The Age of Innocence vs The Portrait of a Lady: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Triangles, Married people, Social life and customs, Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction

Cover of The Age of Innocence

The Age of Innocence Edith Wharton · 1920 ★★★★☆ 4.0 384 pages · ≈ 7 h 07 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

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Cover of The Portrait of a Lady

The Portrait of a Lady Henry James · 1881 ★★★★☆ 3.8 634 pages · ≈ 11 h 44 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.0 vs 3.8 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Age of Innocence is the quicker read — about 7 hours vs 11 for The Portrait of a Lady.
The Age of Innocence is the easier read (Challenging), The Portrait of a Lady more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side