Nineteen Eighty-Four vs The Handmaid's Tale: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Science Fiction, 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 Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood · 1985 ★★★★☆ 4.2 411 pages · ≈ 7 h 37 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for The Handmaid's Tale.

Side by side