Suite française vs Vingt ans apres̀: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: French fiction, France, Histoire, Historical Fiction, Romans, History

Cover of Suite française

Suite française Irène Némirovsky · 2004 ★★★★☆ 3.9 453 pages · ≈ 8 h 23 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of Vingt ans apres̀

Vingt ans apres̀ Alexandre Dumas · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 754 pages · ≈ 13 h 58 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.9 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
Suite française is the quicker read — about 8 hours vs 13 for Vingt ans apres̀.
Suite française is the easier read (Moderate), Vingt ans apres̀ more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side