Of Mice and Men vs Things Fall Apart: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Contemporary Fiction, Men, Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction

Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck · 1937 ★★★★☆ 3.9 194 pages · ≈ 3 h 36 m · Challenging

“A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.”

The second book in John Steinbeck’s labor trilogy, Of Mice and Men is a touching tale of two migrant laborers in search of work and eventual liberation from their social circumstances. Fiercely devoted to one another,…

1 film adaptation

Labor Trilogy Vida ranchera Goal People with mental disabilities

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Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe · 1958 ★★★★☆ 3.9 196 pages · ≈ 3 h 38 m · Challenging

Things Fall Apart is the debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, first published in 1958. It depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria and the arrival of Europeans during the late 19th century.…

1 film adaptation

Race Relations Christianity British History

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
Of Mice and Men has the widest readership — 2939654 ratings behind its score.
Of Mice and Men runs the darker storyline; Things Fall Apart stays the lighter read.

How to choose

In the mood for something dark? Of Mice and Men a darker storyline than Things Fall Apart Want something lighter? Things Fall Apart an easier tone than Of Mice and Men

Scores by source

	Of Mice and Men	Things Fall Apart
Goodreads	3.9 (2939654)	—
Hardcover	4.0 (1)	3.7 (616)
Google Books	4.0 (12)	3.5 (39)
Apple Books	4.5 (4121)	4.0 (719)

Reception

	Of Mice and Men	Things Fall Apart
Ratings	2939654	719
Editions	292	94
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	978907	—
Reading it now	18844	—
Written reviews	72226	—
Wikipedia attention	54160	30176
Pages	194	196

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: Of Mice and Men or Things Fall Apart?

Of Mice and Men has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Of Mice and Men 3.9/5, Things Fall Apart 3.9/5).

Which is shorter to read: Of Mice and Men or Things Fall Apart?

Of Mice and Men is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Of Mice and Men (194 pages, ≈ 3 h 36 m); Things Fall Apart (196 pages, ≈ 3 h 38 m).

Which is harder to read: Of Mice and Men or Things Fall Apart?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Of Mice and Men: Challenging; Things Fall Apart: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

Of Mice and Men: 4 film adaptations; Things Fall Apart: 1 film adaptation.