As I Lay Dying vs Dombey and Son: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Problem families, Dysfunctional families, Families, Social life and customs, Fiction

As I Lay Dying William Faulkner · 1915 ★★★★☆ 3.7 250 pages · ≈ 4 h 38 m · Demanding

Written in stream-of-consciousness style with multiple narrators, the story follows a journey wherein the family of a dead woman try to transport her body to her birthplace in Mississippi in accordance with her wishes.…

1 film adaptation

Parent and adult child American Manuscripts Married women Facsimiles

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Dombey and Son Charles Dickens · 1800 ★★★★☆ 4.0 578 pages · ≈ 10 h 42 m · Demanding

Dombey and Son is both a firm and a family and the ambiguous connection between public and private life lies at the heart of Dickens' novel. Paul Dombey is a man who runs his domestic affairs as he runs his business:…

1 film adaptation

Family-owned business enterprises Businesspeople Fathers and daughters Social conditions

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Dombey and Son highest: Dombey and Son 4.0 · As I Lay Dying 3.7.
As I Lay Dying is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 10 for Dombey and Son.
As I Lay Dying has the widest readership — 193649 ratings behind its score.
As I Lay Dying runs the darker storyline; Dombey and Son stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? As I Lay Dying ≈ 4h vs 10h for Dombey and Son Want the crowd-tested pick? As I Lay Dying 193649 ratings vs 17000 for Dombey and Son In the mood for something dark? As I Lay Dying a darker storyline than Dombey and Son Want something lighter? Dombey and Son an easier tone than As I Lay Dying

Scores by source

	As I Lay Dying	Dombey and Son
Goodreads	3.7 (193649)	4.0 (17000)
Hardcover	3.7 (309)	4.0 (18)
Apple Books	4.0 (231)	4.5 (14)

Reception

	As I Lay Dying	Dombey and Son
Ratings	193649	17000
Editions	62	326
Citations	—	36
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	285152	19493
Reading it now	9257	1020
Written reviews	14613	1182
Wikipedia attention	17736	2555
Pages	250	578

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: As I Lay Dying or Dombey and Son?

Dombey and Son has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Dombey and Son 4.0/5, As I Lay Dying 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: As I Lay Dying or Dombey and Son?

As I Lay Dying is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: As I Lay Dying (250 pages, ≈ 4 h 38 m); Dombey and Son (578 pages, ≈ 10 h 42 m).

Which is harder to read: As I Lay Dying or Dombey and Son?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — As I Lay Dying: Demanding; Dombey and Son: Demanding.

Have both books been made into films?

As I Lay Dying: 1 film adaptation; Dombey and Son: 2 film adaptations.