Candida vs Major Barbara: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: British and irish drama, English drama, Drama
Candida
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The Reverend James Mavor Morell, a respectable socialist clergyman, spends his days giving lectures and sermons while his wife, Candida, sees to his comfortable London home. That home is disrupted by the arrival of the…
Major Barbara
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This is a play with the theme of societal salvation and salvation of the human soul brought out in characters representing the rich versus the poor.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Major Barbara has the widest readership — 7360 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| Candida | Major Barbara | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (3318) | 3.7 (7360) |
| Hardcover | 2.7 (3) | 3.3 (6) |
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Reception
| Candida | Major Barbara | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 3318 | 7360 |
| Editions | 152 | 175 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2710 | 3865 |
| Reading it now | 75 | 97 |
| Written reviews | 173 | 303 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1843 | 2187 |
| Pages | 42 | 136 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Candida or Major Barbara?
Candida has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Candida 3.7/5, Major Barbara 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Candida or Major Barbara?
Candida is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Candida (42 pages, ≈ 47 min); Major Barbara (136 pages, ≈ 2 h 31 m).
Which is harder to read: Candida or Major Barbara?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Candida: Challenging; Major Barbara: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Candida: no film adaptation on record; Major Barbara: 1 film adaptation.