The Rainbow vs The years: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Family, British and irish fiction, Families, England, English literature, Social life and customs
The Rainbow
More
(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 years
More
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,…
Side by side
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 8 for The years.
- The Rainbow has the widest readership — 22002 ratings behind its score.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission on purchases.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Rainbow | The years | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (22002) | 3.8 (6802) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 4.0 (5) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (40) | — |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Reception
| The Rainbow | The years | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 22002 | 6802 |
| Editions | 358 | 131 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 31401 | 15117 |
| Reading it now | — | 681 |
| Written reviews | 1230 | 782 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3868 | 933 |
| Pages | 208 | 452 |
| Check price → | Check price → |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Rainbow or The years?
The years has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The years 3.8/5, The Rainbow 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Rainbow or The years?
The Rainbow is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Rainbow (208 pages, ≈ 3 h 51 m); The years (452 pages, ≈ 8 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: The Rainbow or The years?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Rainbow: Challenging; The years: Challenging.