Bel-Ami vs Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Translations from French, French fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction

Cover of Bel-Ami

Bel-Ami Guy de Maupassant · 1893 ★★★★☆ 3.9 417 pages · ≈ 7 h 43 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

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Cover of Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours

Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours Jules Verne · 1872 ★★★★☆ 4.0 248 pages · ≈ 4 h 36 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.9 vs 4.0 — either is a safe pick by score.
Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 7 for Bel-Ami.
Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-Vingts Jours is the easier read (Challenging), Bel-Ami more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side