Recommend me an insanely long book

[Quellist]

Great North Road by Peter F Hamilton, part police procedural, part alien bug hunt and about 500x better than that sounds

 

[Emurlahn]

I'm surprised no-one has said the collection on Sherlock Holmes. I know it's a series, but you can get them as one book.
As for the collected length, it's about 1100 sides long, so it should take you a "few days" to get through it.

 

[Arpeggi]

Hmmmm. 19Q4 by Haruki Murakami is pretty awesome as well as being fairly lengthy, although it might breach the no fantasy rule. It's more sci-fi/alt reality. If you're in to conspiracy theories and secret cults, it's about that kinda stuff.

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano is cool, my friend once described it as "a journey to the poetic core, plus sexy bits".

I'd also second Infinite Jest, it's fricken funny.

Of the more classic variety, you can't go wrong with a bit of Dickens. Bleak House is probably my favorite of his longer novels.

 

[amuasyeas]

Gravity's Rainbow. Now it may not seem too thick, but as soon as you finish the first page, you'll know that it's a long book.

 

[Yeager942]

The Stand, it takes place in a post-apocalyptic america that is ravaged by a super plague.

Hell, anything by stephen king, but I'd personally recommend The Shining, It, and Misery

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I still have Anna Karenina and War and Peace waiting for me in my bookcase, taunting me... but they're just too intimidating by sheer size alone...

War and Peace can be a bit of a slog a times, especially in the second part but it does pick up again if you can persevere. I've only read the opening chapters of Anna Karenina but from what I've had read and have heard from others it is much more accessible than War and Peace.

On topic;

I recommend The Brothers Karamazov, it touches on some interesting themes, has many interesting characters and throws in a good murder plot for good measure.

I have a book for you - it's long, it's thick and it should last you for a while: the telephone book.

2. No fantasy.

It's not fantasy nor fiction, it's absolutely grounded in reality

3. No series.

Well, technically, there are lots of books in the series, however, each is standalone, so that shouldn't be a problem. Heck, in fact, it's a bonus, since you can pick up any you like - the biggest one, for example.

I hope I helped.

I know we aren't suppose to criticise recommendations but come on DoPo the ending to the telephone book was dreadful

 

[DoPo]

I have a book for you - it's long, it's thick and it should last you for a while: the telephone book.

2. No fantasy.

It's not fantasy nor fiction, it's absolutely grounded in reality

3. No series.

Well, technically, there are lots of books in the series, however, each is standalone, so that shouldn't be a problem. Heck, in fact, it's a bonus, since you can pick up any you like - the biggest one, for example.

I hope I helped.

I know we aren't suppose to criticise recommendations but come on DoPo the ending to the telephone book was dreadful

Err, there is more than one - which one did you read? I found that mine

Spoiler

It was really suspenseful and and I in a twist ended with Z. I mean, I really thought the author was going to subvert this but then he suddenly brought the ending that I didn't think he'd go for. And it was good.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I have a book for you - it's long, it's thick and it should last you for a while: the telephone book.

2. No fantasy.

It's not fantasy nor fiction, it's absolutely grounded in reality

3. No series.

Well, technically, there are lots of books in the series, however, each is standalone, so that shouldn't be a problem. Heck, in fact, it's a bonus, since you can pick up any you like - the biggest one, for example.

I hope I helped.

I know we aren't suppose to criticise recommendations but come on DoPo the ending to the telephone book was dreadful

Err, there is more than one - which one did you read? I found that mine

Spoiler

It was really suspenseful and and I in a twist ended with Z. I mean, I really thought the author was going to subvert this but then he suddenly brought the ending that I didn't think he'd go for. And it was good.

Oh no I've not read that version. The version I read was dreadfully predictable, plus the author killed off the best character, N. Jones no:928 4572. half way through.

 

[DoPo]

I have a book for you - it's long, it's thick and it should last you for a while: the telephone book.

2. No fantasy.

It's not fantasy nor fiction, it's absolutely grounded in reality

3. No series.

Well, technically, there are lots of books in the series, however, each is standalone, so that shouldn't be a problem. Heck, in fact, it's a bonus, since you can pick up any you like - the biggest one, for example.

I hope I helped.

I know we aren't suppose to criticise recommendations but come on DoPo the ending to the telephone book was dreadful

Err, there is more than one - which one did you read? I found that mine

Spoiler

It was really suspenseful and and I in a twist ended with Z. I mean, I really thought the author was going to subvert this but then he suddenly brought the ending that I didn't think he'd go for. And it was good.

Oh no I've not read that version. The version I read was dreadfully predictable, plus the author killed off the best character, N. Jones no:928 4572. half way through.

Uh, SPOILERS, dude. Sheesh, now that I know he'd dead I can't enjoy it any more.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Well The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet is a meaty frigging novel... as is its sequel World Without End, as well those are both Stand Alone Novels... despite World Without End having lots of callbacks to Pillars.

Foccults Pendulum by Umberto Eco is a pretty long and pretty darn interesting book.

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson is very big and about World War 2 codebreaking... haven't finished it myself... it's a pretty damn dense thing.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

I have a book for you - it's long, it's thick and it should last you for a while: the telephone book.

2. No fantasy.

It's not fantasy nor fiction, it's absolutely grounded in reality

3. No series.

Well, technically, there are lots of books in the series, however, each is standalone, so that shouldn't be a problem. Heck, in fact, it's a bonus, since you can pick up any you like - the biggest one, for example.

I hope I helped.

I know we aren't suppose to criticise recommendations but come on DoPo the ending to the telephone book was dreadful

Err, there is more than one - which one did you read? I found that mine

Spoiler

It was really suspenseful and and I in a twist ended with Z. I mean, I really thought the author was going to subvert this but then he suddenly brought the ending that I didn't think he'd go for. And it was good.

Oh no I've not read that version. The version I read was dreadfully predictable, plus the author killed off the best character, N. Jones no:928 4572. half way through.

Uh, SPOILERS, dude. Sheesh, now that I know he'd dead I can't enjoy it any more.

Oh sorry man I forget about the spoiler tags. My bad. If it makes you feel any better I actually got it spoilered for me too by some arsehole column writer. I forget his name but his column was called Obituaries I think.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

I really liked Paradise Lost, but then again I am weird like that. If you can get past a lexicon that would make Shakespeare scratch his head is bewilderment, then I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

Captcha: Fire and brimstone

I see captcha agrees with me.

 

[Galletea]

I just finished a long book. I want a new long book. Do you have a new one for me to read?
What I want is a long book that offers a complete story in one novel.

Why does it have to be long? I can't say I pay attention to how long a book is, I figure if I remember it as being long, then it probably wasn't much good. So I'll just leave list of books I've really enjoyed over the past few years.

Spoiler: Et Voilá

A life in Letters - Arthur Conan Doyle Biographical, does what it says, letters from the author, mostly to his mother, shows what a fascinating life he had. I also love all the Sherlock Holmes stories, but as short stories, they don't fit your criteria.
The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston LerouxPretty good classic thriller.
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins Another classic thriller, pretty moving at times.
The Road -Cormack McCarthy I never saw the film but the book is intense. It's easily one of my favourites.
The Truce - Primo Levi Very moving autobiographical account of his long journey from a concentration camp to his home town in Italy.
Less Than Zero - Brett Easton Ellis His first novel. I bought most of them, but haven't gotten around to reading the next. Anyway, this one is intriguing and harrowing in equal measure, not sure how much I enjoyed the experience, but I couldn't stop reading it.
Inferno - Dante Not so much an enjoyable tale, but certainly fascinating in it's imagery.
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte I think the story is pretty well known by now, but it is still great. Much better than any of Austen's stuff
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee Another truly brilliant book love it.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll Meant for kids, but still fun and slightly twisted.

Hopefully there might be a little inspiration there.

 

[Kontarek]

Just finished reading Anna Karenina by Tolstoy for my Russian/French lit. class, and I have to say it was pretty damn good.

The class gave me barely more than a week to read through the whole thing, and it almost killed me having to read such an insane amount of pages in such a brief period of time.

If the book hadn't been so brilliant I probably wouldn't have made it through.

 

[Westaway]

Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace
Anna Karenina, War and Peace by Tolstoy
Our Mutual Friend, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Have fun.

 

[OneCatch]

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman. It's like a modern mythos, very entertaining and devilishly long.
Also "Catch 22" by Heller, somebody mentioned it here already, but it bears repeating.

I'll third Catch 22 - it makes up for not being massively long by being brilliant!

If sci-fi's ok then Metro 2033 as mentioned, The Forever War by Haldeman, and any of Peter F Hamilton's stuff. They're proper epic scale doorstoppers.
Speaking of epic scale, Ian M Banks' Culture novels also.

 

[Launcelot111]

The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinnian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion. By Harvey Darger.

It's both insane, long, and insanely long.

Has this actually been published? I've wanted to read it for a while now, but I've only ever been able to find academics analyzing Darger's madness or something.

On further googling, there is a documentary about him narrated by Dakota Fanning as the voice of the Vivian girls. That is amazing.

OT: Uncle Tom's Cabin? It's only maybe 450-500 pages, but it's interesting in its nuanced and mildly backwards view on abolition

 

[Launcelot111]

I'd also like to submit to the thread that if you like ebooks, then Project Gutenberg collects a ton of books whose copyrights have expired and makes them free to download. If you like books that are more than a century old, then this site will keep you happy for quite a while.

 

[Queen Michael]

I just finished a long book. I want a new long book. Do you have a new one for me to read?
What I want is a long book that offers a complete story in one novel.

Why does it have to be long? I can't say I pay attention to how long a book is, I figure if I remember it as being long, then it probably wasn't much good. So I'll just leave list of books I've really enjoyed over the past few years.

Spoiler: Et Voilá

A life in Letters - Arthur Conan Doyle Biographical, does what it says, letters from the author, mostly to his mother, shows what a fascinating life he had. I also love all the Sherlock Holmes stories, but as short stories, they don't fit your criteria.
The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston LerouxPretty good classic thriller.
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins Another classic thriller, pretty moving at times.
The Road -Cormack McCarthy I never saw the film but the book is intense. It's easily one of my favourites.
The Truce - Primo Levi Very moving autobiographical account of his long journey from a concentration camp to his home town in Italy.
Less Than Zero - Brett Easton Ellis His first novel. I bought most of them, but haven't gotten around to reading the next. Anyway, this one is intriguing and harrowing in equal measure, not sure how much I enjoyed the experience, but I couldn't stop reading it.
Inferno - Dante Not so much an enjoyable tale, but certainly fascinating in it's imagery.
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte I think the story is pretty well known by now, but it is still great. Much better than any of Austen's stuff
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee Another truly brilliant book love it.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll Meant for kids, but still fun and slightly twisted.

Hopefully there might be a little inspiration there.

I already read and enjoyed The Phantom of the Opera, all Cormac McCarthy's novels except for his debut, the entire Divine Comedy including Inferno, To Kill a Mockingbird, and both of the Alice books. I tried Jane Eyre, but it wasn't great. Good, but not great.