A la recherche du temps perdu vs Notre Dame de Paris: Which Should You Read?

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

Cover of A la recherche du temps perdu

A la recherche du temps perdu Marcel Proust · 1919 ★★★★☆ 3.9 1128 pages · ≈ 20 h 53 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

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Cover of Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame de Paris Victor Hugo · 1831 ★★★★☆ 4.0 409 pages · ≈ 7 h 34 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.9 vs 4.0 — either is a safe pick by score.
Notre Dame de Paris is the quicker read — about 7 hours vs 20 for A la recherche du temps perdu.

Side by side