Moll Flanders vs The Secret Agent: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, Fiction
Moll Flanders
These are the true confessions of a remarkable and passionate young woman are thought to have been based on the adventures of a real prisoner in Newgate where Moll was born. ostensibly written as a warning to…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Secret Agent
The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale is a novel by Joseph Conrad, first published in 1907. The story is set in London in 1886 and deals with Mr. Adolf Verloc and his work as a spy for an unnamed country (presumably Russia).…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Moll Flanders has the widest readership — 49318 ratings behind its score.
- Moll Flanders reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 39 times.
- Moll Flanders runs the darker storyline; The Secret Agent stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Moll Flanders | The Secret Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (49318) | 3.6 (25537) |
| Hardcover | 3.3 (44) | 3.2 (46) |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (15) | 4.0 (283) |
| LiveLib | 3.8 (604) | — |
Reception
| Moll Flanders | The Secret Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 49318 | 25537 |
| Editions | 1114 | 335 |
| Citations | 39 | 5 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 37010 | 30202 |
| Reading it now | 1987 | — |
| Written reviews | 2489 | 2131 |
| Wikipedia attention | 5851 | 5228 |
| Pages | 322 | 240 |