The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie vs Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Women teachers, Teachers, British and irish fiction, Fiction
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
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Muriel Spark’s timeless classic about a controversial teacher who deeply marks the lives of a select group of students in the years leading up to World War II "Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine…
Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire
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Under the Greenwood Tree is the story of the romantic entanglement between church musician, Dick Dewey, and the attractive new school mistress, Fancy Day. A pleasant romantic tale set in the Victorian era, Under the…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has the widest readership — 63571 ratings behind its score.
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie runs the darker storyline; Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (63571) | 3.6 (15058) |
| Hardcover | 3.5 (88) | 3.1 (18) |
| Google Books | 3.0 (245) | — |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (42) | — |
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Reception
| The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 63571 | 15058 |
| Editions | 59 | 425 |
| Citations | — | 2 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 59545 | — |
| Reading it now | 1978 | — |
| Written reviews | 5380 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 4929 | — |
| Pages | 179 | 188 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie or Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire?
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie 3.7/5, Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie or Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire?
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (179 pages, ≈ 3 h 19 m); Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire (188 pages, ≈ 3 h 29 m).
Which is harder to read: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie or Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: Moderate; Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie: 5 film adaptations; Under the Greenwood Tree or, The Mellstock quire: no film adaptation on record.