At the Back of the North Wind vs The Lilac Fairy Book: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fairy Tales, Fantasy fiction, Children's fiction, Fiction
At the Back of the North Wind
“I HAVE been asked to tell you about the back of the North Wind.”
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The adventures of a little boy, Diamond, named for his father's favorite horse, as he travels with the beautiful lady North Wind and comes to know the many facets of her protective and violent temper.
The Lilac Fairy Book
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Thirty-three fairy tales including The one-handed girl and The raspberry worm.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- At the Back of the North Wind has the widest readership — 8388 ratings behind its score.
- The Lilac Fairy Book runs the darker storyline; At the Back of the North Wind stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| At the Back of the North Wind | The Lilac Fairy Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (8388) | 4.1 (1332) |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (14) | 3.4 (8) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (55) | 4.5 (5) |
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Reception
| At the Back of the North Wind | The Lilac Fairy Book | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 8388 | 1332 |
| Editions | 496 | 325 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 9524 | 2965 |
| Reading it now | 709 | 167 |
| Written reviews | 787 | 44 |
| Wikipedia attention | 864 | 3679 |
| Pages | 278 | 186 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: At the Back of the North Wind or The Lilac Fairy Book?
The Lilac Fairy Book has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Lilac Fairy Book 4.1/5, At the Back of the North Wind 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: At the Back of the North Wind or The Lilac Fairy Book?
The Lilac Fairy Book is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Lilac Fairy Book (186 pages, ≈ 3 h 27 m); At the Back of the North Wind (278 pages, ≈ 5 h 09 m).
Which is harder to read: At the Back of the North Wind or The Lilac Fairy Book?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — At the Back of the North Wind: Moderate; The Lilac Fairy Book: Moderate.