The Newcomes vs The peppered moth: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Family, British and irish fiction, Social life and customs, Fiction
The Newcomes
“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…
vs
The peppered moth
"It is 1912 and Bessie Bawtry is a small child living in Breaseborough, a South Yorkshire mining town. Unusually gifted, she sits quietly and studies hard, waiting for the day when she can sit the Cambridge entrance…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Newcomes highest: The Newcomes 3.7 · The peppered moth 3.3.
- The peppered moth is the quickest read — about 7 hours vs 14 for The Newcomes.
- The peppered moth has the widest readership — 1114 ratings behind its score.
- The Newcomes reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 22 times.
- The peppered moth runs the darker storyline; The Newcomes stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The peppered moth
≈ 7h vs 14h for The Newcomes
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Newcomes
3.7 vs 3.3 from readers
New to the genre?
The peppered moth
Moderate vs Demanding for The Newcomes
In the mood for something dark?
The peppered moth
a darker storyline than The Newcomes
Want something lighter?
The Newcomes
an easier tone than The peppered moth
Scores by source
| The Newcomes | The peppered moth | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (275) | 3.3 (1114) |
| Hardcover | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | — | 3.0 (5) |
Reception
| The Newcomes | The peppered moth | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 275 | 1114 |
| Editions | 76 | 12 |
| Citations | 22 | 10 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1026 | 834 |
| Reading it now | — | 166 |
| Written reviews | 29 | 144 |
| Wikipedia attention | 382 | 95 |
| Pages | 801 | 384 |