Dombey and Son vs The Italian Girl: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Family, Families, Literature, Classic Literature, Fiction

Cover of Dombey and Son

Dombey and Son Charles Dickens · 1800 ★★★★☆ 4.0 578 pages · ≈ 10 h 42 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Italian Girl

The Italian Girl Iris Murdoch · 1964 ★★★★☆ 4.1 198 pages · ≈ 3 h 40 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.0 vs 4.1 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Italian Girl is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 10 for Dombey and Son.
The Italian Girl is the easier read (Challenging), Dombey and Son more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side