How long does it take to read The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby is 47,094 words, which is barely a novel — under three and a half hours, less time than the extended Fellowship of the Ring. It is the shortest book on most school reading lists and one of the shortest works commonly called a Great American Novel. Fitzgerald sold fewer than 25,000 copies in his lifetime and died believing it a failure. At this length it can be read in one sitting, which is close to how it is designed to work.

The numbers

Total

3 hours 18 minutes

In hours

3.3 hours

Non-stop

0.1 days without sleeping

Covers

47,094 words

At a realistic pace

one sitting

That works out as

about 1 days

What this assumes

47,094 words at 238 words per minute.

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