Kingsblood royal vs Passing: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Racially mixed people, Race Relations, Fiction
Kingsblood royal
"A neglected tour de force by the first American to win the Nobel Prize in literature, Kingsblood Royal is a stirring and wickedly funny portrait of a man who "resigns from the white race." When Neil Kingsblood - a…
vs
Passing
“It was the last letter in Irene Redfield's little pile of morning mail.”
First published to critical acclaim in 1929, Passing firmly established Nella Larsen's prominence among women writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Irene Redfield, the novel's protagonist, is a woman with an enviable…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Passing is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 6 for Kingsblood royal.
- Kingsblood royal has the widest readership — 902 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Kingsblood royal | Passing | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (902) | — |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 4.3 (3) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (107) |
Reception
| Kingsblood royal | Passing | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 902 | 107 |
| Editions | 54 | 74 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1250 | — |
| Reading it now | 79 | — |
| Written reviews | 126 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 297 | 4299 |
| Pages | 352 | 182 |