Princesse de Clèves vs The Scarlet Pimpernel: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Nobility, France, Continental european fiction, History, Fiction

Cover of Princesse de Clèves

Princesse de Clèves Madame de La Fayette · 1678 ★★★★☆ 3.7 198 pages · ≈ 3 h 40 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Scarlet Pimpernel

The Scarlet Pimpernel Emma Orczy · 1900 ★★★★☆ 4.1 370 pages · ≈ 6 h 51 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate The Scarlet Pimpernel higher: 4.1 vs 3.7 from 143941 votes.
Princesse de Clèves is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 6 for The Scarlet Pimpernel.
The Scarlet Pimpernel is the easier read (Challenging), Princesse de Clèves more demanding (Demanding).

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