The Catcher in the Rye
At your speed≈ 5½ hrs
Pages277
Audiobook≈ 9 hrs
277 pages works out to roughly 83,000 words. At an average 250 words a minute that is 5½ hrs — a weekend's reading.
Readers on Hardcover rate it 3.61 out of 5, from 4,096 ratings.
How long does it take to read The Catcher in the Rye?
The Catcher in the Rye is 277 pages, or roughly 83,000 words. How long that takes depends on how fast you read:
| Your pace | Words per minute | Time to finish |
|---|---|---|
| Slow | 175 | 8 hrs |
| Average | 250 | 5½ hrs |
| Fast | 400 | 3½ hrs |
Estimated at about 300 words per page. Most adults read between 200 and 300 words a minute — use the reading-speed control to set your own pace and every time on the site adjusts.
Every reading time on the site updates to your pace. Page counts are an estimate, so treat the hours as a good guide, not a stopwatch.
Common questions
- How long does it take to read The Catcher in the Rye?
- About 5½ hrs at an average reading speed of 250 words per minute. The Catcher in the Rye runs 277 pages, roughly 83,000 words — so at a slower 175 wpm it is nearer 8 hrs, and at 400 wpm closer to 3½ hrs.
- How many pages is The Catcher in the Rye?
- 277 pages, which is about 83,000 words and 5½ hrs of reading. Editions vary, so we take the figure two of our three sources agree on.
- Is The Catcher in the Rye worth reading?
- Readers on Hardcover rate it 3.61 out of 5, from 4,096 ratings. What we can tell you for certain is the cost: 277 pages and about 5½ hrs of your time, or 3½ hrs if you read quickly. Whether that is worth it depends on the hours you have.
- How long is The Catcher in the Rye audiobook?
- About 9 hrs, estimated from the 83,000 words at a typical narration pace of 150 words a minute. Real editions vary by narrator, usually by well under an hour.
From the publisher
"The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it.
There are many voices in this novel: children's voices, adult…
voices, underground voices-but Holden's voice is the most eloquent of all. Transcending his own vernacular, yet remaining marvelously faithful to it, he issues a perfectly articulated cry of mixed pain and pleasure. However, like most lovers and clowns and poets of the higher orders, he keeps most of the pain to, and for, himself. The pleasure he gives away, or sets aside, with all his heart. It is there for the reader who can handle it to keep."-- Provided by Amazon
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