Of time and the river vs The cloud atlas: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Young men, Bildungsromans, Fiction

Cover of Of time and the river

Of time and the river Thomas Wolfe · 1935 ★★★★☆ 4.2 912 pages · ≈ 16 h 53 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The cloud atlas

The cloud atlas Liam Callanan · 2004 ★★★★☆ 4.0 360 pages · ≈ 6 h 40 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.2 vs 4.0 — either is a safe pick by score.
The cloud atlas is the quicker read — about 6 hours vs 16 for Of time and the river.
The cloud atlas is the easier read (Moderate), Of time and the river more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side