The Maidens vs The Secret History: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Teacher-student relationships, College teachers, Murderers, Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
The Maidens
"Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike-particularly by…
vs
The Secret History
“The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.”
Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Maidens is the quickest read — about 6 hours vs 13 for The Secret History.
- The Secret History has the widest readership — 1111453 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Maidens | The Secret History | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 4.2 (1111453) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | 5.0 (2) |
| Google Books | 3.0 (3) | 4.0 (3) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (2716) | 4.0 (2800) |
Reception
| The Maidens | The Secret History | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2716 | 1111453 |
| Editions | 16 | 52 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Wikipedia attention | 174 | 40317 |
| Pages | 344 | 705 |