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How long does it take to read The Stranger in the Woods?

Michael Finkel

The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel takes about 4 hours 6 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

About 4 hours 6 minutes

A weekend read

First published 2017. 224 pages, about 61,600 words.

9 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 6 hours 51 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 4 hours 6 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 2 hours 34 minutes

The page count is the median across 8 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

"For readers of Jon Krakauer and The Lost City of Z, a remarkable tale of survival and solitude--the true story of a man who lived alone in a tent in the Maine woods, never talking to another person and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins for twenty-seven years. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed, but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of the why and how of his secluded life--as well as the challenges he has faced returning to the world. A riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded"--Publisher description.

Subjects: Recluses, Solitude, Thieves, Case studies, Survival, Biography

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