The Great Gatsby vs The Kite Runner: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, Fiction
The Great Gatsby
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
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Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero like no other – one who could live at no other time and…
The Kite Runner
“I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975.”
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The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Kite Runner highest: The Kite Runner 4.4 · The Great Gatsby 3.9.
- The Great Gatsby has the widest readership — 6120259 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Great Gatsby | The Kite Runner | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (6120259) | 4.4 (120327) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (2) | 4.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (806) | 4.5 (4404) |
| LiveLib | 4.0 (5) | — |
Reception
| The Great Gatsby | The Kite Runner | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 6120259 | 120327 |
| Editions | 1179 | 125 |
| Citations | 24 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2127185 | 1517703 |
| Reading it now | 85180 | 148 |
| Written reviews | 138625 | 120327 |
| Wikipedia attention | 94574 | 37222 |
| Pages | 431 | 386 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Great Gatsby or The Kite Runner?
The Kite Runner has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Kite Runner 4.4/5, The Great Gatsby 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Great Gatsby or The Kite Runner?
The Kite Runner is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Kite Runner (386 pages, ≈ 7 h 09 m); The Great Gatsby (431 pages, ≈ 7 h 59 m).
Which is harder to read: The Great Gatsby or The Kite Runner?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Great Gatsby: Moderate; The Kite Runner: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
The Great Gatsby: 5 film adaptations; The Kite Runner: 3 film adaptations.