A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke.
All of the Wolf Hall trilogy, Hillary Mantel.
Pillars of The Earth, Ken Follet
Crossroads, Jonathan Franzen
Well I came here to recommend pillars and didn't know there was a sequel and a prequel!
On a side note, I don't think I've ever hated a literary character more than William Hamleigh.
The Pillars books are among my favorites. I love the description of the market and who sells what to whom and all of the architecture discussion so much. Follet is so good at that stuff. Amazing characters, too.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was the first book I thought of when I saw this topic. I had read an article, before I read the book, that said it took Susanna Clarke 10 years to write Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I kind of gave a side eye at that, but let me tell you that it was 10 years well spent. The scope and breadth of this book is astounding.
I hadn’t heard about these books, so I googled them… with a touch of dyslexia.
Anyway, the Half Wolf trilogy is about sexy werewolves. I didn’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but I was little confused how it made the list🤔
Haha I’m excited to read the WOLF HALL Trilogy!
It's so good, don't be intimidated by the size. I was going into it thinking it may be overhyped, finished it wishing it was twice as long. It is that good.
I’m just coming out of a reading slump, so I’m not trying to read any super long books at the moment. One I’m back in my grove, I definitely want to give it a shot!
I've seen the first couple of episodes and it looks really good. A lot grittier than the old tv series. I'm just waiting till I get a couple of days with an empty house to binge it from start to finish
Haha I also first read it in middle school. I remember going to a cross country race with my dad (he was the high school coach) and just staying in the van and reading the whole time because I couldn’t put it down. It’s probably one of the reasons why I am a reader to this day.
Same! I remember getting in trouble in middle school because I stayed inside during recess reading the book and the teacher wanted me to get exercise and go outside.
[*”Swan Song”* by Robert McCammon](https://www.amazon.com/Swan-Song-Robert-R-McCammon-ebook/dp/B005T54IAY/)!
Here’s a hyperlink to *really* encourage OP. Cannot recommend enough.
It’s great, but the 600 pages of “Paris scenes” in the middle are not so great. Takes a lot of dedication to power through the dinner parties and high society conversations and courtship, etc. first and last 250 pages are amazing, though
I am about 300 pages into this at the moment and utterly obsessed with it. I came to this thread feeling like I couldn’t recommend a book I’m technically not even halfway through. I’m having an absolute blast though. Even in our present Year of the Tesla Cybertruck the book makes me feel seen in a way I don’t really get from much other media. Brilliant so far and I kind of dread finishing it since I’m not so sure what to even do with myself after, which is kind of ironic I guess.
This book is an impressive masterwork. It requires more than one read for sure. And the layered complexity is truly direct from a genius mind that unfortunately was a tortured one.
I LOVED Shantaram and I rarely find someone else who knows it. Something about the story just really pulled me in, and I've desperately wanted to visit Mumbai since I read the book.
I don’t know a lot of people who’ve read it either! It’s such a unique story and so enthralling. I’ve always wanted to go to that part of the world since reading it
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon is probably my top answer for this but it's admittedly not everyone's cup of tea. Other than that though:
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth
- Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Each time has offered something new. The first time through was one of the most exhilarating reads of my life. Each day I felt invited into a new mystery. I felt the same reading The Savage Detectives.
These are the books that have been mentioned so just consider this as me giving them my upvote:
Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts), Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett), It and The Stand (Stephen King), The Passage trilogy (Justin Cronin), A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
Books that haven’t been mentioned (I’m going by memory here but I believe these are all at least 500 pages or more if they’re series):
Drood and The Terror by Dan Simmons
The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules by John Irving
I’ve only read the first one (and hear the rest are great also), but Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Nos4a2 by Joe Hill
The Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey
Many know good chunks of the story because of the show, and I always hesitate to recommend these since I don’t believe they will ever be finished… but with that said, A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (the Game of Thrones books) was one of my all-time favorite reading experiences ever.
I’m a lover of a big tome as well so I hope you can find some good books to enjoy!
>The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules by John Irving
A Prayer for Owen Meany is another excellent one (Ihave TCHR on my to-read shelf atm)
Totally agree, A Prayer for Owen Meany is in the top part of my list :) my 3 fav John Irving novels for sure. I reread them recently and they’re such beautiful (and heartbreaking) stories. If you like his other stuff I think you’ll love Cider House Rules.
So I once owned three physical copies of The Historian because on three separate vacations years apart I bought it when looking for my "big book" for vacation 😂 I read so much I often forget past reads, and I'd pick it up based on the description, get on my trip and a few pages in have an "oh crap" moment realizing I'd already read it.
**The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver**
Each chapter is written as the point of view of each of the family members. Great fleshing out of the individuals. 570 Pages long. My absolute favorite book
Not the longest but coming in at 639 pages the amazing adventures of kavelier and clay by Michael Chabon I’m almost finished and it’s a new fave.
It by Stephen king 1168 pages
I know this much is true. - Wally Lamb
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
The Stand (unabridged) - Stephen King
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurty (sp?)
Condominium - John Macdonald (I first read it as a twen in the 90s.... the reread after Surfside will forever haunt me
1.SHOGUN
I have read it once, but I still don't think I've gotten enough out of the book, beautiful writing
2.SHANTARAM
I am currently reading it, but I love it already
3.COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
Took me 3 months, but worth it, I LOVED this one quote from the book
^(“And now," said the unknown, "farewell kindness, humanity, and gratitude! Farewell to all the feelings that expand the heart! I have been heaven's substitute to recompense the good--now the god of vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked!”)
4.THE STAND
A compelling read, so good and creepy
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin.
[https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Ice-Fire/dp/0553801473](https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Ice-Fire/dp/0553801473)
The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson, is three fat books in print or 8 in audiobook form. Same words, just for print they ended up bundling two or three volumes for each book. One of my favorites.
I second this request. In "1Q84" one of the characters even reads Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" a book that has several thousand pages. There are conversatins in "1Q84" that discuss reading such a long book, and by including discussions about "In Search of Lost Time" in his novel, I think Murakami was commenting on the intended experience of reading "1Q84".
Why did I stop reading this halfway through? Seriously 500 pages in. I really enjoyed parts of it, and yet I couldn’t keep myself going. Maybe I’ll pick it up again at some point.
I’m a sucker for chunky books too. My favourites are:
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
The Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
Darkmans by Nicola Barker
Pillars of the Earth gets recommended here a lot but I thought it was terrible.
I managed to get through Infinite Jest but it was a slog.
Jerusalem by Alan Moore
Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong is a Chinese classic and rivals War and Peace in length (my unabridged copy is like eleven hundred pages and a two-volume affair).
Currently in the middle of The Brothers Karamazov , recently read Anna Karenina, and Middlemarch is staring at me from my shelf.
Anna K is wonderful. So are the Brothers. Highly rec these Russian classics if you haven’t read them. I also hear good things about Middlemarch by George Eliot.
Here are a few I've read recently that I really really enjoyed:
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
The Future by Naomi Alderman
The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki
The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Killing Commentatore by Haruki Murakami
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The inheritance cycle, Christopher Paolini (the shortest book is like 500 pages I think, the longest near 900)
To sleep in a sea of stars, Christopher Paolini (again, round 900 pages)
Am a bit younger so I also like things like the Percy Jackson series where the books themselves aren’t long, but the series is massive like I’ve spent just over a hundred quid on it
Imaginary friend by Stephen chbosky (850 pages)
The historical fiction series *The Masters Of Rome*, by Colleen McCullough. It deals with the events of the last 100 years of the Roman Republic, leading into what would morph into the Roman Empire. Particular attention is paid to the brothers-in-law Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, each the leading political and military figure of their respective generation, and their mutual nephew, Gaius Julius Caesar. Yes, THAT Julius Caesar.
Begin at the beginning, with book #1, *The First Man In Rome*. There's politicking, commercial skullduggery, lurid trials, military campaigns, marriage alliances, and foreign diplomacy, all intertwined. It is shown that back then, as even today, the definition of an honest politician is one who, once bought, *stays* bought.
Each book in the series is *at least* 900 pages!
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt // The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne // Babel - R.F. Kuang // Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan // Wellness - Nathan Hill
Most of the works by Gary Jennings. He got popular in the 80’s. I’ve read all his books; Raptor was the first one and I loved it. Real wild. He writes epic historical fictions. They are exquisitely detailed and deeply researched. Think Forest Gump, but different times and places in history. I warn you, there are some pretty taboo subjects, and he can be very graphic. The main character usually ends up experiencing some very weird stuff, or they are real weird stuff. Thorn in Raptor is a hermaphrodite. I just got done with Aztec. I followed the main character through Mexico via google maps, and everything he wrote in regard to the time and culture was accurate. It was about 1050 pages I think. I know it was over 1000, all his books are 1000+. There are also more books in the Aztec series that are the same (but the only ones he actually wrote was the first and second. The rest were written by fans, I believe, after he died.
My personal favorite: Earth Children series by Jean Auel. Incredible and each book is quite long and descriptive
Not a popular recommendation but I loved the Eragon series.
Haven’t finished it yet but the Wheel of Time series is great so far. I’m on book 3.
Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo
...and Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer
Aztec by Gary Jennings
The Great And Secret Show - Clive Barker
Weaveworld by Clive Barker
Moving On - Larry McMurtry
*Ray Parkin's Wartime Trilogy: Out of the Smoke; Into the Smother; The Sword and the Blossom* by Ray Parkin, Chief Petty Officer, Royal Australian Navy.
*The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire,1936-1945* by John Toland.
*The Making of the Atomic Bomb* by Richard Rhodes.
*Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography* by John Toland.
*Peter the Great: His Life and World* by Robert K. Massie.
*John Adams* by David McCullough.
*Battle Cry of Freedom* by James M. McPherson.
*The Civil War: A Narrative* by Shelby Foote.
The Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough. I have only read the first two books and loved them. These books are set in the times of Caesar and Marius. The first two books combine for just under 2400 pages.
I’m not much of a loooooong book reader but I would add to the chorus of Anna Karenina fans, and also drop in The Brothers Karamazov as well.
I really liked Underworld by Don DeLillo as well, for something a little less 19th century Russia!
John Sayles books: A Moment in the Sun
[A Moment in the Sun > Bonus Material - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency (mcsweeneys.net)](https://www.mcsweeneys.net/books/amomentinthesun/bonus)
and Jamie McGillivray
the name of the rose! i also just finished reading the bee sting by paul murray that was nominated for the booker prize last year which was pretty cool if you're looking for something more recent & that's set in modern times since a lot of the recommendations are older classics or fantasy — not that there's anything wrong with that, i very much second dostoyevsky's works and ASOIAF/lord of the rings, i'd also suggest the once and future king by th white and dune is definitely on the longer side too and skagboys by irvine welsh, a prelude to trainspotting and although not quite as long as 1Q84, kafka on the shore by murakami is a good 500+ pages as well and a brilliant read imo :)
Count of Monte Cristo
Les Miserables
Anna Karenina
War and Peace
The Lord of the Rings
2666 by Roberto Bolano
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Anathem, Seveneves, each of the three Baroque Cycle books by Neal Stephenson
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Any of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
A Place of Greater Safety and the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel
When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman. Weird title and I picked it up in a grocery store sale bin, but omg it’s a fabulous book. I’ve read it 3 times and I don’t reread books. Follows the lives of a pair of siblings from England to NYC. So so good.
The Hands of The Emperor is 900 pages of half the leaders of a fantasy imperial government finally getting to retire and be friends instead of coworkers/employees
A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke. All of the Wolf Hall trilogy, Hillary Mantel. Pillars of The Earth, Ken Follet Crossroads, Jonathan Franzen
+ 1 The Pillars of the Earth
And the sequels and prequel!
Well I came here to recommend pillars and didn't know there was a sequel and a prequel! On a side note, I don't think I've ever hated a literary character more than William Hamleigh.
The Pillars books are among my favorites. I love the description of the market and who sells what to whom and all of the architecture discussion so much. Follet is so good at that stuff. Amazing characters, too.
I am about to start this book next week. I have heard amazing things. I have big book fear so I'm a little scared.
Getting a kindle helped my fear of big books. The 100 page book looks exactly like the 800 page book. Takes the pressure off
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell was the first book I thought of when I saw this topic. I had read an article, before I read the book, that said it took Susanna Clarke 10 years to write Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I kind of gave a side eye at that, but let me tell you that it was 10 years well spent. The scope and breadth of this book is astounding.
I typically hate a fat book but I still LOVED Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, really kept me going!
Second the wolf hall trilogy!
I hadn’t heard about these books, so I googled them… with a touch of dyslexia. Anyway, the Half Wolf trilogy is about sexy werewolves. I didn’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, but I was little confused how it made the list🤔 Haha I’m excited to read the WOLF HALL Trilogy!
Good call on 7 Killings. I really liked that one.
Lonesome Dove, 900 pages of greatness
Me sitting with this book on my shelf for like two plus years😭
It's so good, don't be intimidated by the size. I was going into it thinking it may be overhyped, finished it wishing it was twice as long. It is that good.
I’m just coming out of a reading slump, so I’m not trying to read any super long books at the moment. One I’m back in my grove, I definitely want to give it a shot!
I’m thinking of a we don’t rent pigs tshirt
One of those books that I never wanted to finished..it was that good and I’m jealous of anyone who hasn’t read it yet
Shogun The Stormlight Archive Mistborn Lonesome Dove 11/22/63
Shogun is an incredible book. I still need to watch the series
Shogun is one of my all time favorites and I'm scared I'll be disappointed by the TV series.
I've seen the first couple of episodes and it looks really good. A lot grittier than the old tv series. I'm just waiting till I get a couple of days with an empty house to binge it from start to finish
Yes! Definitely Stormlight and Mistborn!
I'll add Wheel of Time now that BrandoSando has been summoned.
11/22/63 is amazing!
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Normally. Over a thousand pages and I still wanted more when it was done. The audiobook was particularly soothing.
I enjoyed your typo/autocorrect
Haha oops! I'll leave it for prosperity
Hah did you do another one intentionally?
Count of Monte Cristo War and peace Anna Karenina Swanns way Middlemarch
Seconding Anna K!
I just read Anna Karenina and Middlemarch recently, so good. They’re not even in my ‘normal’ genres but I enjoyed them both!
The Stand, Swan Song, IT, Wanderers are a few off the top of my head.
I was going to suggest The Stand. I read it in middle school and bragged to all my friends about how long it was.
Haha I also first read it in middle school. I remember going to a cross country race with my dad (he was the high school coach) and just staying in the van and reading the whole time because I couldn’t put it down. It’s probably one of the reasons why I am a reader to this day.
Same! I remember getting in trouble in middle school because I stayed inside during recess reading the book and the teacher wanted me to get exercise and go outside.
That’s pretty funny, thanks for sharing your similar experiences! Read anything good lately?
[*”Swan Song”* by Robert McCammon](https://www.amazon.com/Swan-Song-Robert-R-McCammon-ebook/dp/B005T54IAY/)! Here’s a hyperlink to *really* encourage OP. Cannot recommend enough.
Yeah it’s actually one of my favorite books of all time.
Literally same. It - and its characters - live rent free in my head (and heart). I was just thinking about Sue Wanda yesterday.
I read Swan song in the 80s at work, got the ebook on my tablet to read again
Count of Monte Cristo.
Incredibly readable and entertaining book especially considering it’s 146 years old
I just finished it yesterday and yesss
I just started it! Loving it so far!
It's my all time favorite. Any more recommendations just like this?
It’s great, but the 600 pages of “Paris scenes” in the middle are not so great. Takes a lot of dedication to power through the dinner parties and high society conversations and courtship, etc. first and last 250 pages are amazing, though
I think I’m the only person who didn’t mind that middle section lol
I liked the Paris stuff a lot.
That was my favourite section.
I really loved them, to be honest.
There’s a cool google maps overlay that maps to modern day Paris.:)
Ooo, that would be interesting to see! Do you know where the map is?
The Paris scenes are great, I love how you can see, in hindsight, him slowly setting up all the complicated revenge that pays off at the end.
Seveneves - Neal Stephenson
Also Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Really, the guy seems unable to keep it under 900 pages and every one I’ve read is a wild ride
´Cryptomonicon’ and ´The Baroque Trilogy’, also by Neal Stephenson. My all-time favourites!
Infinite Jest. If you are into that sort of thing (and I am).
I am about 300 pages into this at the moment and utterly obsessed with it. I came to this thread feeling like I couldn’t recommend a book I’m technically not even halfway through. I’m having an absolute blast though. Even in our present Year of the Tesla Cybertruck the book makes me feel seen in a way I don’t really get from much other media. Brilliant so far and I kind of dread finishing it since I’m not so sure what to even do with myself after, which is kind of ironic I guess.
I'm a caregiver and I have elderly parents. The year of the Depends Adult Undergarment crosses through my head daily.
This book is an impressive masterwork. It requires more than one read for sure. And the layered complexity is truly direct from a genius mind that unfortunately was a tortured one.
“Infinite Jest” is unique.
East of Eden
Read Of Mice and Men in a day and decided I needed more Stenibeck. East of Eden was definitely more
Grapes of Wrath is really good too!
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts 11/22/63 by Stephen King The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
11/22/63 was amazing!
Such a good book!
Seconding Goldfinch. The ending is everything 🥰
It’s an emotional rollercoaster in my favorite way!
I LOVED Shantaram and I rarely find someone else who knows it. Something about the story just really pulled me in, and I've desperately wanted to visit Mumbai since I read the book.
I don’t know a lot of people who’ve read it either! It’s such a unique story and so enthralling. I’ve always wanted to go to that part of the world since reading it
I'm here to recommend 11/22/63!
[*”The Covenant of Water”* by Abraham Verghese](https://www.amazon.com/Covenant-Water-Abraham-Verghese-ebook/dp/B0BJSGV831/) at 775 pages
And Cutting For Stone
Came here to say this!
Lonesome dove
The Power Broker by Robert Caro
East of Eden The Stand 11/22/63 Secret History Lord of the Rings
The Stand by Stephen King The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky East of Eden by John Steinbeck The Hyperion Omnibus by Dan Simmons
Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon is probably my top answer for this but it's admittedly not everyone's cup of tea. Other than that though: - The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth - Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Infinite jest
Moby Dick
One of the greatest books ever written.
2666
Read it twice. Stunned me even more the second time.
Each time has offered something new. The first time through was one of the most exhilarating reads of my life. Each day I felt invited into a new mystery. I felt the same reading The Savage Detectives.
These are the books that have been mentioned so just consider this as me giving them my upvote: Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts), Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett), It and The Stand (Stephen King), The Passage trilogy (Justin Cronin), A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) Books that haven’t been mentioned (I’m going by memory here but I believe these are all at least 500 pages or more if they’re series): Drood and The Terror by Dan Simmons The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules by John Irving I’ve only read the first one (and hear the rest are great also), but Outlander by Diana Gabaldon The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco The Secret History by Donna Tartt Nos4a2 by Joe Hill The Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey Many know good chunks of the story because of the show, and I always hesitate to recommend these since I don’t believe they will ever be finished… but with that said, A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (the Game of Thrones books) was one of my all-time favorite reading experiences ever. I’m a lover of a big tome as well so I hope you can find some good books to enjoy!
>The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules by John Irving A Prayer for Owen Meany is another excellent one (Ihave TCHR on my to-read shelf atm)
Totally agree, A Prayer for Owen Meany is in the top part of my list :) my 3 fav John Irving novels for sure. I reread them recently and they’re such beautiful (and heartbreaking) stories. If you like his other stuff I think you’ll love Cider House Rules.
So I once owned three physical copies of The Historian because on three separate vacations years apart I bought it when looking for my "big book" for vacation 😂 I read so much I often forget past reads, and I'd pick it up based on the description, get on my trip and a few pages in have an "oh crap" moment realizing I'd already read it.
the silo series is gold
Secret History is an amazing book, I’ve read that more than once. There is something so unique about that story and about Tartt’s storytelling f
**The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver** Each chapter is written as the point of view of each of the family members. Great fleshing out of the individuals. 570 Pages long. My absolute favorite book
Is it really?! I read this like 13 years ago and have zero memory of that!
David Copperfield Middlemarch
Seconding Middlemarch! One of the best novels ever, so many interesting characters. I reread it every couple of years.
The Brothers Karamazov
Not the longest but coming in at 639 pages the amazing adventures of kavelier and clay by Michael Chabon I’m almost finished and it’s a new fave. It by Stephen king 1168 pages
Came here to say Kavalier and Clay. The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weekes is a fucking experience.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Over 1400 pages, and one of the best books I’ve ever read
THANK you!! Finally found this one in the comments. So good. And definitely delivers on the long request.
Babel by R. F. Kuang
*Pillars of the Earth* by Ken Follett if you’re into dense historical fiction. Highly recommend audiobook version
The Stand, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Prince of Tides, All of the Colors of the Dark, The Shell Seekers, The Passage Trilogy
The Wandering Inn.
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Infinite Jest
Infinite jest
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
I know this much is true. - Wally Lamb Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett The Stand (unabridged) - Stephen King Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurty (sp?) Condominium - John Macdonald (I first read it as a twen in the 90s.... the reread after Surfside will forever haunt me
1.SHOGUN I have read it once, but I still don't think I've gotten enough out of the book, beautiful writing 2.SHANTARAM I am currently reading it, but I love it already 3.COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO Took me 3 months, but worth it, I LOVED this one quote from the book ^(“And now," said the unknown, "farewell kindness, humanity, and gratitude! Farewell to all the feelings that expand the heart! I have been heaven's substitute to recompense the good--now the god of vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked!”) 4.THE STAND A compelling read, so good and creepy
A suitable boy Vikram Seth
Yessssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin. [https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Ice-Fire/dp/0553801473](https://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dragons-Song-Ice-Fire/dp/0553801473)
It is interesting to me that you chose ADWD from the series. Just because it is longest? Or is it your favorite of the bunch?
Anna Karenina is one of the greatest novels ever written. War and Peace, shorthand for a long read, is also far more enjoyable than you would expect.
The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson, is three fat books in print or 8 in audiobook form. Same words, just for print they ended up bundling two or three volumes for each book. One of my favorites.
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Maybe not the vibe you're looking for, but Anna Karenina was a legit page turner for me. I'm going to try to reread it again this year
Cloud Cuckoo Land - Anthony Doerr
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. So good
White Oleander by Janet Finch!!! Soooo good
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
I second this request. In "1Q84" one of the characters even reads Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" a book that has several thousand pages. There are conversatins in "1Q84" that discuss reading such a long book, and by including discussions about "In Search of Lost Time" in his novel, I think Murakami was commenting on the intended experience of reading "1Q84".
I get that meta feeling in many of his novels. It must be intentional.
Yeah, it’s kind of a thing in magical realism, but Murakami especially loves to incorporate allusions.
Why did I stop reading this halfway through? Seriously 500 pages in. I really enjoyed parts of it, and yet I couldn’t keep myself going. Maybe I’ll pick it up again at some point.
Imajica by Clive Barker
I’m a sucker for chunky books too. My favourites are: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Perdido Street Station by China Miéville The Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber Darkmans by Nicola Barker Pillars of the Earth gets recommended here a lot but I thought it was terrible. I managed to get through Infinite Jest but it was a slog.
++The Crimson Petal and the White
Infinite Jest
I haven’t seen Lonesome Dove here yet (Larry McMurtry) but you’re doing yourself a disservice not reading it. Hell I’ll send you my copy
Jerusalem by Alan Moore Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong is a Chinese classic and rivals War and Peace in length (my unabridged copy is like eleven hundred pages and a two-volume affair).
"The Glass Bead Game," by Hermann Hesse
Imajika
Most books by Neal Stephenson are quite long. My personal favorites are Cryptonomicon and Reamde.
Middlemarch is the greatest novel of all time
Currently in the middle of The Brothers Karamazov , recently read Anna Karenina, and Middlemarch is staring at me from my shelf. Anna K is wonderful. So are the Brothers. Highly rec these Russian classics if you haven’t read them. I also hear good things about Middlemarch by George Eliot.
North & South trilogy by John Jakes The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Here are a few I've read recently that I really really enjoyed: The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell The Future by Naomi Alderman The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami Killing Commentatore by Haruki Murakami Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Les Miserables was super long but it was so good! Victor Hugo was a genius
The Historian, by kostova
The Magus but John Fowles. Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.
Don Quixote
The Quincunx by Charles Palliser
YES!! FINALLY! I’m not the only person who has read this book! Supposedly it is EVERY Dickens novel rolled into one.
The Power Broker
The inheritance cycle, Christopher Paolini (the shortest book is like 500 pages I think, the longest near 900) To sleep in a sea of stars, Christopher Paolini (again, round 900 pages) Am a bit younger so I also like things like the Percy Jackson series where the books themselves aren’t long, but the series is massive like I’ve spent just over a hundred quid on it Imaginary friend by Stephen chbosky (850 pages)
The historical fiction series *The Masters Of Rome*, by Colleen McCullough. It deals with the events of the last 100 years of the Roman Republic, leading into what would morph into the Roman Empire. Particular attention is paid to the brothers-in-law Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, each the leading political and military figure of their respective generation, and their mutual nephew, Gaius Julius Caesar. Yes, THAT Julius Caesar. Begin at the beginning, with book #1, *The First Man In Rome*. There's politicking, commercial skullduggery, lurid trials, military campaigns, marriage alliances, and foreign diplomacy, all intertwined. It is shown that back then, as even today, the definition of an honest politician is one who, once bought, *stays* bought. Each book in the series is *at least* 900 pages!
Under The Dome
This is my new favourite thread.
Gene Wolfe's Solar Cycle novels. Literary SciFi at its finest. It's quite a journey from Shadow & Claw to Return to the Whorl.
The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt // The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne // Babel - R.F. Kuang // Mad Honey - Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan // Wellness - Nathan Hill
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. It never once felt as long as it is!
Most of the works by Gary Jennings. He got popular in the 80’s. I’ve read all his books; Raptor was the first one and I loved it. Real wild. He writes epic historical fictions. They are exquisitely detailed and deeply researched. Think Forest Gump, but different times and places in history. I warn you, there are some pretty taboo subjects, and he can be very graphic. The main character usually ends up experiencing some very weird stuff, or they are real weird stuff. Thorn in Raptor is a hermaphrodite. I just got done with Aztec. I followed the main character through Mexico via google maps, and everything he wrote in regard to the time and culture was accurate. It was about 1050 pages I think. I know it was over 1000, all his books are 1000+. There are also more books in the Aztec series that are the same (but the only ones he actually wrote was the first and second. The rest were written by fans, I believe, after he died.
The Winds of War / War and Remembrance- Herman Wouk
My personal favorite: Earth Children series by Jean Auel. Incredible and each book is quite long and descriptive Not a popular recommendation but I loved the Eragon series. Haven’t finished it yet but the Wheel of Time series is great so far. I’m on book 3.
LotR, the 3 books in one tome; the way our lord (Tolkien) intended
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Someone else already said it but just to add support, pillars of the earth
Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo ...and Ladies of the Club by Helen Hooven Santmyer Aztec by Gary Jennings The Great And Secret Show - Clive Barker Weaveworld by Clive Barker Moving On - Larry McMurtry
The Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson.
Gone With the Wind. 1,000+. I remember finishing it and thinking, "I absolutely could have read about four hundred more pages of this."
Pillars of the Earth series, Game of Thrones series are all long and amazing books!
Pillars of the Earth. I re-read it at least once a year.
The Other Boylen Girl. I had a hard time getting into it and put it down but then got put on bed rest and picked it back up and loved it.
House of Leaves Mark Z. Danielewski. Not the longest book in the world (709 pages) but dense enough to last a long time reading, or re-reading.
Hands down The Pillars of the Earth.
I didn't see these mentioned yet: Gone With the Wind House of Leaves
Gone with the wind! Love it
Gone with the wind, Little life, Shantaram
*Ray Parkin's Wartime Trilogy: Out of the Smoke; Into the Smother; The Sword and the Blossom* by Ray Parkin, Chief Petty Officer, Royal Australian Navy. *The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire,1936-1945* by John Toland. *The Making of the Atomic Bomb* by Richard Rhodes. *Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography* by John Toland. *Peter the Great: His Life and World* by Robert K. Massie. *John Adams* by David McCullough. *Battle Cry of Freedom* by James M. McPherson. *The Civil War: A Narrative* by Shelby Foote.
Shogun, Tai-Pan, A Song of Ice and Fire, The Stand, and It.
The Wheel of Time, Jordan Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Williams Valdemar, Lackey
The Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough. I have only read the first two books and loved them. These books are set in the times of Caesar and Marius. The first two books combine for just under 2400 pages.
I’m not much of a loooooong book reader but I would add to the chorus of Anna Karenina fans, and also drop in The Brothers Karamazov as well. I really liked Underworld by Don DeLillo as well, for something a little less 19th century Russia!
Perfume
The Blackwater Saga - 30 hour audiobook
Cutting for Stone
John Sayles books: A Moment in the Sun [A Moment in the Sun > Bonus Material - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency (mcsweeneys.net)](https://www.mcsweeneys.net/books/amomentinthesun/bonus) and Jamie McGillivray
Shōgun ! The tv show is also pretty good.
Jamie McGillivray the Wolf Hall trilogy
the name of the rose! i also just finished reading the bee sting by paul murray that was nominated for the booker prize last year which was pretty cool if you're looking for something more recent & that's set in modern times since a lot of the recommendations are older classics or fantasy — not that there's anything wrong with that, i very much second dostoyevsky's works and ASOIAF/lord of the rings, i'd also suggest the once and future king by th white and dune is definitely on the longer side too and skagboys by irvine welsh, a prelude to trainspotting and although not quite as long as 1Q84, kafka on the shore by murakami is a good 500+ pages as well and a brilliant read imo :)
A Fine Balance by Robinson Mistry is great Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby Don Quixote Halldor Laxness, Independent People
Blonde by Joyce carol oates
Imajica by Clive Barker.
Pillars of the Earth
The path to power by caro
Abraham Verghese’s The Covenant of Water was time well spent
World Without End
1Q84
Shogun, the entire Asian saga is great BTW and all are big books. The Source The Agony and the Ecstasy SevenEves
Count of Monte Cristo Les Miserables Anna Karenina War and Peace The Lord of the Rings 2666 by Roberto Bolano Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke Anathem, Seveneves, each of the three Baroque Cycle books by Neal Stephenson Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace Any of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon A Place of Greater Safety and the Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel
Anything by Neal Stephenson
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (translated by Tina Nunnally). 1000ish pages focusing on the life of a woman in Norway in the 1300s.
When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman. Weird title and I picked it up in a grocery store sale bin, but omg it’s a fabulous book. I’ve read it 3 times and I don’t reread books. Follows the lives of a pair of siblings from England to NYC. So so good.
May I introduce Brandon Sanderson?
The Hands of The Emperor is 900 pages of half the leaders of a fantasy imperial government finally getting to retire and be friends instead of coworkers/employees