Paul et Virginie vs Vingt mille lieues sous les mers: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Translations from French, French language, Fiction

Cover of Paul et Virginie

Paul et Virginie Bernardin de Saint-Pierre · 1789 ★★★★☆ 3.7 311 pages · ≈ 5 h 46 m · Demanding Find on Amazon

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Cover of Vingt mille lieues sous les mers

Vingt mille lieues sous les mers Jules Verne · 1870 ★★★★☆ 3.9 338 pages · ≈ 6 h 16 m · Moderate Find on Amazon

The verdict

Ratings are close: 3.7 vs 3.9 — either is a safe pick by score.
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers is the easier read (Moderate), Paul et Virginie more demanding (Demanding).

Side by side