The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner vs The Ponder heart: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Fiction
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
“As soon as I got to Borstal they made a long-distance cross-country runner.”
A short story collection featuring, in the title story, one of Sillitoe’s very best. The story concerns a teenaged boy from a poor working class background who is sent to a borstal for robbery and takes up long-distance…
vs
The Ponder heart
Edna Earle Ponder, who runs a hotel in a small Mississippi town, tells the story of her beloved, softhearted, but trying Uncle Daniel.
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner has the widest readership — 7858 ratings behind its score.
- The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner runs the darker storyline; The Ponder heart stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want the crowd-tested pick?
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
7858 ratings vs 2336 for The Ponder heart
In the mood for something dark?
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
a darker storyline than The Ponder heart
Want something lighter?
The Ponder heart
an easier tone than The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner
Scores by source
| The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner | The Ponder heart | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (7858) | 3.6 (2336) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (10) | 3.0 (2) |
| Google Books | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (7) | 4.5 (19) |
Reception
| The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner | The Ponder heart | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 7858 | 2336 |
| Editions | 33 | 14 |
| Citations | — | 6 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 8959 | — |
| Reading it now | 424 | — |
| Written reviews | 731 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 857 | 225 |
| Pages | 176 | 156 |