Bel-Ami vs À rebours: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Translations from French, French fiction, Continental european fiction, Classic Literature, Fiction

Cover of Bel-Ami

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

vs

Cover of À rebours

À rebours Joris-Karl Huysmans · 1884 ★★★★☆ 3.8 294 pages · ≈ 5 h 27 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.9 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
À rebours is the quicker read — about 5 hours vs 7 for Bel-Ami.
À rebours is the easier read (Challenging), Bel-Ami more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side