The Golden Bowl vs The Mayor of Casterbridge: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Fathers and daughters, Long Now Manual for Civilization, Fiction

Cover of The Golden Bowl

The Golden Bowl Henry James · 1904 ★★★★☆ 3.8 340 pages · ≈ 6 h 18 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Mayor of Casterbridge

The Mayor of Casterbridge Thomas Hardy · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.9 Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.8 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.

Side by side