Gang of One vs The Ballad of Reading Gaol: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Imprisonment, Prisons, Prisoners
Gang of One
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"Gang of one is the remarkable true story of one man's journey from a Glasgow orphanage to a notorious gang-infested prison in Texas. Driven by his desire to return to his son in England and haunted by the increasingly…
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
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The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand and Naples, after his release from HM Prison Reading on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Ballad of Reading Gaol highest: The Ballad of Reading Gaol 4.3 · Gang of One 3.9.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 6 for Gang of One.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol has the widest readership — 7984 ratings behind its score.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol runs the darker storyline; Gang of One stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Gang of One | The Ballad of Reading Gaol | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (258) | 4.3 (7984) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (14) |
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Reception
| Gang of One | The Ballad of Reading Gaol | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 258 | 7984 |
| Editions | 5 | 241 |
| Film adaptations | — | 1 |
| Want to read | 112 | 7377 |
| Reading it now | 13 | 255 |
| Written reviews | 28 | 760 |
| Wikipedia attention | — | 3158 |
| Pages | 352 | 49 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Gang of One or The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
The Ballad of Reading Gaol has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Ballad of Reading Gaol 4.3/5, Gang of One 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Gang of One or The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Ballad of Reading Gaol (49 pages, ≈ 54 min); Gang of One (352 pages, ≈ 6 h 31 m).
Which is harder to read: Gang of One or The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Gang of One: Moderate; The Ballad of Reading Gaol: Demanding.