Book · Other fiction
A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life
by George Saunders
Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.
- Pages
- 528
- Reading time
- ≈ 9 h 30 min
- Checkpoints
- 15
- Genre
- Fiction
Free on iPhone and Android.
How long does it take to read A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life?
At 528 pages, A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life is a long book. Expect about 9 hours 30 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.
At 30 minutes a day, that is about 20 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 8 reading days. For a book of this length (400 to 599 pages), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 5.3 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).
- 30 minutes a day20 days
- Vread median pace (72 pp./day)8 days
Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.
Prove you read it
The Vread challenge: 15 checkpoints
- Checkpoint 1, page 35
- Checkpoint 2, page 70
- Checkpoint 3, page 106
- Checkpoint 4, page 141
- Checkpoint 5, page 176
- Checkpoint 6, page 211
- Checkpoint 7, page 246
- Checkpoint 8, page 282
- Checkpoint 9, page 317
- Checkpoint 10, page 352
- Checkpoint 11, page 387
- Checkpoint 12, page 422
- Checkpoint 13, page 458
- Checkpoint 14, page 493
- Checkpoint 15, page 528
In Vread, A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life is split into 15 checkpoints, one every 35 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.
The challenge: validate all 15 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.
Also available in French on Vread.
Illustrative example
What a checkpoint looks like
A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.
The answer is in the text: reply in the app.
This is not a question from A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.
Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.
Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions
How many pages is A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life?
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More by this author on Vread
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Read A swim in a pond in the rain : in which four Russians give a master class on writing, reading, and life with Vread
Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.
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