The Book of Tea vs The troll garden: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Manners and customs, Social life and customs, Fiction
The Book of Tea
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Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of…
The troll garden
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"This collection of Willa Cather stories - her first book of fiction and the capstone of her early career - is as relevant today as at the time of its initial publication. As different and individually distinguished as…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Book of Tea has the widest readership — 18524 ratings behind its score.
- The Book of Tea reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 117 times.
- The troll garden runs the darker storyline; The Book of Tea stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Book of Tea | The troll garden | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (18524) | 4.0 (154) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (56) | 5.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (2) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (51) | 4.0 (8) |
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Reception
| The Book of Tea | The troll garden | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 18524 | 154 |
| Editions | 476 | 66 |
| Citations | 117 | 9 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 30827 | 518 |
| Reading it now | — | 51 |
| Written reviews | 2245 | 65 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1663 | 154 |
| Pages | 54 | 156 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Book of Tea or The troll garden?
The troll garden has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The troll garden 3.9/5, The Book of Tea 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Book of Tea or The troll garden?
The Book of Tea is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Book of Tea (54 pages, ≈ 1 h 00 m); The troll garden (156 pages, ≈ 2 h 53 m).
Which is harder to read: The Book of Tea or The troll garden?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Book of Tea: Demanding; The troll garden: Challenging.