The Remains of the Day vs Why shoot a butler?: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Butlers, Country homes, England, Historical Fiction, Fiction
The Remains of the Day
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In the summer of 1956, Stevens, the ageing butler of Darlington Hall, embarks on a leisurely holiday that will take him deep into the countryside and into his past . . .A contemporary classic, The Remains of the Day is…
Why shoot a butler?
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Every family has secrets, but the Fountains' are turning deadly…On a dark night, along a lonely country road, barrister Frank Amberley stops to help a young lady in distress and discovers a sports car with a corpse…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Remains of the Day highest: The Remains of the Day 4.3 · Why shoot a butler? 3.7.
- Why shoot a butler? has the widest readership — 5577 ratings behind its score.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Remains of the Day | Why shoot a butler? | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.7 (5577) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (777) | 3.4 (10) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (814) | 4.0 (37) |
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Reception
| The Remains of the Day | Why shoot a butler? | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 814 | 5577 |
| Editions | 87 | 41 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | — | 2926 |
| Reading it now | — | 458 |
| Written reviews | — | 582 |
| Wikipedia attention | 29835 | — |
| Pages | 257 | 336 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Remains of the Day or Why shoot a butler??
The Remains of the Day has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Remains of the Day 4.3/5, Why shoot a butler? 3.7/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Remains of the Day or Why shoot a butler??
The Remains of the Day is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Remains of the Day (257 pages, ≈ 4 h 46 m); Why shoot a butler? (336 pages, ≈ 6 h 13 m).
Which is harder to read: The Remains of the Day or Why shoot a butler??
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Remains of the Day: Moderate; Why shoot a butler?: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
The Remains of the Day: 5 film adaptations; Why shoot a butler?: no film adaptation on record.