The Pearl vs The Serpent of Venice: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Greed, Avarice, Historical Fiction, Fiction
The Pearl
A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Steinbeck's brilliant short novelsCollected here for the first time in a deluxe paperback volume are six of John Steinbeck's most widely read and beloved novels. From the tale of…
1 film adaptation
vs
The Serpent of Venice
Venice, a long time ago. Three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal-Fool Pocket. This…
The verdict
- Readers rate The Serpent of Venice highest: The Serpent of Venice 3.9 · The Pearl 3.6.
- The Pearl is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 6 for The Serpent of Venice.
- The Pearl has the widest readership — 288673 ratings behind its score.
- The Pearl runs the darker storyline; The Serpent of Venice stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Pearl
≈ 2h vs 6h for The Serpent of Venice
Want the crowd-tested pick?
The Pearl
288673 ratings vs 17211 for The Serpent of Venice
New to the genre?
The Serpent of Venice
Moderate vs Challenging for The Pearl
In the mood for something dark?
The Pearl
a darker storyline than The Serpent of Venice
Want something lighter?
The Serpent of Venice
an easier tone than The Pearl
Scores by source
| The Pearl | The Serpent of Venice | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.6 (288673) | 3.9 (17211) |
| Hardcover | 3.4 (414) | 4.0 (48) |
| Google Books | 3.0 (19) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (53) | 4.5 (139) |
Reception
| The Pearl | The Serpent of Venice | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 288673 | 17211 |
| Editions | 143 | 1 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 137354 | 18375 |
| Reading it now | 5146 | 906 |
| Written reviews | 18686 | 1821 |
| Wikipedia attention | 9932 | 175 |
| Pages | 109 | 336 |