The Bell Jar vs The Family: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
The Bell Jar
“It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York.”
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The Bell Jar is the only novel written by American poet Sylvia Plath. It is an intensely realistic and emotional record of a successful and talented young woman's descent into madness.
The Family
“The golden rays of the summer sun warmed the cobblestone streets of Rome as Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia walked briskly from the Vatican to the three-story stucco house on the Piazza de Merlo where he'd come to claim three of his young children: his sons Cesare and Juan and his daughter Lucrezia, flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood.”
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What is a family? Mario Puzo first answered that question, unforgettably, in his landmark bestseller The Godfather; with the creation of the Corleones he forever redefined the concept of blood loyalty. Now, thirty years…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Bell Jar highest: The Bell Jar 4.4 · The Family 3.8.
- The Bell Jar is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 7 for The Family.
- The Bell Jar has the widest readership — 555 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Bell Jar | The Family | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | — | 3.7 (25) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (2) | 3.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (555) | 4.5 (7) |
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Reception
| The Bell Jar | The Family | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 555 | 25 |
| Editions | 177 | 40 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 63950 | 2497 |
| Pages | 272 | 418 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Bell Jar or The Family?
The Bell Jar has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Bell Jar 4.4/5, The Family 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Bell Jar or The Family?
The Bell Jar is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Bell Jar (272 pages, ≈ 5 h 02 m); The Family (418 pages, ≈ 7 h 44 m).
Which is harder to read: The Bell Jar or The Family?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Bell Jar: Demanding; The Family: Moderate.