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How long does it take to read The Hostage?

Susan Wiggs

The Hostage by Susan Wiggs takes about 7 hours 22 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

Part of Great Chicago Fire Trilogy

Next: The Mistress

About 7 hours 22 minutes

A weekend read

First published 2000. 402 pages, about 110,550 words.

15 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 12 hours 17 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 7 hours 22 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 4 hours 36 minutes

The page count is the median across 6 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

A sweeping tale of love born from the ashes of revenge. . . October 8, 1871 -- One small spark ignites the entire city of Chicago, sending its residents into panic. But amid the chaos, a chance encounter leads to an unexpected new love. Unaware of the fire sweeping toward them, Deborah Sinclair confronts her wealthy, powerful father, determined to refuse the society marriage he has arranged for her. Suddenly, out of the smoke and flames, a stranger appears -- gun in hand, intent on avenging an unforgivable crime. As fire consumes the elegant mansion, the ruthless man takes the fragile, sheltered heiress hostage. Swept off to mist-shrouded Isle Royale, Deborah finds herself the pawn in Tom Silver's dangerous game of revenge. Despite her horror at being kidnapped, she finds herself drawn to the people of the close-knit community and to the startling beauty of the island. As she engages in a battle of wits with her brooding captor, she begins to understand the injustice that fuels his anger, an injustice wrought by her own family. And as winter imprisons the isolated land, she realizes she's a hostage of her own heart.

Subjects: Man-woman relationships, Fiction, Fires, History, Fiction, romance, historical

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