Nineteen Eighty-Four vs Old Man and the Sea: 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 Old Man and the Sea

Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway · 1952 ★★★★☆ 3.8 87 pages · ≈ 1 h 37 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate Nineteen Eighty-Four higher: 4.2 vs 3.8 from 5733183 votes.
Old Man and the Sea is the quicker read — about 1 hours vs 4 for Nineteen Eighty-Four.
Old Man and the Sea is the easier read (Moderate), Nineteen Eighty-Four more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side