The rose and the ring vs The Waves: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: English Manuscripts, Facsimiles, Manuscripts, British and irish fiction, Fiction
The rose and the ring
“This is Valoroso XXIV., King of Paflagonia, seated with his Queen and only child at their royal breakfast-table, and receiving the letter which announces to his Majesty a proposed visit from Prince Bulbo, heir of Padella, reigning King of Crim Tartary.”
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The Rose and the Ring is one of those special literary treats which happen when a writer for adults turns his attention to the world of children. It's a classic fairy tale, told with Thackeray's customary insight into…
The Waves
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Tracing the lives of a group of friends, this novel follows their development from childhood to middle age. Social events, individual achievements and disappointments form the outer structure of the book, but the focus…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Waves highest: The Waves 4.1 · The rose and the ring 3.8.
- The rose and the ring has the widest readership — 1271 ratings behind its score.
- The Waves runs the darker storyline; The rose and the ring stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The rose and the ring | The Waves | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (1271) | — |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (4) | 4.1 (103) |
| Google Books | — | 3.5 (7) |
| Apple Books | 3.5 (6) | 4.5 (11) |
Reception
| The rose and the ring | The Waves | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 1271 | 103 |
| Editions | 38 | 255 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1698 | — |
| Reading it now | 72 | — |
| Written reviews | 122 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 459 | 5135 |
| Pages | 144 | 210 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The rose and the ring or The Waves?
The Waves has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Waves 4.1/5, The rose and the ring 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: The rose and the ring or The Waves?
The rose and the ring is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The rose and the ring (144 pages, ≈ 2 h 40 m); The Waves (210 pages, ≈ 3 h 53 m).
Which is harder to read: The rose and the ring or The Waves?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The rose and the ring: Challenging; The Waves: Challenging.
Have both books been made into films?
The rose and the ring: 2 film adaptations; The Waves: no film adaptation on record.