Shirley vs The Newcomes: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: British and irish fiction, England, Social life and customs, 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 Newcomes
“A CROW, who had flown away with a cheese from a diary window, sate perched on a tree looking down at a great big frog in a pool underneath him.”
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The Newcomes is Thackeray's most essentially 'Victorian' novel, generous in its proportions, sharp in its criticism of the moral convolutions of the age, and encyclopaedic in its reference. Set in the 1830s and 1840s, a…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Shirley is the quickest read — about 11 hours vs 14 for The Newcomes.
- Shirley has the widest readership — 37677 ratings behind its score.
- Shirley runs the darker storyline; The Newcomes stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Shirley | The Newcomes | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (37677) | 3.7 (275) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (34) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (25) | — |
Reception
| Shirley | The Newcomes | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 37677 | 275 |
| Editions | 536 | 76 |
| Citations | — | 22 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 70681 | 1026 |
| Reading it now | 1867 | — |
| Written reviews | 2113 | 29 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3898 | 382 |
| Pages | 640 | 801 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Shirley or The Newcomes?
Shirley has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Shirley 3.8/5, The Newcomes 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: Shirley or The Newcomes?
Shirley is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Shirley (640 pages, ≈ 11 h 51 m); The Newcomes (801 pages, ≈ 14 h 50 m).
Which is harder to read: Shirley or The Newcomes?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Shirley: Demanding; The Newcomes: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Shirley: 1 film adaptation; The Newcomes: no film adaptation on record.