If you can't be good vs Windmills of the gods: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Spy Fiction, Fiction

If you can't be good Ross Thomas · 1973 ★★★★☆ 4.0 249 pages · ≈ 4 h 37 m · Moderate

An old CIA connection brings trouble for a Washington, DC, barman in this thriller from "America's best storyteller" (The New York Times Book Review).   As the saying goes, you can't pick your friends. If you…

Find on Amazon More like this →

Windmills of the gods Sidney Sheldon · 1987 ★★★★☆ 3.9 384 pages · ≈ 7 h 07 m · Moderate

“Stanton Rogers was destined to be President of the United States.”

A college professor, a naive Kansan, becomes the US ambassador to Romania and learns a lot about life.

Find on Amazon More like this →

Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
If you can't be good is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for Windmills of the gods.
Windmills of the gods has the widest readership — 32345 ratings behind its score.
Windmills of the gods runs the darker storyline; If you can't be good stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? If you can't be good ≈ 4h vs 7h for Windmills of the gods In the mood for something dark? Windmills of the gods a darker storyline than If you can't be good Want something lighter? If you can't be good an easier tone than Windmills of the gods

Scores by source

	If you can't be good	Windmills of the gods
Goodreads	4.1 (201)	3.9 (32345)
Hardcover	—	3.7 (36)
Apple Books	—	4.5 (55)

Reception

	If you can't be good	Windmills of the gods
Ratings	201	32345
Editions	8	14
Citations	—	1
Film adaptations	—	1
Want to read	—	7999
Reading it now	—	530
Written reviews	—	826
Wikipedia attention	—	802
Pages	249	384

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: If you can't be good or Windmills of the gods?

If you can't be good has the higher combined reader rating across sources (If you can't be good 4.0/5, Windmills of the gods 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: If you can't be good or Windmills of the gods?

If you can't be good is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: If you can't be good (249 pages, ≈ 4 h 37 m); Windmills of the gods (384 pages, ≈ 7 h 07 m).

Which is harder to read: If you can't be good or Windmills of the gods?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — If you can't be good: Moderate; Windmills of the gods: Moderate.