The Mill on the Floss vs The troll garden: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Manners and customs, Social life and customs, Fiction

The Mill on the Floss George Eliot · 1800 ★★★★☆ 3.8 556 pages · ≈ 10 h 18 m · Demanding

From the author of MIDDLEMARCH and SILAS MARNER, a story of frustrated intelligence and longing, featuring the intelligent Maggie, who yearns to be loved, and her brother Tom, who is forced to study. When Maggie is cast…

Women clergy Infanticide Conflict of generations Vendetta

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The troll garden Willa Cather · 1905 ★★★★☆ 3.9 156 pages · ≈ 2 h 53 m · Challenging

"This collection of Willa Cather stories - her first book of fiction and the capstone of her early career - is as relevant today as at the time of its initial publication. As different and individually distinguished as…

Romance & Relationships Short Stories

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Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The troll garden is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 10 for The Mill on the Floss.
The Mill on the Floss has the widest readership — 60384 ratings behind its score.
The Mill on the Floss reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 23 times.
The troll garden runs the darker storyline; The Mill on the Floss stays the lighter read.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The troll garden ≈ 2h vs 10h for The Mill on the Floss New to the genre? The troll garden Challenging vs Demanding for The Mill on the Floss In the mood for something dark? The troll garden a darker storyline than The Mill on the Floss Want something lighter? The Mill on the Floss an easier tone than The troll garden Want the literary heavyweight? The Mill on the Floss cited 23 times vs 9 for The troll garden

Scores by source

	The Mill on the Floss	The troll garden
Goodreads	3.8 (60384)	4.0 (154)
Hardcover	3.8 (54)	5.0 (1)
Apple Books	4.5 (6)	4.0 (8)

Reception

	The Mill on the Floss	The troll garden
Ratings	60384	154
Editions	763	66
Citations	23	9
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	66633	518
Reading it now	3317	51
Written reviews	3605	65
Wikipedia attention	6139	154
Pages	556	156

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The Mill on the Floss or The troll garden?

The troll garden has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The troll garden 3.9/5, The Mill on the Floss 3.8/5).

Which is shorter to read: The Mill on the Floss or The troll garden?

The troll garden is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The troll garden (156 pages, ≈ 2 h 53 m); The Mill on the Floss (556 pages, ≈ 10 h 18 m).

Which is harder to read: The Mill on the Floss or The troll garden?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Mill on the Floss: Demanding; The troll garden: Challenging.