Ben-Hur vs Paradise Regained: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: History of Biblical events, Jesus christ, Bible, Fiction
Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur is a heroic story of a fictional hero named Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman in Jerusalem.  Because of an unfortunate accident, Ben-Hur is sent to slave in the mines while his family is sent to leprosy…
vs
Paradise Regained
Paradise Regained demonstrates Milton's genius for fusing sense and sound, classicism and innovation, narrative and drama, fortifying not merely our sense of what is beautiful but what is human as well. It leaves…
The verdict
- Readers rate Ben-Hur highest: Ben-Hur 4.1 · Paradise Regained 3.7.
- Paradise Regained is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 3 for Ben-Hur.
- Paradise Regained has the widest readership — 3764 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Ben-Hur | Paradise Regained | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (1703) | 3.7 (3764) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (6) | 3.0 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (205) | 4.5 (32) |
Reception
| Ben-Hur | Paradise Regained | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1703 | 3764 |
| Editions | 65 | 89 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 29404 | 5886 |
| Reading it now | — | 186 |
| Written reviews | 1703 | 341 |
| Wikipedia attention | 18350 | 4107 |
| Pages | 208 | 84 |