Shirley vs The Trumpet-Major, and Robert His Brother: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Napoleonic wars, British and irish fiction, Social life and customs, Historical Fiction, Fiction

Cover of Shirley

Shirley Charlotte Brontë · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 640 pages · ≈ 11 h 51 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Trumpet-Major, and Robert His Brother

The Trumpet-Major, and Robert His Brother Thomas Hardy · 1880 ★★★★☆ 3.7 379 pages · ≈ 7 h 01 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.7 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Trumpet-Major, and Robert His Brother is the quicker read — about 7 hours vs 11 for Shirley.
The Trumpet-Major, and Robert His Brother is the easier read (Challenging), Shirley more demanding (Demanding).

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