A Painted House vs The Grapes of Wrath: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Rural families, Fiction

Cover of A Painted House

A Painted House John Grisham · 2000 ★★★★☆ 4.1 462 pages · ≈ 8 h 33 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck · 1939 ★★★★☆ 4.0 642 pages · ≈ 11 h 53 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 4.1 vs 4.0 — either is a safe pick by score.
A Painted House is the quicker read — about 8 hours vs 11 for The Grapes of Wrath.
A Painted House is the easier read (Moderate), The Grapes of Wrath more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side