The Lancashire Witches, a Romance of Pendle Forest vs The Witch of Blackbird Pond: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Witchcraft, Witches, History, Fiction

Cover of The Lancashire Witches, a Romance of Pendle Forest

The Lancashire Witches, a Romance of Pendle Forest William Harrison Ainsworth · 1849 ★★★★☆ 3.5 484 pages · ≈ 8 h 58 m · Challenging Find on Amazon

vs

Cover of The Witch of Blackbird Pond

The Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth George Speare · 1958 ★★★★☆ 3.9 249 pages · ≈ 4 h 37 m · Light Find on Amazon

The verdict

Readers rate The Witch of Blackbird Pond higher: 3.9 vs 3.5 from 160 votes.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is the quicker read — about 4 hours vs 8 for The Lancashire Witches, a Romance of Pendle Forest.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is the easier read (Light), The Lancashire Witches, a Romance of Pendle Forest more demanding (Challenging).

Side by side