Le rouge et le noir vs Les lettres de mon moulin: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Critique et interprétation, French language, Social life and customs, History, Fiction

Cover of Le rouge et le noir

Le rouge et le noir Stendhal · 1830 ★★★★☆ 3.9 514 pages · ≈ 9 h 31 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

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Cover of Les lettres de mon moulin

Les lettres de mon moulin Alphonse Daudet · 1869 ★★★★☆ 3.7 246 pages · ≈ 4 h 33 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.9 vs 3.7 — either is a safe pick by score.
Les lettres de mon moulin is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 9 for Le rouge et le noir.
Les lettres de mon moulin is the easier read (Challenging), Le rouge et le noir more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side