How long does it take to read The Brothers Karamazov?
Fyodor Dostoevsky · Garnett translation
At an average reading speed of 250 words a minute, The Brothers Karamazov takes about 23 hours to read. As an audiobook, expect about 38 hours at 1x.
The Brothers Karamazov was Dostoevsky's last novel, and it's his longest. In Constance Garnett's translations it comes out almost exactly the length of Anna Karenina: the two are 223 words apart. It's divided into twelve books and an epilogue.
Average is about 250 WPM. Measure yours in two minutes and every time on this page recalculates.
How much to read a day
At 250 words a minute, to finish the book:
Have a deadline in mind? The pages-per-day calculator works it out for any date.
How we measured it
Method: counted text. We used the Project Gutenberg text (#28054), Constance Garnett's translation, from Book I, Chapter I to the end. Dostoevsky's preface and the translator's footnotes aren't included. Word counts differ between translations.
Part of our study of the 100 most popular books, last checked November 2026. Reading times assume steady reading; editions, translations and your own pace all move them.
See how long it really takes you
Log it in Parch as you read. It tracks your pages, sessions and streak, so you'll know your real pace, and how long the next one will take.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to read The Brothers Karamazov?
About 23 hours at an average reading speed of 250 words a minute: 29 hours at 200 and 19 hours at 300.
How many words are in The Brothers Karamazov?
349,315 words.
How many pages a day to finish The Brothers Karamazov in a month?
About 43 pages a day, or 47m of reading a day at an average pace. That assumes about 1,270 pages at 275 words a page; real page counts vary by edition.
How is The Brothers Karamazov divided?
Into four parts containing twelve books, plus an epilogue. Each of the twelve books takes a little under two hours on average.
Should I read Crime and Punishment first?
Many readers do. It's a little over half the length, about 13 and a half hours, and follows one character closely, which makes it the easier introduction to Dostoevsky.