How long does it take to read At Swim-Two-Birds?
At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien takes about 5 hours 47 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 5 hours 47 minutes
A weekend read
First published 1939. 315 pages, about 86,625 words.
12 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 9 hours 38 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 5 hours 47 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 3 hours 37 minutes |
The page count is the median across 30 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
Flann O'Brien's first novel is a brilliant impressionistic jumble of ideas, mythology and nonsense. Operating on many levels it incorporates plots within plots, giving full rein to O'Brien's dancing intellect and Celtic wit. The undergraduate narrator lives with his uncle in Dublin, drinks too much with his friends and invents stories peopled with hilarious and unlikely characters, one of whom, in a typical O'Brien conundrum, creates a means by which women can give birth to full-grown people. Flann O'Brien's blend of farce, satire and fantasy result in a remarkable, astonishingly innovative book.
Subjects: Adaptations, Celtic Mythology, Fiction, Folklore, Tales, Students
