Pride and Prejudice vs The Secret Garden: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: History, Fiction
Pride and Prejudice
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
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Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 novel of manners written by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty…
The Secret Garden
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A ten-year-old orphan comes to live in a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors where she discovers an invalid cousin and the mysteries of a locked garden.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Secret Garden is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for Pride and Prejudice.
- Pride and Prejudice has the widest readership — 4989220 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Pride and Prejudice | The Secret Garden | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (4989220) | 4.2 (1334510) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (3205) | 4.0 (994) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (9) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (30521) | 4.5 (224) |
Reception
| Pride and Prejudice | The Secret Garden | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 4989220 | 1334510 |
| Editions | 4039 | 1594 |
| Citations | — | 6 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2911553 | 730251 |
| Reading it now | 259375 | 28611 |
| Written reviews | 158595 | 36616 |
| Wikipedia attention | 99265 | 31291 |
| Pages | 320 | 208 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Pride and Prejudice or The Secret Garden?
Pride and Prejudice has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Pride and Prejudice 4.3/5, The Secret Garden 4.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: Pride and Prejudice or The Secret Garden?
The Secret Garden is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Secret Garden (208 pages, ≈ 3 h 51 m); Pride and Prejudice (320 pages, ≈ 5 h 56 m).
Which is harder to read: Pride and Prejudice or The Secret Garden?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Pride and Prejudice: Demanding; The Secret Garden: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Pride and Prejudice: 5 film adaptations; The Secret Garden: 5 film adaptations.