Iwein vs The book of romance: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Romances, Arthurian romances
Iwein
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Iwein is a Middle High German verse romance by the poet Hartmann von Aue, written around 1200. An Arthurian tale freely adapted from Chrétien de Troyes Old French Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, it tells the story of…
The book of romance
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From the Andrew Lang prismatic series, this is the "Book of Romance", a most attractive selection of what the editor calls "fairy-tales grown up," the Round Table romances and similar stories, with…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Iwein is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for The book of romance.
- Iwein has the widest readership — 641 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Iwein | The book of romance | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (641) | 3.5 (35) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (1) | — |
Reception
| Iwein | The book of romance | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 641 | 35 |
| Editions | 14 | 22 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 285 | 160 |
| Reading it now | 18 | 23 |
| Written reviews | 48 | 3 |
| Wikipedia attention | 315 | — |
| Pages | 243 | 384 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Iwein or The book of romance?
The book of romance has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The book of romance 3.6/5, Iwein 3.5/5).
Which is shorter to read: Iwein or The book of romance?
Iwein is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Iwein (243 pages, ≈ 4 h 30 m); The book of romance (384 pages, ≈ 7 h 07 m).
Which is harder to read: Iwein or The book of romance?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Iwein: Challenging; The book of romance: Challenging.