Life with father vs Observations by Mr. Dooley: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: American wit and humor, Wit and humor, Fiction
Life with father
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Life with Father is a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarence Day, Jr., which was adapted by Lindsay and Crouse in 1939 into the longest running non-musical Broadway…
Observations by Mr. Dooley
“HOGAN tells me that wan iv th' first things man done afther he'd larned to kill his neighborin' animals, an' make a meal iv wan part iv thim an' a vest iv another, was to begin to mannyfacther lithrachoor, an' it's been goin' on up to th' prisint day.”
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Observations by Mr Dooley presents a witty and sharp examination of society through the eyes of an observer who spends each day surrounded by conversations, opinions, and shifting beliefs. The narrative uses a relaxed…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Life with father has the widest readership — 3498 ratings behind its score.
- Observations by Mr. Dooley runs the darker storyline; Life with father stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Life with father | Observations by Mr. Dooley | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (3498) | 4.0 (8) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (6) | — |
Reception
| Life with father | Observations by Mr. Dooley | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 3498 | 8 |
| Editions | 17 | 16 |
| Citations | 20 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 1938 | 14 |
| Reading it now | 123 | 4 |
| Written reviews | 164 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 981 | — |
| Pages | 258 | 279 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Life with father or Observations by Mr. Dooley?
Life with father has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Life with father 3.9/5, Observations by Mr. Dooley 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Life with father or Observations by Mr. Dooley?
Life with father is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Life with father (258 pages, ≈ 4 h 47 m); Observations by Mr. Dooley (279 pages, ≈ 5 h 10 m).
Which is harder to read: Life with father or Observations by Mr. Dooley?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Life with father: Moderate; Observations by Mr. Dooley: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Life with father: 2 film adaptations; Observations by Mr. Dooley: no film adaptation on record.