Nineteen Eighty-Four vs The Great Gatsby: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Classics, Drama, Fiction

Cover of Nineteen Eighty-Four

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

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Cover of The Great Gatsby

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

The verdict

Readers rate Nineteen Eighty-Four higher: 4.2 vs 3.9 from 5733183 votes.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 7 for The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby is the easier read (Moderate), Nineteen Eighty-Four more demanding (Challenging).

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