Paul et Virginie vs À rebours: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Translations from French, French fiction, Classic Literature, Fiction

Cover of Paul et Virginie

Paul et Virginie Bernardin de Saint-Pierre · 1789 ★★★★☆ 3.7 311 pages · ≈ 5 h 46 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of À rebours

À rebours Joris-Karl Huysmans · 1884 ★★★★☆ 3.8 294 pages · ≈ 5 h 27 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.7 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
À rebours is the easier read (Challenging), Paul et Virginie more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side