Princesse de Clèves vs Vingt ans apres̀: Which Should You Read?

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

Cover of Princesse de Clèves

Princesse de Clèves Madame de La Fayette · 1678 ★★★★☆ 3.8 198 pages · ≈ 3 h 40 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of Vingt ans apres̀

Vingt ans apres̀ Alexandre Dumas · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 754 pages · ≈ 13 h 58 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
Princesse de Clèves is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 13 for Vingt ans apres̀.

Side by side