The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner vs The Wind's Twelve Quarters: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English Short stories, Short Stories, Fiction
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
“As soon as I got to Borstal they made a long-distance cross-country runner.”
A short story collection featuring, in the title story, one of Sillitoe’s very best. The story concerns a teenaged boy from a poor working class background who is sent to a borstal for robbery and takes up long-distance…
vs
The Wind's Twelve Quarters
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…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Wind's Twelve Quarters highest: The Wind's Twelve Quarters 4.1 · The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner 3.8.
- The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 5 for The Wind's Twelve Quarters.
- The Wind's Twelve Quarters has the widest readership — 8243 ratings behind its score.
- The Wind's Twelve Quarters runs the darker storyline; The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
≈ 3h vs 5h for The Wind's Twelve Quarters
In the mood for something dark?
The Wind's Twelve Quarters
a darker storyline than The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
Want something lighter?
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
an easier tone than The Wind's Twelve Quarters
Scores by source
| The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner | The Wind's Twelve Quarters | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (7858) | 4.1 (8243) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (10) | 4.1 (48) |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (7) | 4.5 (23) |
Reception
| The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner | The Wind's Twelve Quarters | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7858 | 8243 |
| Editions | 33 | 33 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 8959 | 11762 |
| Reading it now | 424 | 1633 |
| Written reviews | 731 | 913 |
| Wikipedia attention | 857 | 1985 |
| Pages | 176 | 303 |