The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies
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Oxford, England, 1951 - The Honorable Ginevra Bishop likes red lipstick, clever retorts, and earning top marks in her tutorials. She’s following her mother’s footsteps by studying at Oxford, eager to prove she’s more…
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 5 for The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies.
- The Talleyrand Maxim has the widest readership — 180 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (2) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (8) | 4.5 (13) |
Reception
| The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 8 | 180 |
| Editions | — | 115 |
| Want to read | — | 102 |
| Reading it now | — | 28 |
| Written reviews | — | 30 |
| Pages | 315 | 195 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies 4.0/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies 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 Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies (315 pages, ≈ 5 h 50 m).
Which is harder to read: The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.