Miss Marjoribanks vs The Sea House: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Young women, Bildungsromans, England, Fiction
Miss Marjoribanks
When Dr. Marjoribanks’s wife dies, his teenage daughter makes it her purpose in life “to be a comfort to dear papa.” At least, Lucilla thinks, ten years of such devotion might suffice, by which time she might have begun…
vs
The Sea House
“Gertrude's house was pink.”
The architect Klaus Lehmann loves his wife, Elsa, with a passion that continues throughout their married life, despite long periods of separation. Almost half a century after Lehmann's death in the village of…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Sea House is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 10 for Miss Marjoribanks.
- Miss Marjoribanks has the widest readership — 2688 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Miss Marjoribanks | The Sea House | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.8 (2688) | 3.6 (1338) |
| Hardcover | 3.8 (4) | 3.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | — | 3.0 (10) |
Reception
| Miss Marjoribanks | The Sea House | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2688 | 1338 |
| Editions | 44 | 11 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 4383 | 481 |
| Reading it now | 134 | 101 |
| Written reviews | 191 | 88 |
| Wikipedia attention | 499 | — |
| Pages | 546 | 277 |