The Day of the Jackal vs The Ipcress File: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Espionage, Thriller, Fiction
The Day of the Jackal
In a class by itself. Unputdownable' Sunday TimesOne of the most celebrated thrillers ever written, The Day of the Jackal is the electrifying story of an anonymous Englishman who in, the spring of 1963, was hired by…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Ipcress File
Len Deighton's classic first novel, whoseprotagonist is a nameless spy – later christened Harry Palmer and made famous worldwide in the iconic 1960s film starring Michael Caine.The Ipcress File was not only Len…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Day of the Jackal highest: The Day of the Jackal 4.3 · The Ipcress File 3.9.
- The Ipcress File is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 6 for The Day of the Jackal.
- The Day of the Jackal has the widest readership — 149030 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Day of the Jackal | The Ipcress File | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (149030) | 3.9 (18460) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (204) | 3.4 (37) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (384) | 3.5 (22) |
Reception
| The Day of the Jackal | The Ipcress File | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 149030 | 18460 |
| Editions | 69 | 43 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 295 | 9181 |
| Reading it now | 6 | 741 |
| Written reviews | 16 | 613 |
| Wikipedia attention | 21957 | 8508 |
| Pages | 377 | 222 |