The Exorcist vs The Light of Day: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
The Exorcist
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The Exorcist is a 1971 horror novel by American writer William Peter Blatty. The book details the demonic possession of eleven-year-old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous actress, and the two priests who attempt to…
The Light of Day
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Arthur Simpson is a petty thief who is discovered stealing from a hotel room. His victim, however, turns out to be a criminal in a league well above his own and Simpson is blackmailed into smuggling arms into Turkey for…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Exorcist highest: The Exorcist 4.2 · The Light of Day 3.4.
- The Light of Day is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 7 for The Exorcist.
- The Exorcist has the widest readership — 281526 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Exorcist | The Light of Day | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (281526) | 3.4 (3216) |
| Hardcover | 2.0 (1) | 4.3 (3) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (3) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (59) | 4.0 (21) |
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Reception
| The Exorcist | The Light of Day | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 281526 | 3216 |
| Editions | 77 | 43 |
| Citations | — | 2 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 315105 | 1717 |
| Reading it now | 9330 | 190 |
| Written reviews | 14094 | 335 |
| Wikipedia attention | 10722 | 835 |
| Pages | 400 | 232 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Exorcist or The Light of Day?
The Exorcist has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Exorcist 4.2/5, The Light of Day 3.4/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Exorcist or The Light of Day?
The Light of Day is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Light of Day (232 pages, ≈ 4 h 18 m); The Exorcist (400 pages, ≈ 7 h 24 m).
Which is harder to read: The Exorcist or The Light of Day?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Exorcist: Moderate; The Light of Day: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
The Exorcist: 5 film adaptations; The Light of Day: 1 film adaptation.