The Newcomes vs The Shell Seekers: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Domestic fiction, Family, England, Fiction
The Newcomes
“A CROW, who had flown away with a cheese from a diary window, sate perched on a tree looking down at a great big frog in a pool underneath him.”
The Newcomes is Thackeray's most essentially 'Victorian' novel, generous in its proportions, sharp in its criticism of the moral convolutions of the age, and encyclopaedic in its reference. Set in the 1830s and 1840s, a…
vs
The Shell Seekers
The Shell Seekers is a novel of connection: of one family, and of the passions and heartbreak that have held them together for three generations. The Shell Seekers is filled with real people--mothers and daughters,…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Readers rate The Shell Seekers highest: The Shell Seekers 4.2 · The Newcomes 3.7.
- The Shell Seekers is the quickest read — about 10 hours vs 14 for The Newcomes.
- The Shell Seekers has the widest readership — 126561 ratings behind its score.
- The Newcomes reaches further in scholarship and criticism — cited 22 times.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Shell Seekers
≈ 10h vs 14h for The Newcomes
Just want the better-reviewed one?
The Shell Seekers
4.2 vs 3.7 from readers
New to the genre?
The Shell Seekers
Challenging vs Demanding for The Newcomes
Want the literary heavyweight?
The Newcomes
cited 22 times vs 4 for The Shell Seekers
Scores by source
| The Newcomes | The Shell Seekers | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.7 (275) | 4.2 (126561) |
| Hardcover | — | 3.7 (38) |
| Apple Books | — | 4.5 (763) |
Reception
| The Newcomes | The Shell Seekers | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 275 | 126561 |
| Editions | 76 | 57 |
| Citations | 22 | 4 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1026 | 62071 |
| Reading it now | — | 7561 |
| Written reviews | 29 | 6026 |
| Wikipedia attention | 382 | 2614 |
| Pages | 801 | 564 |