The Kitchen House vs Twelve years a slave: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Plantation life, Slaves, History

The Kitchen House Kathleen Grissom · 2010 ★★★★☆ 4.5 384 pages · ≈ 7 h 07 m · Moderate

"Oprhaned aboard a ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and worth with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's…

Southern states Fiction

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Twelve years a slave Solomon Northup · 1853 ★★★★☆ 4.2 192 pages · ≈ 3 h 33 m · Challenging

Twelve Years a Slave is a harrowing memoir about one of the darkest periods in American history. It recounts how Solomon Northup, born a free man in New York, was lured to Washington, D.C., in 1841 with the promise of…

1 film adaptation

Enslaved persons Kidnapping Victims Louisiana Slavery

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The Kitchen House highest: The Kitchen House 4.5 · Twelve years a slave 4.2.
Twelve years a slave is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for The Kitchen House.
Twelve years a slave has the widest readership — 126971 ratings behind its score.
Twelve years a slave runs the darker storyline; The Kitchen House stays the lighter read.

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How to choose

Want a one-evening read? Twelve years a slave ≈ 3h vs 7h for The Kitchen House Want the crowd-tested pick? Twelve years a slave 126971 ratings vs 3144 for The Kitchen House New to the genre? The Kitchen House Moderate vs Challenging for Twelve years a slave In the mood for something dark? Twelve years a slave a darker storyline than The Kitchen House Want something lighter? The Kitchen House an easier tone than Twelve years a slave

Scores by source

	The Kitchen House	Twelve years a slave
Goodreads	—	4.2 (126971)
Hardcover	3.8 (73)	4.4 (55)
Google Books	4.5 (9)	5.0 (1)
Apple Books	4.5 (3144)	4.5 (432)
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Reception

	The Kitchen House	Twelve years a slave
Ratings	3144	126971
Editions	7	1029
Citations	—	20
Film adaptations	—	1
Want to read	—	163710
Reading it now	—	11650
Written reviews	—	8818
Wikipedia attention	—	5836
Pages	384	192
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The Kitchen House or Twelve years a slave?

The Kitchen House has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Kitchen House 4.5/5, Twelve years a slave 4.2/5).

Which is shorter to read: The Kitchen House or Twelve years a slave?

Twelve years a slave is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Twelve years a slave (192 pages, ≈ 3 h 33 m); The Kitchen House (384 pages, ≈ 7 h 07 m).

Which is harder to read: The Kitchen House or Twelve years a slave?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Kitchen House: Moderate; Twelve years a slave: Challenging.

Have both books been made into films?

The Kitchen House: no film adaptation on record; Twelve years a slave: 5 film adaptations.