Brave New World vs The Great Gatsby: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Classics, Fiction
Brave New World
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Originally published in 1932, this outstanding work of literature is more crucial and relevant today than ever before. Cloning, feel-good drugs, antiaging programs, and total social control through politics,…
The Great Gatsby
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
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Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero like no other – one who could live at no other time and…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Brave New World is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for The Great Gatsby.
- The Great Gatsby has the widest readership — 6120259 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Brave New World | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (2146013) | 3.9 (6120259) |
| Hardcover | 3.0 (1) | 4.5 (2) |
| Google Books | 3.5 (3) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (119) | 4.5 (806) |
| LiveLib | — | 4.0 (5) |
Reception
| Brave New World | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2146013 | 6120259 |
| Editions | 722 | 1179 |
| Citations | — | 24 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1318481 | 2127185 |
| Reading it now | 60632 | 85180 |
| Written reviews | 66399 | 138625 |
| Wikipedia attention | 81073 | 94574 |
| Pages | 235 | 431 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Brave New World or The Great Gatsby?
Brave New World has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Brave New World 4.0/5, The Great Gatsby 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Brave New World or The Great Gatsby?
Brave New World is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Brave New World (235 pages, ≈ 4 h 21 m); The Great Gatsby (431 pages, ≈ 7 h 59 m).
Which is harder to read: Brave New World or The Great Gatsby?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Brave New World: Challenging; The Great Gatsby: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Brave New World: 1 film adaptation; The Great Gatsby: 5 film adaptations.