The Ballad of Reading Gaol vs The Moving Finger: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
The Ballad of Reading Gaol
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The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written in exile in Berneval-le-Grand and Naples, after his release from HM Prison Reading on 19 May 1897. Wilde had been incarcerated in Reading after being…
The Moving Finger
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The placid village of Lymstock seems the perfect place for Jerry Burton to recuperate from his accident under the care of his sister, Joanna. But soon a series of vicious poison-pen letters destroys the village's quiet…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Ballad of Reading Gaol highest: The Ballad of Reading Gaol 4.3 · The Moving Finger 3.9.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol is the quickest read — about 1 hours vs 4 for The Moving Finger.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol has the widest readership — 7984 ratings behind its score.
- The Ballad of Reading Gaol runs the darker storyline; The Moving Finger stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Ballad of Reading Gaol | The Moving Finger | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (7984) | 3.9 (5252) |
| Hardcover | — | 3.7 (132) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (14) | 4.5 (191) |
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Reception
| The Ballad of Reading Gaol | The Moving Finger | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7984 | 5252 |
| Editions | 241 | 115 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 7377 | 25192 |
| Reading it now | 255 | — |
| Written reviews | 760 | 5252 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3158 | 4598 |
| Pages | 49 | 224 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Ballad of Reading Gaol or The Moving Finger?
The Ballad of Reading Gaol has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Ballad of Reading Gaol 4.3/5, The Moving Finger 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Ballad of Reading Gaol or The Moving Finger?
The Ballad of Reading Gaol is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Ballad of Reading Gaol (49 pages, ≈ 54 min); The Moving Finger (224 pages, ≈ 4 h 09 m).
Which is harder to read: The Ballad of Reading Gaol or The Moving Finger?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Ballad of Reading Gaol: Demanding; The Moving Finger: Challenging.