Bel-Ami vs À rebours: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Translations from French, French fiction, Continental european fiction, Classic Literature, Fiction
Bel-Ami
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.I Quand la caissiere lui eut rendu la monnaie de sa piece de cent sous, Georges Duroy sortit du restaurant. Comme il portait beau, par nature et par pose d'ancien sous-officier, il cambra sa taille, frisa sa moustache…
À rebours
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À rebours (French pronunciation: [a ʁ(ə).buʁ]; translated Against Nature or Against the Grain) is an 1884 novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans. The narrative centers on a single character: Jean des Esseintes,…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- À rebours is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 7 for Bel-Ami.
- Bel-Ami has the widest readership — 51381 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Bel-Ami | À rebours | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (51381) | 3.8 (15820) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (1) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (5) | — |
Reception
| Bel-Ami | À rebours | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 51381 | 15820 |
| Editions | 138 | 337 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 42238 | 36162 |
| Reading it now | 2143 | — |
| Written reviews | 2924 | 1515 |
| Wikipedia attention | 2974 | 6192 |
| Pages | 417 | 294 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Bel-Ami or À rebours?
Bel-Ami has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Bel-Ami 3.9/5, À rebours 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Bel-Ami or À rebours?
À rebours is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: À rebours (294 pages, ≈ 5 h 27 m); Bel-Ami (417 pages, ≈ 7 h 43 m).
Which is harder to read: Bel-Ami or À rebours?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Bel-Ami: Demanding; À rebours: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Bel-Ami: 5 film adaptations; À rebours: no film adaptation on record.