Howards End vs Jude the Obscure: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Illegitimate children, Romance & Relationships, Social life and customs, Romance, Fiction
Howards End
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Howards End is a novel by E. M. Forster about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. A strong-willed and intelligent woman refuses to allow the pretensions of her…
Jude the Obscure
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Hardy's last work of fiction, Jude the Obscure is also one of his most gloomily fatalistic, depicting the lives of individuals who are trapped by forces beyond their control. Jude Fawley, a poor villager, wants to enter…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Howards End is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 9 for Jude the Obscure.
- Howards End has the widest readership — 96555 ratings behind its score.
- Jude the Obscure runs the darker storyline; Howards End stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Howards End | Jude the Obscure | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (96555) | 3.8 (77542) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 4.0 (97) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (6) | 4.0 (141) |
Reception
| Howards End | Jude the Obscure | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 96555 | 77542 |
| Editions | 498 | 425 |
| Citations | — | 35 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 86001 | 75907 |
| Reading it now | 3820 | 2971 |
| Written reviews | 5191 | 5092 |
| Wikipedia attention | 14782 | 9952 |
| Pages | 318 | 488 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Howards End or Jude the Obscure?
Howards End has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Howards End 4.0/5, Jude the Obscure 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Howards End or Jude the Obscure?
Howards End is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Howards End (318 pages, ≈ 5 h 53 m); Jude the Obscure (488 pages, ≈ 9 h 02 m).
Which is harder to read: Howards End or Jude the Obscure?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Howards End: Moderate; Jude the Obscure: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Howards End: 2 film adaptations; Jude the Obscure: 2 film adaptations.