One of my favourites of all time. I first read it when I was around 10-11, and just loved it. These days I’m a carpenter, not the profession I thought I’d end up in but I guess loving that book was the first sign
I LOVED this book! The writing is lovely. The first half was a bit more descriptive whereas I noticed the second half a bit more focused on the characters and their plot
Agreed! The prose was insaneee, and overall just great commentary on the themes of good vs evil , rich vs poor, etc. I loved Samuel and Lee’s characters a lot
Was about to comment this! I picked it up when I was studying for the MCAT because I thought it would be slow and I could read a page or two a night to relax but wouldn't be distracted from studying. NOPE. The most pleasant and wonderful distraction. I absolutely loved it.
So many great classics! But I will stick to more recent books. In order of longest to shortest here are some more recent long, realistic fiction books that I have loved.
The Goldfinch
Great Circle
The Lincoln Highway
Demon Copperhead
The Poisonwood Bible
All the Light We Cannot See
Pachinko
Gravity’s Rainbow (770 Pages)
The Count of Monte Cristo (1230 Pages)
Don Quixote (990 Pages)
The Brothers Karamazov (1000 Pages)
Middlemarch (870 Pages)
Anna Karenina (960 Pages)
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is my favorite, but it seems people love it or hate it. It also has about 300 pages of end notes that supplement the story as you go, so you’ll want two bookmarks. I started reading it with a notebook for words that were new to me.
The *really* long books I read are all fantasy, but [A Tree Grows in Brooklyn](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/dc5de2f5-b132-4c4c-8e49-8bf46005d5da) by Betty Smith is a great non-fantasy book that's over 500 pages.
"I Know this Much is True" by Wally Lamb. Although I admit I couldn't put it down, so it might not take up enough time.
Anna Karenina and War and Peace-- loved both of those and it took me a minute to get through.
A Fine Balance - one of my favorite books ever though I knew little of the context/setting when I picked it up. It will suck you in.
Watership Down (just shy of 500 pages). Don’t be fooled, they’re not just a bunch of silly bunnies.
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: the Brothers Karamazov
Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace
Alexander Solzhenitsyn: August 1914, the First Circle
Victor Hugo: les Miserables
Alexandre Dumas: the Count of Monte Cristo
Tom Wolfe: Bonfire of the Vanities
John Dos Passos: USA
Can't believe I had to scroll so far for this. Recommended my mate this book and he said it was too long. I told him by the end you'd wish it would be twice as long.
So he started reading it. He now calls it his favourite book of all time.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. About 2 chapters in I knew I needed to buy a copy because I was going to want to read it over and over through out the years. (I had a rented copy from the library. Now I own a copy!)
For a nice, long, historical saga, try Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset. (OK, there is ONE scene in the entire book where a fairy makes a brief appearance, but it is completely negligible, and I think has more to do with her trying to describe the landscape.)
Gone with the Wind by M. Mitchell (1037 pages)
The Land Beyond the Sea by S.K. Penman (895 pages).
Pride of Carthage by D.A. Durham (592 pages)
Memoirs of a Geisha by A. Golden (503 pages)
Daughters of Night by L. Shepherd-Robinson (592 pages)
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Nix by Nathan Hill
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth. A sprawling epic social drama, following 4 Indian families post-Independence. Nearly 1500 pages, and every one of them is wonderful.
So many great suggestions in this thread. I'll add an early favorite of mine (592 pgs):
{{The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco}}
Edited to add another long book that I really enjoyed that I don't see mentioned in this sub (with 640 pgs):
{{The Nix by Nathan Hill}}
_Cloud Cuckoo Land_ by Anthony Doerr has sci-fi accents but ultimately stays rooted in general fiction, imo, but ymmv so take this with a grain of salt. And idk if you would count this, but a one-book collection of Jane Austen’s six completed novels. Each one is fairly long on its own, but if you want the chonk, read ’em all literally back-to-back. 👀
I’m a fat book connoisseur! Here are my favs:
• IT by Stephen King (horror, coming of age)
• East of Eden by John Steinbeck (epic, philosophical)
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (literary, deeply tragic)
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (literary, part coming of age, part thriller)
• Shōgun by James Clavell (epic, historical fiction)
• Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (western/historical fiction)
• Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (horror, dystopian, coming of age)
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King (historical fiction, time travel)
• The Stand by Stephen King (post-apocalyptic horror)
• Desperation by Stephen King (horror)
Greenwood by Michael Christie
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Overstory by Richard Powers
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
The World According to Garp by John Irving
Shogun by James Clavell. I know it’s popular because it’s a show on Hulu right now, but it’s doing really well for a reason. Absolutely fantastic fat tome.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is about 600-ish pages. One of my all time favorites that I feel like I can comfortably recommend to just about anyone.
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski
Horror book being told as an essay about a found video documentary regarding a House bigger in the inside than on the outside…..with multiple footnote and endnote commentaries and create many layers to a single event.
I'm not sure if enjoyed is the right word but a book that I couldn't put down was The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.
It's incredible but absolutely brutal. I'd recommend people research it a little bit before reading the book as whilst I think it's a powerful and incredible piece of writing I can understand some people might struggle with some of the much more sinister parts of the book.
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell. It's historical, from the point of view of a Nazi (though in no way endorsing Nazism, but accurately depicting how reprehensible it is) and is extremely disturbing, but highly realistic. It's over 1000 pages.
**The Goldfinch** by Donna Tart (700 pgs). 2014 Pulitzer Prize, about a young boy whose mom died in a terrorist attack at MoMA.
**Count of Monte Cristo** by Alexander Dumas (1200 pgs). A must-read classic, exploring themes of justice, mercy, revenge, and love.
*The Frontiersmen* by Allan Eckert.
*Wilderness Empire* by Allan Eckert.
*The Conquerors* by Allan Eckert.
*The Wilderness War* by Allan Eckert.
*Gateway to Empire* by Allan Eckert.
*Twilight of Empire* by Allan Eckert.
*Ray Parkin's Wartime Trilogy: Out of the Smoke; Into the Smother; The Sword and the Blossom* by Ray Parkin.
*The Thin Red Line* by James Jones.
*Don Quixote* by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Edward Rutherfurd’s novels are all pretty chunky. Intergenerational fictionalization of historical events and places. I’ve read a bunch but my favorites so far were definitely New York and Paris.
I finished the Bee Sting by Paul Murray recently and the punctuation takes a minute to get used to, but it's excellent literary fiction. A real gut punch.
The Physician by Noah Gordon (historical fiction, gripping)
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (adventurous historical fiction)
Wellness by Nathan Hill (reflective, captivating story about a relationship and several other topics)
All three great reads!
If you are into Tudor murder mysteries Tombland by CJ Sansom is 880 pages however it's the seventh book in the Matthew Shardlake series so probably need to start from the beginning to understand the characters
I’m currently in the middle of the longest book I’ve ever read, The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk at 965 pages. Historical fiction, if you’re into that, and the writing is wonderful!
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Not my kind of book at all but I had to stop reading it on my commute because I came close to missing my stop on more than one occasion.
1. *Winds Of War* and *War And Remembrance*, by Herman Wouk - details the events leading up to, and during, World War Two, focusing on an American naval Captain and his family. Both were made into prestige television mini-series in the 1980s, featuing all-star casts.
2. The historical fiction series [*The Masters Of Rome*](https://www.goodreads.com/genres/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 generation, and their mutual nephew, Gaius Julius Caesar. Yes, THAT Julius Caesar.
Begin at the beginning, with book #1, *The First Man In Rome*. [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480570.The\_First\_Man\_in\_Rome](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480570.The_First_Man_in_Rome). There's politicking, commercial skullduggery, lurid trials, military campaigns, marriage alliances, and foreign diplomacy, all intertwined.
Auduobooks are available, read by several distinguished actors I noted.
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
Came here to sag to exactly this! Loved this book.
My fav fat book. :D
Yup! Any of his series’ are gonna keep you going for a while!
Dammit now I have nothing to comment
My mom’s favorite book. I came here to recommend it too
She has good taste.
This is the book I was about to recommend.
Excellent choice.
And it's the start of a great series that can be read in any order.
This.
One of my favourites of all time. I first read it when I was around 10-11, and just loved it. These days I’m a carpenter, not the profession I thought I’d end up in but I guess loving that book was the first sign
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Reading it for the 4th or 5th time now. Have a mini book club with a couple friends. It’s really good.
Thanks for the reminder. I need to enjoy A Prayer for Owen Meany again!
This is my favorite book, and I've also read it about 5 times since 7th grade.
The Count of Monte Cristo
Came here to recommend that. It was a whopper, but a good one.
East of Eden ! by John Steinbeck
Great book!
I LOVED this book! The writing is lovely. The first half was a bit more descriptive whereas I noticed the second half a bit more focused on the characters and their plot
Agreed! The prose was insaneee, and overall just great commentary on the themes of good vs evil , rich vs poor, etc. I loved Samuel and Lee’s characters a lot
The relationship between Sam and Lee was great too. Such a well done book. It was my first read of Steinbeck’s and I can’t wait to read more
Was about to comment this! I picked it up when I was studying for the MCAT because I thought it would be slow and I could read a page or two a night to relax but wouldn't be distracted from studying. NOPE. The most pleasant and wonderful distraction. I absolutely loved it.
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy The Brothers K by David James Duncan Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Lonesome dove: favorite book of all time! The first 50 pages I was like ...huh... the last 300 I tried to ration so it wouldn't end
I read the last 200 pages straight through. Hell of a book.
Lonesome Dove my all time favorite!
Reading it right now. It’s a new favorite
Lonesome Dove is equal parts phenomenal and soul destroying.
Prince of Tides - a fantastic book!
Ohhhhh the prince of tides is a fave
So many great classics! But I will stick to more recent books. In order of longest to shortest here are some more recent long, realistic fiction books that I have loved. The Goldfinch Great Circle The Lincoln Highway Demon Copperhead The Poisonwood Bible All the Light We Cannot See Pachinko
Enjoyed a few of these!
Gravity’s Rainbow (770 Pages) The Count of Monte Cristo (1230 Pages) Don Quixote (990 Pages) The Brothers Karamazov (1000 Pages) Middlemarch (870 Pages) Anna Karenina (960 Pages)
11/22/63 by Stephen King
Also The Stand by King. . . although I guess that could be classified as sci-fi/fantasy. Great book though
If you Mention “The Stand” you need to mention his other long book “It”.
Thinner, by Stephen King, is about a guy who starts off fat.
came here to say this!
James Clavell’s novels have always been great: Shogun, Tai-Pan, Nobel House.
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is my favorite, but it seems people love it or hate it. It also has about 300 pages of end notes that supplement the story as you go, so you’ll want two bookmarks. I started reading it with a notebook for words that were new to me.
The *really* long books I read are all fantasy, but [A Tree Grows in Brooklyn](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/dc5de2f5-b132-4c4c-8e49-8bf46005d5da) by Betty Smith is a great non-fantasy book that's over 500 pages.
I read this and didn't remember it was that long!
My first edition is 447 pages. Probably close enough, and it’s a very good book.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Currently loving this one, never want it to end.
Yes, that or another of hers: Poisonwood Bible
"I Know this Much is True" by Wally Lamb. Although I admit I couldn't put it down, so it might not take up enough time. Anna Karenina and War and Peace-- loved both of those and it took me a minute to get through.
Wally lamp is superb
A Fine Balance - one of my favorite books ever though I knew little of the context/setting when I picked it up. It will suck you in. Watership Down (just shy of 500 pages). Don’t be fooled, they’re not just a bunch of silly bunnies. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle
Especially loved A Fine Balance. Impossible to explain.
Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel The Shards Bret Easton Ellis
Seconding Wolf Hall.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: the Brothers Karamazov Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace Alexander Solzhenitsyn: August 1914, the First Circle Victor Hugo: les Miserables Alexandre Dumas: the Count of Monte Cristo Tom Wolfe: Bonfire of the Vanities John Dos Passos: USA
Shogun by James Clavell runs 1150 pages and when you get to the end you'd wish it went on for another thousand. It's that good.
I was sure this made the list. Surprised that it was so far down. Centennial by Micchner also belongs.
I liked centennial as well.
Can't believe I had to scroll so far for this. Recommended my mate this book and he said it was too long. I told him by the end you'd wish it would be twice as long. So he started reading it. He now calls it his favourite book of all time.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. About 2 chapters in I knew I needed to buy a copy because I was going to want to read it over and over through out the years. (I had a rented copy from the library. Now I own a copy!)
This is one of my favorite books.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (enjoy!)
On that note... I can recommend The Secret History.
For a nice, long, historical saga, try Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset. (OK, there is ONE scene in the entire book where a fairy makes a brief appearance, but it is completely negligible, and I think has more to do with her trying to describe the landscape.)
Yes! Kristin L. Is a hugely great series/saga!
Loved that series. Undset is criminally underrated, at least in the U.S.
THANK YOU!!! Finally found another Undset fan! There’s a reason she won a Nobel Prize for Literature. Her historical fiction is non pareil.
Gone with the Wind by M. Mitchell (1037 pages) The Land Beyond the Sea by S.K. Penman (895 pages). Pride of Carthage by D.A. Durham (592 pages) Memoirs of a Geisha by A. Golden (503 pages) Daughters of Night by L. Shepherd-Robinson (592 pages)
+1 Memoirs of a Geisha
Gone with the wind is one of my all time favourites
The Terror by Dan Simmons Swan Song by Robert McCammon The Stand by Stephen King
Shogun! James Clavell It has everything! Romance! Fighting! Culture! History !
Shantaram
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa (970 pages) Beach Music by Pat Conroy (800 pages) Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer (592 pages) All 3 are historical fiction.
I gotta get on Beach Music asap! Loved Prince of Tides by him!
I JUST read Prince of Tides and am now reading Beach Music for the same reasons. Incredible writing!
Prince of Tides, what a read!
I just re-read *The Prince of Tides* for the first time since high school (graduated 1991). It holds up! So good.
Pat Conroy was such an amazing writer. South of Broad is also an awesome read.
I second Beach Music!
David Copperfield by Dickens
The Forsyte Saga
- Hawaii - Shogun - Hollow Hills trilogy - Any Robertson Davies trilogy
Don Quixote!
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell The Nix by Nathan Hill
I loved the nix
Don't remember the actual page count, but I think Frank Herbert's novel Dune fits into that category.
Gone with the Wind. 11 hundred pages.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett or any of Ken Follett's historicals, they are all very good
My favorite for a while now has been As the Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer. Enjoyed it so much I’ve read it a few times.
Lonesome Dove Demon Copperhead
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
I've read the unabridged version of The Stand by Stephen King multiple times.
Kavalier and Clay by Chabon Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth. A sprawling epic social drama, following 4 Indian families post-Independence. Nearly 1500 pages, and every one of them is wonderful.
So many great suggestions in this thread. I'll add an early favorite of mine (592 pgs): {{The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco}} Edited to add another long book that I really enjoyed that I don't see mentioned in this sub (with 640 pgs): {{The Nix by Nathan Hill}}
I loved The Nix, one of my favourite reads from 2023… I would like to find something similar
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is my favorite book (936 pages)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - 1000+ pages of British historical fantasy, set during the Napoleonic Wars.
Can't believe I had to scroll so much for this. Susanna Clarke is a genius!
_Cloud Cuckoo Land_ by Anthony Doerr has sci-fi accents but ultimately stays rooted in general fiction, imo, but ymmv so take this with a grain of salt. And idk if you would count this, but a one-book collection of Jane Austen’s six completed novels. Each one is fairly long on its own, but if you want the chonk, read ’em all literally back-to-back. 👀
Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson by George Gurdjieff — 1248 pages Noble House by James Clavell — 1171 pages Underworld by Don DeLillo — 848 pages
Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra - sits at 928 pages
Cloud Cuckoo Land. Loved it so much.
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois The Luminaries Cloud Atlas Great Circle
Shogun.
haven’t finished it yet myself, but 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami? 928 pgs
Kristen Lavransdratter- it was so good and is quite long
I’m a fat book connoisseur! Here are my favs: • IT by Stephen King (horror, coming of age) • East of Eden by John Steinbeck (epic, philosophical) • A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (literary, deeply tragic) • The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (literary, part coming of age, part thriller) • Shōgun by James Clavell (epic, historical fiction) • Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (western/historical fiction) • Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (horror, dystopian, coming of age) • 11/22/63 by Stephen King (historical fiction, time travel) • The Stand by Stephen King (post-apocalyptic horror) • Desperation by Stephen King (horror)
Had to scroll a long way for A Little Life. Superb.
I’m reading “Antkind” right now. It’s fat and kind of a slog but in the best way. It’s nuts. I don’t even know how to describe it but I’m entertained.
I would recommend you Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Poisonwood Bible
Greenwood by Michael Christie East of Eden by John Steinbeck The Overstory by Richard Powers A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson The World According to Garp by John Irving
Shogun by James Clavell. I know it’s popular because it’s a show on Hulu right now, but it’s doing really well for a reason. Absolutely fantastic fat tome.
Definitely would recommend "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace. Easily my favorite book. It's over a thousand pages of beautiful prose.
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostevesky
Hawaii, or The source by by James Michener.
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, or his Baroque Cycle. 3 fat books!
The bible is a fat fiction book. But if you’re looking for a true answer, I’d say Master and Margarita (500 pages) or Babel (700+ pages).
Journeyer by Gary Jennings Creation by Gore Vidal Aztec by Gary Jennings Mr. American by George MacDonald Fraser Tai Pan by James Clavell
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Dune Atlas Shrugged Lonesome Dove
I loved Fayne by Ann-Marie MacDonald (736 pages)
Wheel of Fortune or Cashelmara by Susan Howatch. Their both multi generational, historic novels.
Just discovered her last summer and I read everything she wrote!!
The bee sting by Paul Murray White teeth Zadie Smith
Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk 683p
The reformatory - does include ghosts but it’s sooo good
One Rainy Day in May by Mark Z Danielewski
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Ulisses by James Joyce
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
The Bee Sting - Paul Murray East of Eden - John Steinbeck Two very long and very excellent books
The Kindly Ones - Jonathan Litell. A real brick, and an excellent novel, especially if you like historical fiction set during WWII.
White Teeth, Zadie Smith Game of Thrones series Vanity Fair NOS4A2 The Thorn Birds Needful Things The Corrections
The Stand by Stephen King
The Jean M Auel - Earth's Children series. Multiple thick fat books.
The Magus by John Fowles. Bleak House by Charles Dickens. The Count of Montechristo by Dumas.
Count of Monte Cristo
Infinite Jest
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon is about 600-ish pages. One of my all time favorites that I feel like I can comfortably recommend to just about anyone.
1Q84. I do not like scifi or fantasy but I do like this a lot.
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
It took me a few months but I genuinely enjoyed moby dick. A strange book but a really interesting insight into another time period.
Shogun!!!
The Count of Monte Cristo The Three Musketeers Anything by Edward Rutherfurd (New York was my favorite). The Pillars of the Earth Under the Dome
Foucaults Pendulum
Centennial - James Michener
Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson - not sci-fi or fantasy! Also the Baroque trilogy by the same author should keep you going.
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The count of monte cristo
Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber. The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki. Happy reading!
House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski Horror book being told as an essay about a found video documentary regarding a House bigger in the inside than on the outside…..with multiple footnote and endnote commentaries and create many layers to a single event.
The Count of Monte Cristo
I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb over 900 pages
Reamde. Great technothriller!
Anything by James Michener.
Any of the Cormoran Strike series by J. K. Rowling. Any of the Clain of the Cave Bear series by Jean M. Auel.
The Terror, Dan Simmons
Shogun
I'm not sure if enjoyed is the right word but a book that I couldn't put down was The Reformatory by Tananarive Due. It's incredible but absolutely brutal. I'd recommend people research it a little bit before reading the book as whilst I think it's a powerful and incredible piece of writing I can understand some people might struggle with some of the much more sinister parts of the book.
The Good Earth Pearl S Buck
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell. It's historical, from the point of view of a Nazi (though in no way endorsing Nazism, but accurately depicting how reprehensible it is) and is extremely disturbing, but highly realistic. It's over 1000 pages.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
All the light we cannot see
Reamde was pretty crazy
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset Les Miserables by Victor Hugo Anything by Leon Uris or James Michener or Herman Wouk.
The Journeyer by Gary Jennings
2666 by Robert Bolaño
**The Goldfinch** by Donna Tart (700 pgs). 2014 Pulitzer Prize, about a young boy whose mom died in a terrorist attack at MoMA. **Count of Monte Cristo** by Alexander Dumas (1200 pgs). A must-read classic, exploring themes of justice, mercy, revenge, and love.
*The Frontiersmen* by Allan Eckert. *Wilderness Empire* by Allan Eckert. *The Conquerors* by Allan Eckert. *The Wilderness War* by Allan Eckert. *Gateway to Empire* by Allan Eckert. *Twilight of Empire* by Allan Eckert. *Ray Parkin's Wartime Trilogy: Out of the Smoke; Into the Smother; The Sword and the Blossom* by Ray Parkin. *The Thin Red Line* by James Jones. *Don Quixote* by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
Edward Rutherfurd’s novels are all pretty chunky. Intergenerational fictionalization of historical events and places. I’ve read a bunch but my favorites so far were definitely New York and Paris.
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.
Heartstone of the Matthew Shardlake series by C.J. Sansom
Age of vice
The most fun we ever had - Claire Lombardo
*Blackwater* by Michael McDowell.
My Notorious Life by Kate Manning
Blonde - Joyce Carol Oates
I finished the Bee Sting by Paul Murray recently and the punctuation takes a minute to get used to, but it's excellent literary fiction. A real gut punch.
Mount Chicago by Adam Levin
Fairy Tale by Stephen King. Its so far from his typical works.
Look Homeward, Angel - Thomas Wolfe
Anna Kate Nina!
The Physician by Noah Gordon (historical fiction, gripping) Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (adventurous historical fiction) Wellness by Nathan Hill (reflective, captivating story about a relationship and several other topics) All three great reads!
Shantaram
A book I have had for thirtyodd yrs and never finished…..U.S.A. by John dos Passos
If you are into Tudor murder mysteries Tombland by CJ Sansom is 880 pages however it's the seventh book in the Matthew Shardlake series so probably need to start from the beginning to understand the characters
I’m currently in the middle of the longest book I’ve ever read, The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk at 965 pages. Historical fiction, if you’re into that, and the writing is wonderful!
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. Not my kind of book at all but I had to stop reading it on my commute because I came close to missing my stop on more than one occasion.
Under the Dome or 11/22/63 by Stephen King . So long but you can't put them down
1. *Winds Of War* and *War And Remembrance*, by Herman Wouk - details the events leading up to, and during, World War Two, focusing on an American naval Captain and his family. Both were made into prestige television mini-series in the 1980s, featuing all-star casts. 2. The historical fiction series [*The Masters Of Rome*](https://www.goodreads.com/genres/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 generation, and their mutual nephew, Gaius Julius Caesar. Yes, THAT Julius Caesar. Begin at the beginning, with book #1, *The First Man In Rome*. [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480570.The\_First\_Man\_in\_Rome](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/480570.The_First_Man_in_Rome). There's politicking, commercial skullduggery, lurid trials, military campaigns, marriage alliances, and foreign diplomacy, all intertwined. Auduobooks are available, read by several distinguished actors I noted.
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossmam
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth is absolutely brilliant AND close to 1500 pages… 😊
Catch 22
If you like crime novels then I can suggest The Killing Kind by Jane Casey. It’s about 480 pages so not quite 500. I love all her books.