Bitter lemons vs Venetian life: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Manners and customs, Description and travel, Travel, Social life and customs
Bitter lemons
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With the publication of Justine Lawrence Durrell became, almost overnight, one of the most talked about, widely acclaimed novelists of the decade. Now, in Bitter Lemons, his focus has shifted from the world of his…
Venetian life
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This is a novel book. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Howells was appointed United States consul in Venice, Italy. In Venetian Life, an utterly engaging travelogue, Howells revises a series of travel letters he had…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Venetian life is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for Bitter lemons.
- Bitter lemons has the widest readership — 2983 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Bitter lemons | Venetian life | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (2983) | 3.9 (28) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (12) | — |
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Reception
| Bitter lemons | Venetian life | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2983 | 28 |
| Editions | 48 | 84 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 4368 | 81 |
| Reading it now | 525 | 11 |
| Written reviews | 316 | 5 |
| Wikipedia attention | 685 | — |
| Pages | 271 | 158 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Bitter lemons or Venetian life?
Venetian life has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Venetian life 3.8/5, Bitter lemons 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Bitter lemons or Venetian life?
Venetian life is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Venetian life (158 pages, ≈ 2 h 56 m); Bitter lemons (271 pages, ≈ 5 h 01 m).
Which is harder to read: Bitter lemons or Venetian life?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Bitter lemons: Moderate; Venetian life: Challenging.