How long does it take to read The Bostonians?
a novel.
The Bostonians by Henry James, Daniel Karlin takes about 8 hours 14 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 8 hours 14 minutes
A week or two of reading
First published 1885. 449 pages, about 123,475 words.
17 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 13 hours 43 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 8 hours 14 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 5 hours 9 minutes |
The page count is the median across 130 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
First published in 1886, The Bostonians is one of James' wittiest social satires. It begins with the arrival in Boston of Basil Ransom, in search of a career. The book turns on the relationship between Ransom, a conservative civil war veteran, his feminist cousin Olive Chancellor, and Verena Tarrant, a newcomer to their circle whose affections are sought by both Olive and Basil.James' ambivalence towards the reformist movement is made plain in this novel, which is crowded with eccentric and colourful characters. The narrative moves us in turns to sneer at the Boston reformers and to sympathise with Olive as she struggles to keep the reformist flame burning in her protege's heart.
Subjects: Social life and customs, Suffrage, Romance Norte Americano, Movie novels, Cousins, Fiction
