Demian vs Of time and the river: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Young men, Bildungsromans, Fiction

Cover of Demian

Demian Hermann Hesse · 1919 ★★★★☆ 4.1 171 pages · ≈ 3 h 10 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

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Cover of Of time and the river

Of time and the river Thomas Wolfe · 1935 ★★★★☆ 4.2 912 pages · ≈ 16 h 53 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.1 vs 4.2 — either is a safe pick by score.
Demian is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 16 for Of time and the river.

Side by side