Sense and Sensibility vs The Great Gatsby: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, Romance, Fiction
Sense and Sensibility
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When Mr. Dashwood dies, he must leave the bulk of his estate to the son by his first marriage, which leaves his second wife and three daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) in straitened circumstances. They are…
The Great Gatsby
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
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Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero like no other – one who could live at no other time and…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Great Gatsby has the widest readership — 6120259 ratings behind its score.
- The Great Gatsby runs the darker storyline; Sense and Sensibility stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Sense and Sensibility | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.1 (1333866) | 3.9 (6120259) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (951) | 4.5 (2) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (1563) | 4.5 (806) |
| LiveLib | — | 4.0 (5) |
Reception
| Sense and Sensibility | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1333866 | 6120259 |
| Editions | 2090 | 1179 |
| Citations | — | 24 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1037401 | 2127185 |
| Reading it now | 54424 | 85180 |
| Written reviews | 38407 | 138625 |
| Wikipedia attention | 44096 | 94574 |
| Pages | 331 | 431 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Sense and Sensibility or The Great Gatsby?
Sense and Sensibility has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Sense and Sensibility 4.1/5, The Great Gatsby 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Sense and Sensibility or The Great Gatsby?
Sense and Sensibility is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Sense and Sensibility (331 pages, ≈ 6 h 08 m); The Great Gatsby (431 pages, ≈ 7 h 59 m).
Which is harder to read: Sense and Sensibility or The Great Gatsby?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Sense and Sensibility: Demanding; The Great Gatsby: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Sense and Sensibility: 5 film adaptations; The Great Gatsby: 5 film adaptations.