Drums Under the Windows vs The Orton Diaries: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Dramatists, Biography & Memoir
Drums Under the Windows
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'I thought that no man liveth and dieth to himself, so I put behind what I thought and what I did the panorama of the world I lived in - the things that made me.' Sean O'Casey, 1948 Sean O'Casey's six-part…
The Orton Diaries
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Fron December 1966 to his murder in August 1967, Joe Orton kept a series of diaries that prove to be one of the most candid and unfettered accounts of that remarkable era. They chronicle his life from his literary…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Orton Diaries is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 7 for Drums Under the Windows.
- Drums Under the Windows has the widest readership — 13 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Drums Under the Windows | The Orton Diaries | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (13) | — |
| Hardcover | — | 5.0 (1) |
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Reception
| Drums Under the Windows | The Orton Diaries | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 13 | 1 |
| Editions | 10 | 14 |
| Citations | 17 | — |
| Want to read | 12 | — |
| Written reviews | 2 | — |
| Pages | 430 | 304 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Drums Under the Windows or The Orton Diaries?
The Orton Diaries has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Orton Diaries 3.9/5, Drums Under the Windows 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Drums Under the Windows or The Orton Diaries?
The Orton Diaries is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Orton Diaries (304 pages, ≈ 5 h 38 m); Drums Under the Windows (430 pages, ≈ 7 h 58 m).
Which is harder to read: Drums Under the Windows or The Orton Diaries?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Drums Under the Windows: Challenging; The Orton Diaries: Moderate.