Long reads are having a moment. After dabbling with the slim, the slight, the so short it's barely even a novella (hello, Julian Barnes), the doorstop is back in business. Last week, Eleanor Catton became the youngest ever Man Booker prize winner with the longest ever book, The Luminaries, a mighty 832 pages. While this week saw the publication of Donna Tartt's third - and heftiest, at 782 pages - The Goldfinch. This, more than any autumn for a long time, is the season of the storyteller. So, if you're stuck for something to do with that extra hour (hardly likely, I know), here are five of my favourite long reads to lose yourself in...
The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert - a comparatively weedy 512 pages
Yes, yes, I know what you're
thinking; I hated Eat, Pray, Love
too. But set that cynicism aside because this saga-like story will surprise
you. Starting in 1800 it charts the life of Alma Whittaker, a female scientist
studying moss (stay with me) and developing her own survival of the
fittest-esque theory, unbeknownst to her, in parallel with Charles Darwin. From
sexuality and desire to spirituality and science to, of course, the struggle of
women for intellectual fulfilment, all of life is here.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Susanna Clark - 782 pages
One of my favourite books,
Susanna Clarke's 2005 historical fantasy is set in a napoleonic England where
magic once existed and two magicians (Mr Norrell and his erstwhile protege,
Jonathan Strange) now battle for supremacy. This truly enchanting read is about
to be turned into a BBC drama series, so now is a good time to read it.
War & Peace, Leo Tolstoy - 1300 pages
One of those 'much lied about at
dinner parties' books, War And Peace,
despite its daunting thousand-plus pagination, really does reward reading. A
sweeping family saga revolving around the Bolkonsky and Rostov families, and
set against the wider back drop of St Petersburg between 1805 and 1812, it is
often lauded as the greatest novel ever written. (Unless you're feeling
particularly intellectual - or bilingual - I advise you not to pick an edition
where the French parts are actually in French. The footnotes are a killer,
particularly on kindle.)
The Crimson Petal and the White, Michael Faber - 822 pages
The vivid tale of the life and
times of Sugar, a nineteenth century prostitute with a reading habit and her
struggle to balance financial security with the perceived dishonesty of her
life. Colourful, graphic (no sexual position or resulting unpleasant condition
is spared), bursting with life and utterly engrossing. If you thought the
Downton rape scene was pushing it, steer clear.
Bleak house, Charles Dickens - 900+pages depending which edition you read
If you're looking for a big book
- big themes, big characters, just plain BIG - you can't go far wrong with
Dickens. Bleak house - first published in twenty instalments in 1852 - has all
the Dickens hallmarks and more: the mysterious parentage of Esther Summerson,
me menacing baddie, in the form of lawyer Tulkinghorn, the nice but hopeless
Richard Carstone. And just where does Lady Dedlocke fit in?
(This blog was first published on Bazaar on Books blog, www.harpersbazaar.co.uk, 23 October 2013)
No comments:
Post a comment