The lady of the barge vs The Wind's Twelve Quarters: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: English Short stories, Short Stories, Fiction

The lady of the barge W. W. Jacobs · 1900 ★★★★☆ 3.6 300 pages · ≈ 5 h 33 m · Moderate

W. W. Jacobs was a prolific writer of short stories. His topics were typically humorous and nautical in nature, but they weren’t exclusively so. This anthology includes some of his most famous short stories, including…

River life English Humorous stories Amulets Wishes

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The Wind's Twelve Quarters Ursula K. Le Guin · 1975 ★★★★☆ 4.1 303 pages · ≈ 5 h 37 m · Moderate

This is a collection containing, among other stories, the short story that started the Earthsea series." Along with "The Rule of Names," the story establishes the world and characters of Earthsea. First published in…

Science Fiction

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Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The Wind's Twelve Quarters highest: The Wind's Twelve Quarters 4.1 · The lady of the barge 3.6.
The Wind's Twelve Quarters has the widest readership — 8243 ratings behind its score.
The Wind's Twelve Quarters runs the darker storyline; The lady of the barge stays the lighter read.

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How to choose

Just want the better-reviewed one? The Wind's Twelve Quarters 4.1 vs 3.6 from readers In the mood for something dark? The Wind's Twelve Quarters a darker storyline than The lady of the barge Want something lighter? The lady of the barge an easier tone than The Wind's Twelve Quarters

Scores by source

	The lady of the barge	The Wind's Twelve Quarters
Goodreads	3.6 (206)	4.1 (8243)
Hardcover	3.0 (2)	4.1 (48)
Apple Books	—	4.5 (23)
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Reception

	The lady of the barge	The Wind's Twelve Quarters
Ratings	206	8243
Editions	31	33
Film adaptations	—	1
Want to read	289	11762
Reading it now	20	1633
Written reviews	33	913
Wikipedia attention	—	1985
Pages	300	303
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Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The lady of the barge or The Wind's Twelve Quarters?

The Wind's Twelve Quarters has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Wind's Twelve Quarters 4.1/5, The lady of the barge 3.6/5).

Which is shorter to read: The lady of the barge or The Wind's Twelve Quarters?

The lady of the barge is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The lady of the barge (300 pages, ≈ 5 h 33 m); The Wind's Twelve Quarters (303 pages, ≈ 5 h 37 m).

Which is harder to read: The lady of the barge or The Wind's Twelve Quarters?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The lady of the barge: Moderate; The Wind's Twelve Quarters: Moderate.