Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules vs Waifs and Strays: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: American Short stories, Short Stories
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules
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From the internationally bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris, comes a collection of his favorite short stories from acclaimed authors such as Flannery O'Connor, Jhumpa Lahiri, Tobias Wolff, and…
Waifs and Strays
“A TRESTLE burned down on the International Railroad.”
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Urban teens take center stage in a pair of edgy short story collections. Waifs and Strays presents 15 previously published works by Canadian fantasy writer Charles de Lint, including "May This Be Your Last Sorrow" from…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Waifs and Strays is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 6 for Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules.
- Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules has the widest readership — 61 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules | Waifs and Strays | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.5 (42) |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (15) | — |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (61) | — |
Reception
| Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules | Waifs and Strays | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 61 | 42 |
| Editions | 6 | 56 |
| Citations | — | 10 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 39 |
| Written reviews | — | 4 |
| Wikipedia attention | 147 | 46 |
| Pages | 344 | 78 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules or Waifs and Strays?
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules 3.6/5, Waifs and Strays 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules or Waifs and Strays?
Waifs and Strays is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Waifs and Strays (78 pages, ≈ 1 h 27 m); Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (344 pages, ≈ 6 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules or Waifs and Strays?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules: Moderate; Waifs and Strays: Challenging.