The deluge vs The Gadfly: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Continental european fiction, Historical Fiction, History, Fiction

Cover of The deluge

The deluge Henryk Sienkiewicz · 1888 ★★★★☆ 4.2 681 pages · ≈ 12 h 37 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Gadfly

The Gadfly Ethel Lilian Voynich · 1897 ★★★★☆ 4.2 198 pages · ≈ 3 h 40 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.2 vs 4.2 — either is a safe pick by score.
The Gadfly is the quicker read — about 3 hours vs 12 for The deluge.
The Gadfly is the easier read (Challenging), The deluge more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side