The Four Million vs The House of Mirth: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Manners and customs, New york, American literature, Social life and customs, Classic Literature, Fiction
The Four Million
“TOBIN and me, the two of us, went down to Coney one day, for there was four dollars between us, and Tobin had need of distractions.”
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The Four Million is the second published collection of short stories by O. Henry originally released in 1906. There are twenty five stories of various lengths including several of his best known works such as "The Gift…
The House of Mirth
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Beautiful, intelligent, and hopelessly addicted to luxury, Lily Bart is the heroine of this Wharton masterpiece. But it is her very taste and moral sensibility that render her unfit for survival in this world.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Four Million is the quickest read — about 4 hours vs 6 for The House of Mirth.
- The House of Mirth has the widest readership — 108951 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| The Four Million | The House of Mirth | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (927) | 4.0 (108951) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (3) | 3.8 (101) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (27) | 4.0 (58) |
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Reception
| The Four Million | The House of Mirth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 927 | 108951 |
| Editions | 61 | 694 |
| Citations | 11 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1185 | 145310 |
| Reading it now | 331 | 6834 |
| Written reviews | 111 | 8152 |
| Wikipedia attention | 445 | 9006 |
| Pages | 225 | 346 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Four Million or The House of Mirth?
The Four Million has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Four Million 4.0/5, The House of Mirth 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Four Million or The House of Mirth?
The Four Million is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Four Million (225 pages, ≈ 4 h 10 m); The House of Mirth (346 pages, ≈ 6 h 24 m).
Which is harder to read: The Four Million or The House of Mirth?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Four Million: Challenging; The House of Mirth: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
The Four Million: no film adaptation on record; The House of Mirth: 2 film adaptations.