Candy vs Special Topics in Calamity Physics: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Young women, Coming-of-age, Fiction
Candy
“"I've read many books," said Professor Mephesto, with an odd finality, wearily flattening his hands on the podium, addressing the seventy-six sophomores who sat in easy reverence, immortalizing his every phrase with their pads and pens, and now, as always, giving him the confidence to slowly, artfully dramatize his words, to pause, shrug, frown, gaze abstractly at the ceiling, allow a wan wistful”
Banned upon its initial publication, the now-classic Candy is a romp of a story about the impossibly sweet Candy Christian, a wide-eyed, luscious, all-American girl. Candy -- a satire of Voltaire's Candide -- chronicles…
1 film adaptation
vs
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
A darkly funny coming-of-age novel and a richly plotted suspense tale told through the distinctive voice of its heroine, Blue van Meer. After a childhood moving from one academic outpost to another with her father (a…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Candy is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 9 for Special Topics in Calamity Physics.
- Special Topics in Calamity Physics has the widest readership — 49447 ratings behind its score.
- Special Topics in Calamity Physics runs the darker storyline; Candy stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Candy | Special Topics in Calamity Physics | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.7 (49447) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (2) | 3.6 (96) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (17) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (24) | 4.5 (170) |
Reception
| Candy | Special Topics in Calamity Physics | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 24 | 49447 |
| Editions | 7 | 15 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 44325 |
| Reading it now | — | 2038 |
| Written reviews | — | 6153 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1423 | 617 |
| Pages | 224 | 514 |