Waifs and Strays vs When God Laughs and Other Short Stories: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: American Short stories, Short Stories, Fiction
Waifs and Strays
“A TRESTLE burned down on the International Railroad.”
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Urban teens take center stage in a pair of edgy short story collections. Waifs and Strays presents 15 previously published works by Canadian fantasy writer Charles de Lint, including "May This Be Your Last Sorrow" from…
When God Laughs and Other Short Stories
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Released in 1911, When God Laughs, and Other Stories is the eleventh collection of short stories by Jack London. In contrast with most of his other work that had been released at the time, When God Laughs is set in…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Waifs and Strays has the widest readership — 42 ratings behind its score.
Scores by source
| Waifs and Strays | When God Laughs and Other Short Stories | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.5 (42) | — |
Reception
| Waifs and Strays | When God Laughs and Other Short Stories | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 42 | 1 |
| Editions | 56 | 61 |
| Citations | 10 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | 39 | — |
| Written reviews | 4 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 46 | — |
| Pages | 78 | 148 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Waifs and Strays or When God Laughs and Other Short Stories?
When God Laughs and Other Short Stories has the higher combined reader rating across sources (When God Laughs and Other Short Stories 3.8/5, Waifs and Strays 3.6/5).
Which is shorter to read: Waifs and Strays or When God Laughs and Other Short Stories?
Waifs and Strays is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Waifs and Strays (78 pages, ≈ 1 h 27 m); When God Laughs and Other Short Stories (148 pages, ≈ 2 h 44 m).
Which is harder to read: Waifs and Strays or When God Laughs and Other Short Stories?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Waifs and Strays: Challenging; When God Laughs and Other Short Stories: Challenging.