Mrs. Dalloway vs The Great Gatsby: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: First loves, Married women, Fiction

Mrs. Dalloway Virginia Woolf · 1925 ★★★★☆ 3.8 240 pages · ≈ 4 h 27 m · Challenging

Virginia Woolf’s novel chronicles a day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, a politician’s wife in 1920s London, as she prepares to host a party that evening. The narrative follows Clarissa’s thoughts (and sometimes those…

1 film adaptation

Middle-aged women Parties Suicide victims Triangles

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The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald · 1920 ★★★★☆ 3.9 431 pages · ≈ 7 h 59 m · Moderate

“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”

Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero like no other – one who could live at no other time and…

1 film adaptation

Mistresses American Manuscripts Traffic accidents Rich people

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Mrs. Dalloway is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby has the widest readership — 6120259 ratings behind its score.
Mrs. Dalloway reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 58 times.
The Great Gatsby runs the darker storyline; Mrs. Dalloway stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Mrs. Dalloway ≈ 4h vs 7h for The Great Gatsby Want the crowd-tested pick? The Great Gatsby 6120259 ratings vs 372596 for Mrs. Dalloway New to the genre? The Great Gatsby Moderate vs Challenging for Mrs. Dalloway In the mood for something dark? The Great Gatsby a darker storyline than Mrs. Dalloway Want something lighter? Mrs. Dalloway an easier tone than The Great Gatsby

Scores by source

	Mrs. Dalloway	The Great Gatsby
Goodreads	3.8 (372596)	3.9 (6120259)
Hardcover	4.0 (1)	4.5 (2)
Google Books	5.0 (1)	5.0 (1)
Apple Books	3.5 (99)	4.5 (806)
LiveLib	—	4.0 (5)

Reception

	Mrs. Dalloway	The Great Gatsby
Ratings	372596	6120259
Editions	476	1179
Citations	58	24
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	—	2127185
Reading it now	—	85180
Written reviews	—	138625
Wikipedia attention	20546	94574
Pages	240	431

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Mrs. Dalloway or The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Great Gatsby 3.9/5, Mrs. Dalloway 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: Mrs. Dalloway or The Great Gatsby?

Mrs. Dalloway is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Mrs. Dalloway (240 pages, ≈ 4 h 27 m); The Great Gatsby (431 pages, ≈ 7 h 59 m).

Which is harder to read: Mrs. Dalloway or The Great Gatsby?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Mrs. Dalloway: Challenging; The Great Gatsby: Moderate.

Have both books been made into films?

Mrs. Dalloway: 2 film adaptations; The Great Gatsby: 5 film adaptations.