Lorna Doone vs The Ballad of Reading Gaol: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
Lorna Doone
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This work is called a 'romance,' because the incidents, characters, time, and scenery, are alike romantic. And in shaping this old tale, the Writer neither dares, nor desires, to claim for it the dignity or cumber it…
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
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The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand and Naples, after his release from HM Prison Reading on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Ballad of Reading Gaol highest: The Ballad of Reading Gaol 4.3 · Lorna Doone 3.7.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 8 for Lorna Doone.
- Lorna Doone has the widest readership — 16616 ratings behind its score.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol runs the darker storyline; Lorna Doone stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| Lorna Doone | The Ballad of Reading Gaol | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (16616) | 4.3 (7984) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (14) |
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Reception
| Lorna Doone | The Ballad of Reading Gaol | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 16616 | 7984 |
| Editions | 556 | 241 |
| Citations | 1 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 18669 | 7377 |
| Reading it now | — | 255 |
| Written reviews | 898 | 760 |
| Wikipedia attention | 6358 | 3158 |
| Pages | 458 | 49 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Lorna Doone or The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
The Ballad of Reading Gaol has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Ballad of Reading Gaol 4.3/5, Lorna Doone 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Lorna Doone or The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Ballad of Reading Gaol (49 pages, ≈ 54 min); Lorna Doone (458 pages, ≈ 8 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: Lorna Doone or The Ballad of Reading Gaol?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Lorna Doone: Challenging; The Ballad of Reading Gaol: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Lorna Doone: 5 film adaptations; The Ballad of Reading Gaol: no film adaptation on record.