Sons vs The Rainbow: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Families, Social life and customs, Fiction
Sons
"Wang Lung lay dying." Thus the action of SONS begins immediately after that of the last chapter of THE GOOD EARTH. This new novel carries on the saga of the house of Wang, of Pear Blossom and the aging Lotus, of the…
vs
The Rainbow
(Brangwen Family #1) Lush with imagery, this is the story of three generations of Brangwen women living during the decline of English rural life. Banned upon publication, it explores the most taboo subjects of its…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Rainbow is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 8 for Sons.
- The Rainbow has the widest readership — 22002 ratings behind its score.
- Sons runs the darker storyline; The Rainbow stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Sons | The Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (7764) | 3.7 (22002) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (8) | 4.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 3.0 (3) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (18) | 4.0 (40) |
Reception
| Sons | The Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7764 | 22002 |
| Editions | 39 | 358 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 8021 | 31401 |
| Reading it now | 1836 | — |
| Written reviews | 579 | 1230 |
| Wikipedia attention | 690 | 3868 |
| Pages | 467 | 208 |