Carmilla vs Desert of the Heart: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: LGBTQ fiction before Stonewall, Lesbians, Fiction
Carmilla
First published as a serial in The Dark Blue (1871–72), Carmilla is narrated by a young woman preyed upon by a female vampire named Carmilla, later revealed to be Mircalla, Countess Karnstein (Carmilla is an anagram of…
vs
Desert of the Heart
Possibly Jane Rule's best known novel, The Desert of the Heart is the story of a free spirited woman falling for a repressed older woman. Evelyn Hall is taking respite at a ranch for women as she seeks a divorce after…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Carmilla is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 4 for Desert of the Heart.
- Carmilla has the widest readership — 224844 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Carmilla | Desert of the Heart | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (224844) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (673) | 3.9 (8) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (48) | 4.5 (15) |
Reception
| Carmilla | Desert of the Heart | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 224844 | 15 |
| Editions | 571 | 29 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 290436 | — |
| Pages | 70 | 224 |