The Black Robe vs The Law and the Lady: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: British and irish fiction, England, English literature, Classic Literature, Mystery, Fiction
The Black Robe
“THE doctors could do no more for the Dowager Lady Berrick.”
The Black Robe is an 1881 partially-epistolary novel by famed English writer, Wilkie Collins. The book, which relates the misadventures of one "Lewis Romayne", is noted for its anti-Catholic lens.
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The Law and the Lady
“In offering this book to you, I have no Preface to write.”
Three years ago, her husband stood accused of murder -- and the verdict that came in from the jury was the Scottish Verdict, Not Proven. The jury had not evidence enough to convict him -- nor enough to comfortably…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Law and the Lady has the widest readership — 3504 ratings behind its score.
- The Law and the Lady reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 22 times.
- The Law and the Lady runs the darker storyline; The Black Robe stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Black Robe | The Law and the Lady | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (812) | 3.8 (3504) |
| Hardcover | 2.0 (2) | 3.1 (5) |
| Google Books | — | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (28) | 4.0 (59) |
Reception
| The Black Robe | The Law and the Lady | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 812 | 3504 |
| Editions | 303 | 384 |
| Citations | 9 | 22 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 851 | 4296 |
| Reading it now | — | 286 |
| Written reviews | 97 | 361 |
| Wikipedia attention | 214 | 1529 |
| Pages | 318 | 392 |