How long does it take to read Björnstad?
Björnstad by Fredrik Backman takes about 8 hours 39 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 8 hours 39 minutes
A week or two of reading
First published 2016. 472 pages, about 129,800 words.
18 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 14 hours 25 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 8 hours 39 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 5 hours 25 minutes |
The page count is the median across 2 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
People say Björnstad is finished. A tiny community nestled deep in the forest, it is slowly losing ground to the ever encroaching trees. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, built generations ago by the working men who founded this town. And in that ice rink is the reason people in Björnstad believe tomorrow will be better than today. Their junior ice hockey team is about to compete in the national semi-finals, and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys. Being responsible for the hopes of an entire town is a heavy burden, and the semi-final match is the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Björnstad, leaving no resident unaffected.