O Pioneers! vs These Is My Words: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Women pioneers, Frontier and pioneer life, Historical Fiction, History, Fiction

O Pioneers! Willa Cather · 1913 ★★★★☆ 3.9 135 pages · ≈ 2 h 30 m · Challenging

“One January day, thirty years ago, the little town of Hanover, anchored on a windy Nebraska tableland, was trying not to be blown away.”

"Alexandra, daughter of a Swedish immigrant farmer in Nebraska, inherits the family farm and finds love with an old friend." "The heroic battle for survival of simple pioneer folk in the Nebraska country of the 1880s.…

Swedish Americans Nebraska Women immigrants Immigrants

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These Is My Words Nancy E. Turner · 1998 ★★★★☆ 4.4 384 pages · ≈ 7 h 07 m · Moderate

Een jonge, avontuurlijke pioniersvrouw beschrijft in haar dagboeken hoe ze eind 19e eeuw per huifkar naar Arizona trekt en daar twintig jaar lang te maken krijgt met het harde leven in het Wilde Westen.

Diary fiction

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate These Is My Words highest: These Is My Words 4.4 · O Pioneers! 3.9.
O Pioneers! is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 7 for These Is My Words.
These Is My Words has the widest readership — 84604 ratings behind its score.
These Is My Words runs the darker storyline; O Pioneers! stays the lighter read.

O Pioneers!: Check price →These Is My Words: Check price →

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? O Pioneers! ≈ 2h vs 7h for These Is My Words Just want the better-reviewed one? These Is My Words 4.4 vs 3.9 from readers New to the genre? These Is My Words Moderate vs Challenging for O Pioneers! In the mood for something dark? These Is My Words a darker storyline than O Pioneers! Want something lighter? O Pioneers! an easier tone than These Is My Words

Scores by source

	O Pioneers!	These Is My Words
Goodreads	3.9 (60523)	4.4 (84604)
Hardcover	3.7 (73)	4.1 (24)
Apple Books	4.5 (45)	4.5 (656)
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Reception

	O Pioneers!	These Is My Words
Ratings	60523	84604
Editions	613	12
Film adaptations	1	—
Want to read	38976	104989
Reading it now	2448	2479
Written reviews	5109	12516
Wikipedia attention	2476	—
Pages	135	384
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: O Pioneers! or These Is My Words?

These Is My Words has the higher combined reader rating across sources (These Is My Words 4.4/5, O Pioneers! 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: O Pioneers! or These Is My Words?

O Pioneers! is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: O Pioneers! (135 pages, ≈ 2 h 30 m); These Is My Words (384 pages, ≈ 7 h 07 m).

Which is harder to read: O Pioneers! or These Is My Words?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — O Pioneers!: Challenging; These Is My Words: Moderate.