The Lightning Rod vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
The Lightning Rod
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New York Times Bestseller“Nola is the most accomplished kicker of ass since The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” —A. J. FinnZig and Nola are back—in the hugely entertaining, highly anticipated follow-up to Brad Meltzer’s…
The Talleyrand Maxim
“Linford Pratt, senior clerk to Eldrick & Pascoe, solicitors, of Barford, a young man who earnestly desired to get on in life, by hook or by crook, with no objection whatever to crookedness, so long as it could be performed in safety and secrecy, had once during one of his periodical visit to the town Reference Library, lighted on a maxim of that other unscrupulous person, Prince Talleyrand, which”
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The “Talleyrand Maxim” holds that “With time and patience, the mulberry leaf is turned into satin.” The adage has the character of guidance for life for an ambitious legal clerk, Linford Pratt. Unlike most people, he…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Talleyrand Maxim is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for The Lightning Rod.
- The Lightning Rod has the widest readership — 1045 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Lightning Rod | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (8) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (1045) | 4.5 (13) |
Reception
| The Lightning Rod | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1045 | 180 |
| Editions | — | 115 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | — | 102 |
| Reading it now | — | 28 |
| Written reviews | — | 30 |
| Pages | 311 | 195 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Lightning Rod or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Lightning Rod has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Lightning Rod 4.0/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Lightning Rod or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Talleyrand Maxim is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Talleyrand Maxim (195 pages, ≈ 3 h 37 m); The Lightning Rod (311 pages, ≈ 5 h 46 m).
Which is harder to read: The Lightning Rod or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Lightning Rod: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.