The Newcomes vs The Rainbow: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Domestic fiction, Family, British and irish fiction, Families, England, Social life and customs
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 Rainbow
(Brangwen Family #1) Lush with imagery, this is the story of three generations of Brangwen women living during the decline of English rural life. Banned upon publication, it explores the most taboo subjects of its…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Rainbow is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 14 for The Newcomes.
- The Rainbow has the widest readership — 22002 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Newcomes | The Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (275) | 3.7 (22002) |
| Hardcover | — | 4.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.0 (40) |
Reception
| The Newcomes | The Rainbow | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 275 | 22002 |
| Editions | 76 | 358 |
| Citations | 22 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1026 | 31401 |
| Written reviews | 29 | 1230 |
| Wikipedia attention | 382 | 3868 |
| Pages | 801 | 208 |