Journey to the West vs The Count of Monte Cristo: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Classics
Journey to the West
Journey to the West () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the…
vs
The Count of Monte Cristo
Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Count of Monte Cristo highest: The Count of Monte Cristo 4.4 · Journey to the West 4.0.
- The Count of Monte Cristo is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 8 for Journey to the West.
- The Count of Monte Cristo has the widest readership — 1585 ratings behind its score.
- Journey to the West reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 23 times.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Journey to the West | The Count of Monte Cristo | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 4.0 (27) | 4.4 (1585) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | 5.0 (8) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (48) | 4.5 (153) |
Reception
| Journey to the West | The Count of Monte Cristo | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 48 | 1585 |
| Editions | 1 | 3 |
| Citations | 23 | 1 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Pages | 453 | 242 |