By Sorrow's River vs Folly and Glory: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Berrybender family, Eccentrics and eccentricities, Women immigrants, British, Young women, Bildungsromans
By Sorrow's River
“It was a day of fine sunlight.”
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Raising her young son, Monty, Tasmin Berrybender hopes to turn him into an English gentleman despite his life on the trail toward Santa Fe, an endeavor that is compromised by painful occurrences in the lives of Tasmin's…
Folly and Glory
“PETEY, the sensitive twin, aged one year and a half, began to sneeze and couldn't stop, giving Petal her chance: she at once seized a stuffed blue rooster the two had been fighting over and slipped behind her mother, waiting to see what her twin would do when he stopped sneezing and discovered the theft.”
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"As this finale opens, Tasmin and her family are under irksome, though comfortable, arrest in Mexican Santa Fe. Her father, the eccentric Lord Berrybender, is planning to head for Texas with his whole family and his…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Folly and Glory highest: Folly and Glory 4.2 · By Sorrow's River 3.9.
- Folly and Glory is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 6 for By Sorrow's River.
- By Sorrow's River has the widest readership — 2941 ratings behind its score.
- By Sorrow's River runs the darker storyline; Folly and Glory stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| By Sorrow's River | Folly and Glory | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (2941) | — |
| Hardcover | — | 3.5 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (55) | 4.5 (38) |
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Reception
| By Sorrow's River | Folly and Glory | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2941 | 38 |
| Editions | 10 | 13 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1181 | — |
| Reading it now | 187 | — |
| Written reviews | 176 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 113 | 145 |
| Pages | 347 | 236 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: By Sorrow's River or Folly and Glory?
Folly and Glory has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Folly and Glory 4.2/5, By Sorrow's River 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: By Sorrow's River or Folly and Glory?
Folly and Glory is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Folly and Glory (236 pages, ≈ 4 h 22 m); By Sorrow's River (347 pages, ≈ 6 h 26 m).
Which is harder to read: By Sorrow's River or Folly and Glory?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — By Sorrow's River: Moderate; Folly and Glory: Moderate.