The Bastard vs The Harvester: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Book, Classic, American, Adult, Historical, History
The Bastard
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“Phillipe Charboneau—the bastard. Illegitimate son of an English nobleman, Phillipe flees Europe and, as Philip Kent, joins the turbulent adventure that was the beginning of the American Experience. Through his…
The Harvester
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Author of ''A Girl of the Limberlost,'' Freckles, etc. The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter is the story of a Thoreau-esque idealist and naturalist and his search for the love of his dreams, the Dream…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Harvester has the widest readership — 2289 ratings behind its score.
- The Bastard runs the darker storyline; The Harvester stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Bastard | The Harvester | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 4.2 (2289) |
| Hardcover | 3.6 (18) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (2) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (218) | 4.5 (88) |
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Reception
| The Bastard | The Harvester | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 218 | 2289 |
| Editions | 26 | 34 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | — | 2131 |
| Reading it now | — | 172 |
| Written reviews | — | 283 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1191 | 99 |
| Pages | 462 | 516 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Bastard or The Harvester?
The Bastard has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Bastard 4.4/5, The Harvester 4.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Bastard or The Harvester?
The Bastard is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Bastard (462 pages, ≈ 8 h 33 m); The Harvester (516 pages, ≈ 9 h 33 m).
Which is harder to read: The Bastard or The Harvester?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Bastard: Challenging; The Harvester: Moderate.