O Alquimista vs O mandarim: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Portuguese fiction, Fiction

Cover of O Alquimista

O Alquimista Paulo Coelho · 1988 ★★★★☆ 3.9 204 pages · ≈ 3 h 47 m · Light Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of O mandarim

O mandarim Eça de Queiroz · 1889 ★★★★☆ 3.7 80 pages · ≈ 1 h 29 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate O Alquimista higher: 3.9 vs 3.7 from 3734348 votes.
O mandarim is the quicker read — about 1 hours vs 3 for O Alquimista.
O Alquimista is the easier read (Light), O mandarim more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side