Nineteen Eighty-Four vs The Book Thief: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Fiction

Cover of Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell · 1949 ★★★★☆ 4.2 244 pages · ≈ 4 h 31 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Book Thief

The Book Thief Markus Zusak · 1998 ★★★★☆ 4.4 564 pages · ≈ 10 h 27 m · Light Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.2 vs 4.4 — either is a safe pick by score.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 10 for The Book Thief.
The Book Thief is the easier read (Light), Nineteen Eighty-Four more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side