Shirley vs The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: British and irish fiction, Women, England, Fiction
Shirley
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Shirley, published in 1849, was Charlotte Brontë’s second novel after Jane Eyre. Published under her pseudonym of “Currer Bell,” it differs in several respects from that earlier work. It is written in the third person…
The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana
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"Roxana", Defoe's last and darkest novel, is the autobiography of a woman who has traded her virtue, at first for survival, and then for fame and fortune. Its narrator tells the story of her own "wicked" life as the…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Shirley highest: Shirley 3.8 · The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana 3.4.
- The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana is the quickest read — about 7 hours vs 11 for Shirley.
- Shirley has the widest readership — 37677 ratings behind its score.
- Shirley runs the darker storyline; The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Shirley | The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (37677) | 3.4 (5841) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (34) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (25) | — |
Reception
| Shirley | The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 37677 | 5841 |
| Editions | 536 | 93 |
| Citations | — | 1 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 70681 | — |
| Reading it now | 1867 | — |
| Written reviews | 2113 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 3898 | — |
| Pages | 640 | 429 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Shirley or The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana?
Shirley has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Shirley 3.8/5, The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana 3.4/5).
Which is shorter to read: Shirley or The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana?
The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana (429 pages, ≈ 7 h 57 m); Shirley (640 pages, ≈ 11 h 51 m).
Which is harder to read: Shirley or The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Shirley: Demanding; The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Shirley: 1 film adaptation; The fortunate mistress, or, Roxana: no film adaptation on record.