How long does it take to read Lessons in Chemistry?
Bonnie Garmus
At an average reading speed of 250 words a minute, Lessons in Chemistry takes 7 hours 23 minutes to read. The unabridged audiobook runs 12 hours at 1x, or 7h 57m at 1.5x.
Bonnie Garmus's first novel is a standard-length book: a little over seven hours at an average pace, about the same as Where the Crawdads Sing.
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: audiobook estimate. Estimated from the unabridged audiobook narrated by Miranda Raison (11:55) at 155 words a minute. The recording ends with an interview with the author, so the novel itself is a little shorter than this.
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 Lessons in Chemistry?
About 7h 23m at an average reading speed of 250 words a minute: 9h 14m at 200 and 6h 9m at 300.
How many words are in Lessons in Chemistry?
About 110,825 words. That's estimated from the unabridged audiobook at a narration pace of 155 words a minute, so treat it as close, not exact.
How many pages a day to finish Lessons in Chemistry in a month?
About 14 pages a day, or 15m of reading a day at an average pace. That assumes about 403 pages at 275 words a page; real page counts vary by edition.
Can you read Lessons in Chemistry in a week?
Yes: about an hour a day at an average pace finishes it in seven days.
How long is the Lessons in Chemistry audiobook?
11 hours 55 minutes, narrated by Miranda Raison, including a short interview with Bonnie Garmus at the end. At 1.5x, just under 8 hours.