As I Lay Dying vs Intruder in the Dust: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: American Manuscripts, Facsimiles, Manuscripts, Criticism and interpretation, 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 Problem families Dysfunctional families Married women

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Intruder in the Dust William Faulkner · 1948 ★★★★☆ 3.7 247 pages · ≈ 4 h 34 m · Demanding

Using his preferred stream-of-consciousness style the author tells a story of a black farmer in Mississippi accused of murdering a white man.

Afro-Americans Race Relations Novela African Americans

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
As I Lay Dying has the widest readership — 193649 ratings behind its score.
As I Lay Dying runs the darker storyline; Intruder in the Dust stays the lighter read.

As I Lay Dying: Check price →Intruder in the Dust: Check price →

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How to choose

Want the crowd-tested pick? As I Lay Dying 193649 ratings vs 6496 for Intruder in the Dust In the mood for something dark? As I Lay Dying a darker storyline than Intruder in the Dust Want something lighter? Intruder in the Dust an easier tone than As I Lay Dying

Scores by source

	As I Lay Dying	Intruder in the Dust
Goodreads	3.7 (193649)	3.7 (6496)
Hardcover	3.7 (309)	4.2 (8)
Apple Books	4.0 (231)	4.5 (13)
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Reception

	As I Lay Dying	Intruder in the Dust
Ratings	193649	6496
Editions	62	38
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	285152	7307
Reading it now	9257	346
Written reviews	14613	634
Wikipedia attention	17736	1510
Pages	250	247
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: As I Lay Dying or Intruder in the Dust?

Intruder in the Dust has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Intruder in the Dust 3.7/5, As I Lay Dying 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: As I Lay Dying or Intruder in the Dust?

Intruder in the Dust is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Intruder in the Dust (247 pages, ≈ 4 h 34 m); As I Lay Dying (250 pages, ≈ 4 h 38 m).

Which is harder to read: As I Lay Dying or Intruder in the Dust?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — As I Lay Dying: Demanding; Intruder in the Dust: Demanding.

Have both books been made into films?

As I Lay Dying: 1 film adaptation; Intruder in the Dust: no film adaptation on record.