Emma vs The Mill on the Floss: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Young women, Manners and customs, Social life and customs, Classic Literature, Romance, Fiction

Emma Jane Austen · 1815 ★★★★☆ 4.0 536 pages · ≈ 9 h 56 m · Demanding

Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of…

1 film adaptation

Mate selection Female friendship Fathers and daughters Open_syllabus_project

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The Mill on the Floss George Eliot · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 556 pages · ≈ 10 h 18 m · Demanding

From the author of MIDDLEMARCH and SILAS MARNER, a story of frustrated intelligence and longing, featuring the intelligent Maggie, who yearns to be loved, and her brother Tom, who is forced to study. When Maggie is cast…

Women clergy Infanticide Conflict of generations Vendetta

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate Emma highest: Emma 4.0 · The Mill on the Floss 3.8.
Emma has the widest readership — 1019390 ratings behind its score.
Emma reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 73 times.
The Mill on the Floss runs the darker storyline; Emma stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want the crowd-tested pick? Emma 1019390 ratings vs 60384 for The Mill on the Floss In the mood for something dark? The Mill on the Floss a darker storyline than Emma Want something lighter? Emma an easier tone than The Mill on the Floss Want the literary heavyweight? Emma cited 73 times vs 23 for The Mill on the Floss

Scores by source

	Emma	The Mill on the Floss
Goodreads	4.0 (1019390)	3.8 (60384)
Hardcover	3.9 (851)	3.8 (54)
Google Books	4.5 (7)	—
Apple Books	4.0 (4089)	4.5 (6)
LiveLib	3.4 (4)	—

Reception

	Emma	The Mill on the Floss
Ratings	1019390	60384
Editions	2263	763
Citations	73	23
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	1014805	66633
Reading it now	66765	3317
Written reviews	46241	3605
Wikipedia attention	28127	6139
Pages	536	556

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Emma or The Mill on the Floss?

Emma has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Emma 4.0/5, The Mill on the Floss 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Emma or The Mill on the Floss?

Emma is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Emma (536 pages, ≈ 9 h 56 m); The Mill on the Floss (556 pages, ≈ 10 h 18 m).

Which is harder to read: Emma or The Mill on the Floss?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Emma: Demanding; The Mill on the Floss: Demanding.

Have both books been made into films?

Emma: 5 film adaptations; The Mill on the Floss: no film adaptation on record.