Some groundrules:
- The book must be over 650 pages.
- It can't be Lonesome Dove, Count of Monte Cristo, any King, any Sanderson, Shogun, because I 've read them all and they are amazing. I know that, you know that, we all know that.
- Focus mainly on the book being easy to read despite its size, not on his overall quality (i.e difficult book, slow pace but amazing).
- Bonus points if someone has an opinion along those lines about Musashi. I know it's a good book but I haven't figured out if its fun or it will take some serious effort to get through it.
by Reacher1995
24 Comments
I found Les Misarables gripping. There’s only one section where he talks about the Battle of Waterloo that I think is skippable
David Copperfield. A massive book but I found it incredibly easy to read for a classic
Underworld by Don DeLillo
Stephen King’s **11/22/63** is about a man who goes back in time in an attempt to prevent the assassination of JFK.
King Rat and Atlas Shrugged. Both are brilliant
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
I tore through *Gone With the Wind* when I was 11. It’s very readable and dramatic, despite its contextual unsavouriness.
Michener? I loved Hawaii. And Centennial. And South Pacific.
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray is 672 pages, according to its Wikipedia page, but I got through it in a few days.
If you’re ok with series: red rising, the poppy war trilogy, winnowing flame trilogy, green bone saga, a chorus of dragons series, game of thrones, the faithful and the fallen, and the bloodsworn saga all have (some) books that are over 650 pages (I think). Are also really good series in general.
Edit: also if you like nonfiction and the band played on is an interesting and engaging read about the beginning of the aids epidemic
The Bee Sting – very long, very easy to read. There are perspective shifts and it does deal with a long time period.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, it’s gripping and easy to read, but with a lot to focus on.
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough if you want a classic Australian family epic.
Swan Song by Robert McCammon if you want dark dystopian horror.
The Priory of the Orange Tree if you want standalone fantasy.
Honorable mention: Boys Life by Robert McCammon (it is only 580 pages so it falls short of your length criteria). It’s very different from Swan Song, so much so that it’s hard to believe it’s written by the same author. Highly recommend!
Both of Abraham Verghese’s novels are over 650 ppg and are very readable.
They tend to read like a series of interlinking stories. The characters are very human and even if (I don’t want to assume your background) they are mostly be from traditions the reader is unfamiliar with, they are very relatable.
Cutting for Stone
The Covenant of Water
The Hour i First Believed by Wally Lamb
I found ‘Moby-Dick’ surprisingly easy to read. Not sure everyone does!
‘Great Expectations’ as well.
M.M.Kaye – The Far Pavilions. Clocks in at 960 pages. I was never bored. Have read it twice now. 25 years ago and last year. A personal favorite.
Gregory David Roberts – Shantarum. 946 pages. Good story.
Oddly enough, both books were about India. Though different eras. The Far Pavilions takes place in British Ruled India. Shantarum takes place around the early 1980’s. 2 very different tales though.
John Irving- A Prayer for Owen Meany. Coming of age story with a twist.
Wilton Barnhardt – Gospel: A Novel. Ex Jesuit Priest and sometimes alcoholic Patrick O’Hanrahan and his plucky assistant cross the globe looking for a lost gospel that will change Christianity. 2 steps ahead of CIA, Mossad & KGB agents. Fun book, but might be challenging to some folks.
Shantaram
The Winds of War and it’s sequel, War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk. They follow a fictional character and his family through WWII. If you like history these are wonderful.
Definitely *Loneso*… oh wait. Ok, then I’ve got the perfect book – *The Count of M*… dang it. Well, anything by Stephen K… I give up.
The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker. Over 650 pages and absolutely brilliant. 2 sequels, just as good.
James Michener’s Hawaii
The Grey house by Mariam Petrosyan
Stephen kings “The Stand”.