On Chesil Beach vs The Black Robe: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: British and irish fiction, Romance & Relationships, England, English literature, Fiction

Cover of On Chesil Beach

On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan · 2007 ★★★★☆ 3.6 195 pages · ≈ 3 h 37 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Black Robe

The Black Robe Wilkie Collins · 1881 ★★★★☆ 3.7 318 pages · ≈ 5 h 53 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.6 vs 3.7 — either is a safe pick by score.
On Chesil Beach is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 5 for The Black Robe.
On Chesil Beach is the easier read (Moderate), The Black Robe more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side