Sons and Lovers vs The rose and the ring: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English Manuscripts, Facsimiles, Manuscripts, Fiction
Sons and Lovers
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Sons and Lovers, a story of working-class England, is D. H. Lawrence’s third novel. It went through various drafts, and was titled “Paul Morel” until the final draft, before being published and met with an indifferent…
The rose and the ring
“This is Valoroso XXIV., King of Paflagonia, seated with his Queen and only child at their royal breakfast-table, and receiving the letter which announces to his Majesty a proposed visit from Prince Bulbo, heir of Padella, reigning King of Crim Tartary.”
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The Rose and the Ring is one of those special literary treats which happen when a writer for adults turns his attention to the world of children. It's a classic fairy tale, told with Thackeray's customary insight into…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The rose and the ring is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 9 for Sons and Lovers.
- Sons and Lovers has the widest readership — 56594 ratings behind its score.
- Sons and Lovers runs the darker storyline; The rose and the ring stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Sons and Lovers | The rose and the ring | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.6 (56594) | 3.8 (1271) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (65) | 4.5 (4) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (94) | 3.5 (6) |
Reception
| Sons and Lovers | The rose and the ring | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 56594 | 1271 |
| Editions | 332 | 38 |
| Citations | 7 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 1698 |
| Reading it now | — | 72 |
| Written reviews | 1 | 122 |
| Wikipedia attention | 5979 | 459 |
| Pages | 510 | 144 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Sons and Lovers or The rose and the ring?
The rose and the ring has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The rose and the ring 3.8/5, Sons and Lovers 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: Sons and Lovers or The rose and the ring?
The rose and the ring is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The rose and the ring (144 pages, ≈ 2 h 40 m); Sons and Lovers (510 pages, ≈ 9 h 27 m).
Which is harder to read: Sons and Lovers or The rose and the ring?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Sons and Lovers: Challenging; The rose and the ring: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
Sons and Lovers: 1 film adaptation; The rose and the ring: 2 film adaptations.