The Newcomes vs The years: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Family, British and irish fiction, Families, England, Social life and customs, Fiction

The Newcomes William Makepeace Thackeray · 1853 ★★★★☆ 3.7 801 pages · ≈ 14 h 50 m · Demanding

“A CROW, who had flown away with a cheese from a diary window, sate perched on a tree looking down at a great big frog in a pool underneath him.”

The Newcomes is Thackeray's most essentially 'Victorian' novel, generous in its proportions, sharp in its criticism of the moral convolutions of the age, and encyclopaedic in its reference. Set in the 1830s and 1840s, a…

Domestic fiction

Find on Amazon More like this →

The years Virginia Woolf · 1937 ★★★★☆ 3.8 452 pages · ≈ 8 h 22 m · Challenging

A stirring, straightforward work written near the end of her luminous career, Virginia Woolf's The Years is a portrait of the Pargiters, a staid London family presided over by Colonel Abel Pargiter. In some ways,…

Translations Mœurs et coutumes Manners and customs London

Find on Amazon More like this →

Side by side

The verdict

Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
The years is the quickest read — about 8 hours vs 14 for The Newcomes.
The years has the widest readership — 6802 ratings behind its score.

The Newcomes: Check price →The years: Check price →

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.

How to choose

Want a one-evening read? The years ≈ 8h vs 14h for The Newcomes New to the genre? The years Challenging vs Demanding for The Newcomes

Scores by source

	The Newcomes	The years
Goodreads	3.7 (275)	3.8 (6802)
Hardcover	—	4.0 (5)
	Check price →	Check price →

Reception

	The Newcomes	The years
Ratings	275	6802
Editions	76	131
Citations	22	—
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	1026	15117
Reading it now	—	681
Written reviews	29	782
Wikipedia attention	382	933
Pages	801	452
	Check price →	Check price →

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The Newcomes or The years?

The years has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The years 3.8/5, The Newcomes 3.7/5).

Which is shorter to read: The Newcomes or The years?

The years is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The years (452 pages, ≈ 8 h 22 m); The Newcomes (801 pages, ≈ 14 h 50 m).

Which is harder to read: The Newcomes or The years?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Newcomes: Demanding; The years: Challenging.