ≈ 1 h 47 m); Poems (324 pages, ≈ 6 h 00 m).
Which is harder to read: Ariel or Poems?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Ariel: Demanding; Poems: Demanding.