  We explore the correlation between the sentiment arcs of H. C. Andersen's
fairy tales and their popularity, measured as their average score on the
platform GoodReads. Specifically, we do not conceive a story's overall
sentimental trend as predictive \textit{per se}, but we focus on its coherence
and predictability over time as represented by the arc's Hurst exponent. We
find that degrading Hurst values tend to imply degrading quality scores, while
a Hurst exponent between .55 and .65 might indicate a "sweet spot" for literary
appreciation.
