The Sinner vs The Talleyrand Maxim: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Mystery
The Sinner
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Elizabethan England: Lies, desperation and an offer she can't refuse send impoverished widow Lady Catherine (Cat) headlong into marriage with the man who killed her husband.   Guilt and desire battle within Hughe,…
The Talleyrand Maxim
“Linford Pratt, senior clerk to Eldrick & Pascoe, solicitors, of Barford, a young man who earnestly desired to get on in life, by hook or by crook, with no objection whatever to crookedness, so long as it could be performed in safety and secrecy, had once during one of his periodical visit to the town Reference Library, lighted on a maxim of that other unscrupulous person, Prince Talleyrand, which”
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The “Talleyrand Maxim” holds that “With time and patience, the mulberry leaf is turned into satin.” The adage has the character of guidance for life for an ambitious legal clerk, Linford Pratt. Unlike most people, he…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate The Sinner highest: The Sinner 4.3 · The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9.
- The Talleyrand Maxim has the widest readership — 180 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| The Sinner | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.9 (180) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (1) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (92) | 4.5 (13) |
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Reception
| The Sinner | The Talleyrand Maxim | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 92 | 180 |
| Editions | — | 115 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | — | 102 |
| Reading it now | — | 28 |
| Written reviews | — | 30 |
| Wikipedia attention | 1107 | — |
| Pages | 226 | 195 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Sinner or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Sinner has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Sinner 4.3/5, The Talleyrand Maxim 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Sinner or The Talleyrand Maxim?
The Talleyrand Maxim is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Talleyrand Maxim (195 pages, ≈ 3 h 37 m); The Sinner (226 pages, ≈ 4 h 11 m).
Which is harder to read: The Sinner or The Talleyrand Maxim?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Sinner: Moderate; The Talleyrand Maxim: Challenging.