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I don’t know about you, but often times I tend to avoid really long books because I feel like I just don’t have the time. Well right now, we have time. A lot of time! Thanks to the coronavirus and long quarantines this just might be the perfect time to take on a really long book that you’ve always wanted to read. I originally shared this post back in the fall of 2018, but thought now would be the perfect time to bring it back. Don’t let the title fool you. I actually talk about 15 different long books I’ve loved! I hope one of these wonderful books might help fill your days. (And, since none of these are new releases, you should be able to get electronic copies through Libby, Overdrive or your local library’s system!)
In putting together my list of LONG BOOKS (500+ pages) I chose to feature books that I haven’t talked about much in earlier posts. As such, some of my favorite long books I chose not to highlight, including The Secret History by Donna Tartt (544 pages), The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne (592 pages), A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (617 pages), A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (814 pages), and 11/22/63 by Stephen King (849 pages). Even with that, I had a hard time narrowing my list down to ten. When you finish a LONG BOOK, it’s almost always a favorite!
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (546 pages) – I adored this story of a woman and her four daughters who follow their minister husband/father to the Belgian Congo in 1959. Ill-prepared, the family struggles with Africa and themselves. The shift in narration between the women in this story really made the book.
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (546 pages) – it seems to me that this was one of those books people either loved or hated. I remember recommending it to several people who didn’t like it and I was shocked. For me, the premise of a man who moves around in time and the woman who loves him made for a fantastic read.
The Cider House Rules by John Irving (560 pages) – I loved Irving’s brave story of Homer Wells, an orphan in the WWII era. After Homer becomes the assistant to the orphanage’s physician (a man who also performs illegal abortions) his eyes are opened to the bigger world of life beyond the only home, the only people he’s ever known.
Space by James Michener – I went through a long phase of reading and enjoying the very long, immersive books written by James Michener. Of all of them, Space proved to be my favorite. For 30 years, it follows four men and their families navigating life in the early years of the U.S. space program. Similar to Thomas Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, only better!
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer (624 pages) – To me The Invisible Bridge was historical fiction at it’s very best. It followed Andras, a Hungarian Jew, as he set off for architecture school in Paris. His life there flourished, even as the rumblings of war began. Continuing on through the horrors Andras and his family went through during the war, this book was fantastic!
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (642 pages) – A woman on a quest to find out the truth about Vlad the Impaler (often thought to be Dracula) doesn’t sound like my sort of book, but it most certainly was. The book was so different with the historical journey Kostova took her readers on combined with lots of adventure and mystery.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (658 pages) – I resisted this book for a very long time. The premise of two orphaned brothers growing up at a mission hospital in Ethiopia just didn’t appeal to me. Finally, one of my most trusted reading sources pretty much insisted I read it. She was SO right; it’s a remarkable story!
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (784 pages) – For many years I had a self-imposed ban on Pulitzer Prize winning books. Too often, I’d struggled through them with little enjoyment. However, this Pulitzer Prize winning book ended my ban. I actually read The Goldfinch before it received the award, but probably would have read it anyway because it’s from the author of The Secret History, one of my favorites.
The Stand by Stephen King (823 pages) – This one goes WAY back! When I started reading The Stand I became so confused by the many characters, that after about 50 pages I had to go back and make a diagram of the characters and how they were interacting. That helped and didn’t last long. Then, I flew through King’s dystopian/post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
London by Edward Rutherford (829 pages) – I will always think of London with great fondness. I read it during some of the worst days of going through a divorce and remember what peace I got from escaping into Rutherford’s sweeping novel. The marriage of fictional characters with the history of London worked much better than my own!
What LONG BOOKS have been worth your time?
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I haven’t read a few of these but they’re high on my tbr. My book club chose Cutting for Stone for our Nov read so that will get read, I own The Poisonwood Bible so no excuse there and I’ve always wanted to read The Time Traveler’s Wife but haven’t because I saw the movie. Long ago though. I’ve heard the book is so much better than the movie. I’ve never heard of London but I like the sound of it. Great post Susie!
The Dream Daughter is reminding me a little of The Time Travelers Wife. I think you’d really enjoy it. Definitely better than the movie.
I love The Historian, and it was definitely worth it!
I haven’t read any of these, but The Historian sounds interesting! I agree that long books are wonderful. I’ve found they are usually well worth the effort. Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
Looking over your list of long books, I really do think you’d like The Historian.
I think I’m like you and tend to avoid the longer books now that I’m blogging (all of the books on my list this week are from my pre-blogging days at least). I’ve read some of these books, and others have been on my list to read, and at some point I really need to get to them.
Have a great week.
Thanks for stopping by, Katie.
Great list! I love Cutting for Stone. I actually didn’t remember that The Time Traveler’s Wife was a long book–it must have felt like a quick read. I almost included The Poisonwood Bible on my list as well, but it’s been so long since I read it that it’s on my reread list.
I DNFed The Historian because I thought it might be too creepy for me. I may have to give it another shot some day because so many people seem to love it.
Also, I’ve never read any Michener but I need to. Fun fact: in the last neighborhood I lived in (now just a block over), all of the streets are named after characters and places in Michener novels. Literary neighborhoods!
The Historian was a little creepy, but not bad. I was a fan of Michener for a long time. I also really liked Poland, Texas and Chesapeake.
Of the five books I read, my two favorites were LONDON and THE POISONWOOD BIBLE. Wonderful books and so much to learn. Next, I liked INVISIBLE BRIDGE, CUTTING FOR STONE, then THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE. I saw the movie, CIDER HOUSE RULES (does that count). I tried HISTORIAN, but too supernatural for me. I may try SPACE. Thanks for all your good ideas.
I love that we like so many of the same books, Aunt Joan. I bet you’d enjoy Space, especially if you’ve enjoyed James Michener before. Any recent book recommendations for me?
Great post Susie! Like you, my tbr is so long and I constantly feel behind in reading review books so I tend to avoid longer books. I do miss the days where I had one book to read and miss the joy of immersing myself into a book without care.
From your list I have read and loved The Poisonwood Bible, Cutting For Stone, The Goldfinch (fabulous on audio), and The Time Travelers Wife.
Of fairly recent long books I would add Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It was fantastic as an audio.
My goal is to read The Heart’s Invisible Furies that has been on my shelf for far too long.
Jan! I’m surprised you haven’t read THIF already, but I get it. Too often great books just slip through the cracks. It will be a real treat when you get to it. I’d like to consider Steve Jobs in mind for my next audio. With Nonfiction November coming up it would be a good one to listen too, if it’s not too long. I feel like 14 or 15 hours is about my limit.
I’m afraid to tell you how long Steve Jobs is then 😬 ….but it is so worth it. I listened to it in 10 or so days because I had my ear buds every chance I got. It was the first audio I listened to while grocery shopping, ha!
I am very much looking forward to THIF and it’s on my calendar for early November!
You know how finicky I am about long books these days, but I didn’t used to be! I’ve read some doozies: Pillars of the Earth, Atlas Shrugged, Lonesome Dove, Gone with the Wind, 1Q84.
But, these days, anything over 500 pages seems super long to me. And, you’re right, if I end up finishing something like this, it’s likely going to be a favorite….because it has to pass the “do I want to read X hundred more pages of this?” test for me not to DNF!
It’s a little sad, but I also tend to reject books based on length. Before blogging I rarely even paid attention to a book’s length. Wish I felt freer to do that more often.
Nice list! I too struggle with super long books — because I lose patience or the story sags or I take too long with them, but I should open my mind to reading them. The Nix is another long one — that I’m curious to check out. Perhaps trying not to be in such a hurry with books — might be good advice.
I’ve never read The Nix, either and it’s mainly because of its length. Sad!
We have loved so many of the same long books! I would have to add Ken Follett’s The Century trilogy- each book weighed in at over 800 pages but I couldn’t stop reading.
I read and loved Pillars of the Earth, but it’s the only Ken Follett book I’ve read. So many books……
I really enjoyed The Time Traveler’s Wife, surprisingly since I am not a massive romance fan!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/top-ten-tuesday-180/
I always stray away from big books because I am scared of them. I am intimidated to start reading them. Reading a huge one now though, Killing Commendatore by Murakami
I was just looking into The Cider House Rules this past weekend after hearing Michael Caine talk about his role in the movie. London also sounds really interesting. Adding both to my TBR now!
Great post & list Susie. I too have avoided lengthy books for too long …. but I hope to get to a few this year. I did read The Goldfinch last year (excellent) and have read The Historian which I enjoyed for the most part. I’d like to read Cutting for Stone which I’ve had forever — also want to read Pachinko, the Nix, and the Great Believers …. so I better getting moving.
I avoided Cutting for Stone for years and then once I was reading it I couldn’t believe I hadn’t read it sooner. So good! The Great Believers was my favorite book of 2018, so you know where I stand on that one!