The pioneers vs The Prairie: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Bumppo, Natty Bumppo, Frontier and pioneer life, Historical Fiction, Classic Literature, History
The pioneers
MEET NATTY BUMPPO The first volume in the famous Leatherstocking Tales, The Pioneers introduces Natty Bumppo, the quintessential American hunter and frontiersman who struggles to defend his cherished freedom.
vs
The Prairie
Deep in the heart of the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase, five hundred miles beyond the Mississippi River, a group of travelers in the year 1805 pushes yet farther westward over the prairie. Called "squatters" and…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Prairie is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 9 for The pioneers.
- The pioneers has the widest readership — 3524 ratings behind its score.
- The Prairie runs the darker storyline; The pioneers stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The pioneers | The Prairie | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (3524) | 3.6 (1989) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (4) | 3.0 (3) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (73) | 4.5 (56) |
Reception
| The pioneers | The Prairie | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 3524 | 1989 |
| Editions | 378 | 399 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 5797 | 3108 |
| Reading it now | 282 | 168 |
| Written reviews | 221 | 139 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1541 | 1269 |
| Pages | 489 | 345 |