The peppered moth vs The years: Which Should You Read?

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

The peppered moth Margaret Drabble · 2000 ★★★☆☆ 3.3 384 pages · ≈ 7 h 07 m · Moderate

"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…

Bildungsromans

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 London Families

Find on Amazon More like this →

Side by side

The verdict

Readers rate The years highest: The years 3.8 · The peppered moth 3.3.
The years has the widest readership — 6802 ratings behind its score.
The peppered moth runs the darker storyline; The years stays the lighter read.

The peppered moth: Check price →The years: Check price →

Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.

How to choose

Want the crowd-tested pick? The years 6802 ratings vs 1114 for The peppered moth Just want the better-reviewed one? The years 3.8 vs 3.3 from readers New to the genre? The peppered moth Moderate vs Challenging for The years In the mood for something dark? The peppered moth a darker storyline than The years Want something lighter? The years an easier tone than The peppered moth

Scores by source

	The peppered moth	The years
Goodreads	3.3 (1114)	3.8 (6802)
Hardcover	4.0 (1)	4.0 (5)
Apple Books	3.0 (5)	—
	Check price →	Check price →

Reception

	The peppered moth	The years
Ratings	1114	6802
Editions	12	131
Citations	10	—
Film adaptations	1	1
Want to read	834	15117
Reading it now	166	681
Written reviews	144	782
Wikipedia attention	95	933
Pages	384	452
	Check price →	Check price →

Questions readers ask

Which is rated higher: The peppered moth or The years?

The years has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The years 3.8/5, The peppered moth 3.3/5).

Which is shorter to read: The peppered moth or The years?

The peppered moth is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The peppered moth (384 pages, ≈ 7 h 07 m); The years (452 pages, ≈ 8 h 22 m).

Which is harder to read: The peppered moth or The years?

Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The peppered moth: Moderate; The years: Challenging.