The Ninth Circle vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
The Ninth Circle
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The Ninth Circle () is a 1960 Yugoslavian film directed by France Štiglic. The story revolves around the Croatian Ustaše concentration camp named The Ninth Circle, based on the infamous Jasenovac concentration camp. It…
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 7 for The Ninth Circle.
- The Talleyrand Maxim has the widest readership — 180 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Ninth Circle | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 2.5 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (11) | 4.5 (13) |
Reception
| The Ninth Circle | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 11 | 180 |
| Editions | — | 115 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | — | 102 |
| Reading it now | — | 28 |
| Written reviews | — | 30 |
| Wikipedia attention | 311 | — |
| Pages | 401 | 195 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Ninth Circle or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Ninth Circle has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Ninth Circle 4.0/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Ninth Circle 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 Ninth Circle (401 pages, ≈ 7 h 26 m).
Which is harder to read: The Ninth Circle or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Ninth Circle: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.