The circus of Dr. Lao vs The Night Circus: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Circus Performers, Circus, Fiction
The circus of Dr. Lao
Abalone, Arizona, is a sleepy southwestern town whose chief concerns are boredom and surviving the Great Depression—that is, until the circus of Dr. Lao arrives and immensely and irrevocably changes the lives of…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Night Circus
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Night Circus highest: The Night Circus 4.5 · The circus of Dr. Lao 3.8.
- The circus of Dr. Lao is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 9 for The Night Circus.
- The Night Circus has the widest readership — 6808 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The circus of Dr. Lao
≈ 2h vs 9h for The Night Circus
Want the crowd-tested pick?
The Night Circus
6808 ratings vs 1528 for The circus of Dr. Lao
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Night Circus
4.5 vs 3.8 from readers
New to the genre?
The Night Circus
Moderate vs Challenging for The circus of Dr. Lao
Scores by source
| The circus of Dr. Lao | The Night Circus | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (1528) | — |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (3) | 2.0 (1) |
| Google Books | — | 3.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (6808) |
Reception
| The circus of Dr. Lao | The Night Circus | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1528 | 6808 |
| Editions | 10 | 37 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 771 | 9233 |
| Pages | 154 | 489 |