Big, sumptious, unputdownable epics: Recommendations, please!

aruna · Feb 24, 2012

I was just reading a review of The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch and thinking, Yes! Exactly! when I looked at the reviewers name and saw it was myself! I wrote it in 2002 and I just reread the book and I need another book of that ilk! It's here:

Please! I'm dying!

I'm having the most terrible withdrawal symptoms. I've just reread ALL her sagas. They are all from 700 to 1154 pages long; big thick books you can get your teeth into; four of them are based on historical family dramas (Wheel of Fortune, for instance, is based on the Plantagenets) and two others set in the world of Wall Street -- but equally compelling.

I read them one after the other over the last few weeks, in print. And I realised how much I love holding a print book and now I don't want to read any of the books waiting for me on my Kindle.

So, those are my recommendations, if you like big sumptious family dramas that extend over many generations. What are yours, to me?

(And if you want to learn about Point of View, then there is no better writer than Howatch. Really. She can make you hate a person for 200 pages, and then she changes to that character's POV and you love them. Really. I don't know how she does it, but I want to do that too!)

TudorRose · Feb 24, 2012

Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth and sequel World Without End are big books that I can really lose myself in (medieval setting). Kindle might be the way to go though - these are tomes!

The Cazalet chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard trace an extended family through World War II.

R.F. Delderfield's A Horseman Riding By series is set on a rural estate (Devon I think) and his Swann Family saga follows a family through the industrial revolution.

'80s rags-to-riches type multi-gen glossy blockbusters are a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine - Sidney Sheldon's Master of the Game or Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance.

Winston Graham's Poldark series is a very popular multi-generational story set in Cornwall, but I haven't read it.

From over the pond, I enjoyed John Jakes' North and South and its sequels (Civil War).

Most of these go back at least 20 years -- I'll be very interested to see more recent recommendations!

Jess Haines · Feb 24, 2012

If you like SFF, give C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy a whirl. First book is BLACK SUN RISING. Love those books.

rugcat · Feb 24, 2012

I wouldn't just look for the 700 pp doorstoppers.

There are lots of series where the books are shorter, but then book two basically starts off where one left off. And if the series runs 10 or 12 books, that's a lot of words awaiting you.

Something like Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin series, for example.

Brickcommajason · Feb 24, 2012

I can't say enough about the Kingkiller Trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss. Starts with "The Name of the Wind." Excellent, chewy stuff and looooooong. Book two weighed in as longer than the first three Harry Potter books combined.

Review here at my blog. Book 1. Book 2.

thothguard51 · Feb 24, 2012

In early January, I read a review by GRRM of Bernard Cornwell. After reading the review I went searching for him on Amazon. I decided to start with Book 1 of his Saxon chronicles. I was blown away by the first person style of narration, the historical facts woven in the story and the fictional character Uhtred. By the end of January, I had downloaded and read all 6 books in the series.

I am now looking for more, so I decided to try Cornwell's grail series. I am now on book 2 but I am not as blown away by the omniscient PoV in this series, though the story and writing are still very good.

I will more than likely give another of his books a try, but I miss that first person narrative style of the first series I read. And I am not a big 1st person pov fan.

aruna · Feb 24, 2012

Thanks for all the recs! I will look into all of them.

Filigree · Feb 24, 2012

Try Dorothy Dunnett's 'Lymond Chronicles', followed by her 'Niccolo' series.
Vast 15th and 14th century epics weaving historical characters and settings with some startlingly good original characters, intricate plots, and bits of magic realism more accessible than Umberto Eco. Her historical accuracy always seemed exquisitely 'right' to me. The books are relatively long, and there are lots of them. I speed-read, and I was a happy month chugging through them.

I'm a big fan of secret histories, so Tim Powers and James Blaylock always work as re-read fodder, too.

Yorkist · Mar 2, 2012

Can't believe no one mentioned Sharon Kay Penman. She also writes long epics about the Plantagenets, but my favorites are The Sunne in Splendour (about Richard III) and the Welsh trilogy, which starts with Here Be Dragons IIRC.

aruna · Mar 2, 2012

Thanks. I'll look her up. Need books for long journey coming up!

Ketzel · Mar 3, 2012

MM Kaye's sweeping historical romances set in colonial India: The Far Pavilions, Shadow of the Moon and Trade Winds.

A hearty second to Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles and the Niccolo series.

If you love Howatch, why not try her Church of England series? Oddly compelling and all of the books relate to each other in very interesting ways. Glittering Images is the first one.

mayqueen · Mar 29, 2012

I'm going to watch this thread eagerly. My introduction to this sort of multi-generational family historical was Daphne du Maurier's Hungry Hill, which I honestly haven't read in many years. I recently finished Cecelia Holland's Great Maria, which isn't multi-generational, but I still enjoyed it.

Deleted member 42 · Mar 29, 2012

Filigree said:
Try Dorothy Dunnett's 'Lymond Chronicles', followed by her 'Niccolo' series.
Vast 15th and 14th century epics weaving historical characters and settings with some startlingly good original characters, intricate plots, and bits of magic realism more accessible than Umberto Eco. Her historical accuracy always seemed exquisitely 'right' to me. The books are relatively long, and there are lots of them. I speed-read, and I was a happy month chugging through them.

The Lymond Chronicles are largely responsible for my obsessive interest in medieval literature and history. I wrote about it here.

jennontheisland · Mar 29, 2012

Medievalist said:
The Lymond Chronicles are largely responsible for my obsessive interest in medieval literature and history. I wrote about it here.

Loved those.

Jack Whyte's Skystone series is beautiful.

And I second Cornwall's stuff. His Arthurian trilogy and his Harlequin series.

swgamble · Mar 30, 2012

It is not a series but if you like the wall street feel you should read "Bonfire of the Vanities" by Tom Wolfe

blacbird · Mar 31, 2012

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry, and its sequels.

Or, for an earlier, unquestioned big classic: The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas.

caw

Izhitsa · Jun 18, 2012

I'm a bit late, but I'd like to recommend The Devil Dancers by T. Thurai, which I've finished several days ago. It's a long novel about late 1950s Ceylon in turmoil.

douglass · Jun 19, 2012

I just finished Gone with the Wind for the first time. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it.

djunamod · Jul 1, 2012

I haven't seen this mentioned here, but I'm currently reading The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. I had seen the mini series quite a while ago and thought it was interesting but didn't really take to it at the time. However, since my novels tend to move towards family drama/saga, I thought I'd better read some of them. I was surprised to find out that the novels were written at the turn of the century - I thought they were much more modern than that. But I'm a huge fan of classic literature, so I was very happy to hear that.

I'm loving the novels so far. Very readable and "can't put it down" kind of suspense, especially if you like reading about the ins and outs of a family that doesn't necessarily involve a whole lot of action.

Djuna

Big, sumptious, unputdownable epics: Recommendations, please!

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

TudorRose

not napping... brainstorming!

Jess Haines

Boldly going nowhere in particular.

rugcat

Lost in the Fog

Brickcommajason

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Yorkist

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Ketzel

Leaving on the 2:19

mayqueen

practical experience, FTW

Deleted member 42

jennontheisland

the world is at my command

swgamble

blacbird

Izhitsa

douglass

djunamod