La chartreuse de Parme vs Paul et Virginie: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: French fiction, French literature, French language, History, Fiction

Cover of La chartreuse de Parme

La chartreuse de Parme Stendhal · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 478 pages · ≈ 8 h 51 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of Paul et Virginie

Paul et Virginie Bernardin de Saint-Pierre · 1789 ★★★★☆ 3.7 311 pages · ≈ 5 h 46 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.7 — either is a safe pick by score.
Paul et Virginie is the quicker read — about 5 hours vs 8 for La chartreuse de Parme.

Side by side