The American vs The Sound and the Fury: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: American Manuscripts, Facsimiles, Aristocracy, Fiction

Cover of The American

The American Henry James · 1877 ★★★★☆ 3.7 473 pages · ≈ 8 h 46 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Sound and the Fury

The Sound and the Fury William Faulkner · 1929 ★★★★☆ 3.9 335 pages · ≈ 6 h 12 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.7 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Sound and the Fury is the quicker read — about 6 hours vs 8 for The American.
The Sound and the Fury is the easier read (Moderate), The American more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side