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Cover of Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell

Book · Other fiction

Instructions for a Heatwave

by Maggie O'Farrell

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start Instructions for a Heatwave, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
392
Reading time
≈ 7 h 10 min
Checkpoints
11
Genre
Fiction

Free on iPhone and Android.

How long does it take to read Instructions for a Heatwave?

At 392 pages, Instructions for a Heatwave is a fairly long book. Expect about 7 hours 10 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 15 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 6 reading days. For a book of this length (250 to 399 pages), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 4.7 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day15 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)6 days

Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 11 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 36
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 71
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 107
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 143
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 178
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 214
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 249
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 285
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 321
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 356
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 392

In Vread, Instructions for a Heatwave is split into 11 checkpoints, one every 36 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 11 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

Checkpoint 1/11pp. 1–36

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 Instructions for a Heatwave: 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 Instructions for a Heatwave?
The edition listed on Vread has 392 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read Instructions for a Heatwave?
About 7 hours 10 minutes of reading, or 15 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on Instructions for a Heatwave?
Yes: the Vread app has 11 reading questions on Instructions for a Heatwave, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of Instructions for a Heatwave?
Vread does not publish summaries: the app supports reading the book itself, part by part. Checkpoint questions cover what you have just read, which makes them a good way to check you did not miss anything.

Read Instructions for a Heatwave 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.

Take the challenge

Written by Vread from its catalogue data (page count of the listed edition, checkpoints, ratings aggregated from 10 ratings). No summary or publisher text is reproduced. Reading times are estimates; see the method in the Vread Reading Barometer (in French).