The hours vs The nigger of the "Narcissus": Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Terminally ill in fiction, Terminally ill, Fiction
The hours
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A daring, deeply affecting third novel by the author of A Home at the End of the World and Flesh and Blood. In The Hours, Michael Cunningham, widely praised as one of the most gifted writers of his generation, draws…
The nigger of the "Narcissus"
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“My task... is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel - it is, before all, to make you see. That - and no more, and it is everything. If I succeed, you shall find there, according to your…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The hours highest: The hours 4.0 · The nigger of the "Narcissus" 3.7.
- The hours has the widest readership — 151462 ratings behind its score.
- The hours runs the darker storyline; The nigger of the "Narcissus" stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The hours | The nigger of the "Narcissus" | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (151462) | 3.7 (2676) |
| Hardcover | 3.9 (161) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (220) | — |
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Reception
| The hours | The nigger of the "Narcissus" | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 151462 | 2676 |
| Editions | 38 | 93 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 104609 | 2187 |
| Reading it now | 3077 | 177 |
| Written reviews | 7676 | 251 |
| Wikipedia attention | 4192 | 3481 |
| Pages | 230 | 173 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The hours or The nigger of the "Narcissus"?
The hours has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The hours 4.0/5, The nigger of the "Narcissus" 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: The hours or The nigger of the "Narcissus"?
The nigger of the "Narcissus" is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The nigger of the "Narcissus" (173 pages, ≈ 3 h 12 m); The hours (230 pages, ≈ 4 h 16 m).
Which is harder to read: The hours or The nigger of the "Narcissus"?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The hours: Moderate; The nigger of the "Narcissus": Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
The hours: 2 film adaptations; The nigger of the "Narcissus": no film adaptation on record.