Ben-Hur vs The robe: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Jesus christ, Rome, Christian Fiction, History, Fiction
Ben-Hur
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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…
The robe
“BECAUSE she was only fifteen and busy with her growing up, Lucia's periods of reflection were brief and infrequent; but this morning she felt weighted with responsibility.”
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A Roman soldier, Marcellus, wins Christ's robe as a gambling prize. He then sets forth on a quest to find the truth about the Nazarene's robe-a quest that reaches to the very roots and heart of Christianity and is set…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Ben-Hur is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 9 for The robe.
- Ben-Hur has the widest readership — 1703 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Ben-Hur | The robe | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (1703) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (6) | 3.6 (16) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (205) | 4.5 (17) |
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Reception
| Ben-Hur | The robe | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1703 | 17 |
| Editions | 65 | 22 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 29404 | — |
| Written reviews | 1703 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 18350 | 1103 |
| Pages | 208 | 508 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Ben-Hur or The robe?
Ben-Hur has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Ben-Hur 4.1/5, The robe 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: Ben-Hur or The robe?
Ben-Hur is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Ben-Hur (208 pages, ≈ 3 h 51 m); The robe (508 pages, ≈ 9 h 24 m).
Which is harder to read: Ben-Hur or The robe?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Ben-Hur: Moderate; The robe: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Ben-Hur: no film adaptation on record; The robe: 3 film adaptations.