More extra long books Archives

Greenwood

by Michael Christie

From the publisher: "It’s 2038 and Jacinda (Jake) Greenwood is a storyteller and a liar, an overqualified tour guide babysitting ultra-rich vacationers in one of the world’s last remaining forests. It’s 2008 and Liam Greenwood is a carpenter, sprawled on his back after a workplace fall, calling out from the concrete floor of an empty mansion. It’s 1974 and Willow Greenwood is out of jail, free after being locked up for one of her endless series of environmental protests: attempts at atonement for the sins of her father’s once vast and violent timber empire. It’s 1934 and Everett Greenwood is alone, as usual, in his maple-syrup camp squat, when he hears the cries of an abandoned infant and gets tangled up in the web of a crime, secrets, and betrayal that will cling to his family for decades. And throughout, there are trees: a steady, silent pulse thrumming beneath Christie’s effortless sentences, working as a guiding metaphor for withering, weathering, and survival."

Fellowship Point

by Alice Elliott Dark

This sprawling saga featuring two octogenarian protagonists reads like a 19th century novel. Agnes Lee and Polly Wister have been friends their whole lives, growing up alongside each other in Philadelphia Quaker families and summering together in Maine. Agnes is beloved by the world as a bestselling children’s author, but not a living soul—including Polly—knows she also pens the popular and critically praised Franklin Square series. Polly knows Agnes sees her as a pushover, especially when it comes to her family, but Polly never lets on she’s wiser than her friend gives her credit for. When an enterprising (and nosy) young editor begins pestering Agnes to write a memoir, she sets in motion a chain of events that tests the women’s lifelong friendship, and threatens to expose the long-buried secrets each has so carefully kept from the other. If you want a big, rich, and immersive novel to sink into this summer, this 592-pager is just the ticket. For fans of Virginia Hume’s Haven Point and Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale.

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A Brief History of Seven Killings: A Novel

by Marlon James

The real life assassination attempt on Bob Marley in 1976 is the springboard for this fictional examination of Jamaica from the dangerous, unstable 1970s to the 1990s. Boasting a large cast of characters, including assassins and ghosts, this is a gritty, twisting epic that uncovers corruption and conspiracies, while unveiling a deeper understanding of a complicated country. James does not go easy on his readers but trusts them to go along for the ride on this inventive, brutal tale. Content warnings apply. 704 pages.

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

by Nelson Mandela

You may be familiar with Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela’s name but how much do you know about his life? His autobiography covers his upbringing and his fight against racial oppression in South Africa, from his time as the head of the anti-apartheid movement to his twenty-seven years in prison. Mandela did amazing things in his quest for freedom and as the eventual president of South Africa but he also readily admits his missteps and the way his activism negatively impacted his family and relationships. An inspiring and insightful account.

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Ducks, Newburyport

by Lucy Ellmann

Shortlisted for the 2019 Booker Prize, this innovative novel, focused on an Ohio housewife and mother of four children, is one single long sentence. Yes, really! If you're wondering how that works: it’s written in a stream of consciousness style and indicates pauses with the phrase “the fact that.” We’re taken deep into this woman's worries about her family and the world at large as she spends her days baking pies for restaurants and watching old movies. The thoughts of this ordinary woman—who might otherwise be overlooked—range from the profound to the mundane, with meditations on everything from motherhood to politics to the significance of our memories. It’s an ambitious book that won’t work for everyone but most readers seem to have found value in the undertaking.

A Promised Land

by Barack Obama

President Obama’s much-anticipated fourth book—and the first of his presidential memoirs—covers his first term in the White House. He details the journey to the night he was elected the first Black president of the United States, the early days of setting up his cabinet, and the many situations he had to navigate in the Oval Office, including the killing of Osama bin Laden. He gives insight into his decision-making and where he felt he could have done better, making for a compelling, engaging read. I’ve heard the audiobook, narrated by the president, is excellent. 768 pages.

The Brothers K

by David James Duncan

This one spent years on my TBR list, because so many friends with great taste called it THE best book they ever read. I'm so glad I finally read it. I don't remember what my expectations were about this book, but whatever they were, they were wrong. Duncan combines the Vietnam War, bush league baseball, Seventh Day Adventism, and family ties into an incredible, heart-wrenching story. The book is truly remarkable for the times when it reveals the deep joy present in a family's lowest moments.

Demon Copperhead

by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver is back with a retelling of David Copperfield; no familiarity with the original required but if you have read it, you’ll appreciate her updates. Damon Fields, known as Demon Copperhead for his red hair, grows up impoverished in the southern Appalachian mountains in Virginia. We first meet him at age 11 and then follow along as his mother becomes addicted to opioids, he goes through the foster care system, and later wrestles with substance abuse himself. Just as David Copperfield was an impassioned work of social activism, this examines the ravages in southwestern Virginia and how the people Demon loves and identifies with are oppressed by those who have power. It’s a big book and it’s worth every page. 560 pages.

The Overstory

by Richard Powers

This is the kind of book they write about in Outside Magazine (and I've gotten some great book recs from Outside). In the early chapters, Powers explores the lives of nine different people in a series of stories, which share one common thread: they all involve dramatic experiences with trees. It's a slow build, but eventually the stories come together. (With 512 pages, Powers has lots of room to play.) This intricately crafted novel, which ultimately explores the connection between humans and nature, and the responsibility of one to the author, requires a patient reader.

The Winners

by Fredrik Backman

The long awaited return of Backman’s beloved Beartown series is over! How does a town recover from tragedy or deal with corruption? When do they “protect their own” and what are the consequences of those actions? Two years have passed and everyone has tried to move on in their own way but nothing has worked out the way they hoped. And more change is ahead. Backman writes with great empathy and understanding of the human condition. You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough, even as this puts you through the wringer. Content warnings apply. 688 pages.

The Huntress

by Kate Quinn

The Alice Network author Quinn also takes on the aftermath of WWII in her latest historical release. Inspired by a true story she stumbled upon in the historical archives (which would totally spoil the big reveal—you’re going to have to read the Author’s Note to learn all!), Quinn weaves together three perspectives to tell a gripping story: Jordan is a Boston teenager who works in her father’s Boston antiques store, Ian is a British journalist determined to bring his brother’s killer—known as “the Huntress”—to justice, and Nina is a Russian fighter pilot and the only woman alive who can identify the Huntress. There’s no weak link in the story; each thread is fascinating—and when they began to come together I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. A mesmerizing tale of war crimes, coming of age, love and fidelity, and the pursuit of justice, with stirring implications for today.

Fingersmith

by Sarah Waters

This is on my TBR, and comes highly recommended by MMD editor Leigh Kramer. She inhaled the last 400 pages of this Dickensian literary mystery and had to know what would happen next. The relationship between gentry and servant can be fraught—and even more so when one is running a con on the other. Maud and Susan are complex characters that beg a reaction (and a book club discussion), particularly when they do disagreeable things. With striking twists and turns, their relationship runs the full gamut of emotions, particularly because literary fiction is not known for giving queer characters a Happily Ever After.

The Eighth Life

by Nino Haratischvili

I first gushed about this to the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club in our Best Books of the Summer 2021 event. This was the Georgian novel that I didn't know my life was missing. I listened to it on audio, somewhat begrudgingly. Several people had told me it was really amazing, but golly it's long at 1000+ pages. I plunged in, hoping I wouldn't regret it. And very quickly could not wait to find out what happened next in these peoples' lives. It's a generational story, tracking 100 years in a Georgian family who fan out across Europe and the world as they seek to run from the horrors of what's unfolding in the Soviet Union. The family also has a magical chocolate recipe that they mix up at opportune moments, but whether it's a blessing or a curse remains to be seen for the 95 or so years. The ending is amazing.

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Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

by Susanna Clarke

What you need to know: The New York Times called this modern classic "Hogwarts for grown-ups" and it's a hefty 1024 pages. Reading it is an investment, but you won't be sorry. (Or so I hear: it's on my TBR list.)

More extra long books

Greenwood

Fellowship Point

A Brief History of Seven Killings: A Novel

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

Ducks, Newburyport

A Promised Land

The Brothers K

Demon Copperhead

The Overstory

The Winners

The Huntress

Fingersmith

The Eighth Life

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

More extra long books

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood