Intruder in the Dust vs Tender Is the Night: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: American Manuscripts, Facsimiles, Manuscripts, Historical Fiction, Fiction

Intruder in the Dust William Faulkner · 1948 ★★★★☆ 3.7 247 pages · ≈ 4 h 34 m · Demanding

Using his preferred stream-of-consciousness style the author tells a story of a black farmer in Mississippi accused of murdering a white man.

Afro-Americans Race Relations Novela African Americans

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Tender Is the Night F. Scott Fitzgerald · 1933 ★★★★☆ 3.8 399 pages · ≈ 7 h 23 m · Challenging

A psychiatrist, Dick Diver, treats and eventually marries a wealthy patient, Nicole. Eventually, this marriage destroys him.

1 film adaptation

Moral and ethical aspects Wealth Psychological fiction Classics

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Intruder in the Dust is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for Tender Is the Night.
Tender Is the Night has the widest readership — 153550 ratings behind its score.
Tender Is the Night runs the darker storyline; Intruder in the Dust stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Intruder in the Dust ≈ 4h vs 7h for Tender Is the Night Want the crowd-tested pick? Tender Is the Night 153550 ratings vs 6496 for Intruder in the Dust New to the genre? Tender Is the Night Challenging vs Demanding for Intruder in the Dust In the mood for something dark? Tender Is the Night a darker storyline than Intruder in the Dust Want something lighter? Intruder in the Dust an easier tone than Tender Is the Night

Scores by source

	Intruder in the Dust	Tender Is the Night
Goodreads	3.7 (6496)	3.8 (153550)
Hardcover	4.2 (8)	3.7 (148)
Apple Books	4.5 (13)	4.0 (163)

Reception

	Intruder in the Dust	Tender Is the Night
Ratings	6496	153550
Editions	38	312
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	7307	239033
Reading it now	346	10782
Written reviews	634	8884
Wikipedia attention	1510	12232
Pages	247	399

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Intruder in the Dust or Tender Is the Night?

Tender Is the Night has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Tender Is the Night 3.8/5, Intruder in the Dust 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: Intruder in the Dust or Tender Is the Night?

Intruder in the Dust is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Intruder in the Dust (247 pages, ≈ 4 h 34 m); Tender Is the Night (399 pages, ≈ 7 h 23 m).

Which is harder to read: Intruder in the Dust or Tender Is the Night?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Intruder in the Dust: Demanding; Tender Is the Night: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

Intruder in the Dust: no film adaptation on record; Tender Is the Night: 1 film adaptation.