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Cover of The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Book · Non-fiction, memoir and self-help

The Gulag Archipelago

by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start The Gulag Archipelago, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.

Pages
690
Reading time
≈ 12 h 30 min
Checkpoints
19
Genre
Non-fiction
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Free on iPhone and Android.

How long does it take to read The Gulag Archipelago?

At 690 pages, The Gulag Archipelago is a long book. Expect about 12 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 25 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 10 reading days. For a book of this length (600 pages or more), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 6.4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).

Reading days to finish it
30 minutes a day25 days
Vread median pace (72 pp./day)10 days

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

Prove you read it

The Vread challenge: 19 checkpoints

  1. Checkpoint 1, page 36
  2. Checkpoint 2, page 73
  3. Checkpoint 3, page 109
  4. Checkpoint 4, page 145
  5. Checkpoint 5, page 182
  6. Checkpoint 6, page 218
  7. Checkpoint 7, page 254
  8. Checkpoint 8, page 291
  9. Checkpoint 9, page 327
  10. Checkpoint 10, page 363
  11. Checkpoint 11, page 399
  12. Checkpoint 12, page 436
  13. Checkpoint 13, page 472
  14. Checkpoint 14, page 508
  15. Checkpoint 15, page 545
  16. Checkpoint 16, page 581
  17. Checkpoint 17, page 617
  18. Checkpoint 18, page 654
  19. Checkpoint 19, page 690

In Vread, The Gulag Archipelago is split into 19 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 19 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 1/19pp. 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 The Gulag Archipelago: 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 The Gulag Archipelago?
The edition listed on Vread has 690 pages. The exact count varies by edition (paperback, hardback, ebook).
How long does it take to read The Gulag Archipelago?
About 12 hours 30 minutes of reading, or 25 days at 30 minutes a day.
Is there a quiz on The Gulag Archipelago?
Yes: the Vread app has 19 reading questions on The Gulag Archipelago, one per checkpoint, unlocked as you read.
Where can I find a summary of The Gulag Archipelago?
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.

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Read The Gulag Archipelago 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).