The Appeal of the Saga
What’s the longest book you’ve ever read?
The short answer to this question would be Middlemarch by George Elliot which comes in at around 850 pages. Despite that length it never seemed like an effort. What about the long answer? The long answer would be A Horseman Riding By trilogy by R.F. Delderfield which is well over 1000 pages in total.
I love reading sagas when I really care about the characters. I want to see them develop slowly, subtly and completely. I want to feel like I know these people and that I can share in their triumphs and tragedies. An individual book of just 150 pages can have a huge impact as A Christmas Carol proves, but if you can dive into lives over a period of many years it gives you a rich texture the shorter books cannot match.
Don’t be afraid to start long books. If you don’t like them don’t finish them. There’s nothing wrong with abandoning a book. I did it twice to Lord of the Rings after I realised it just wasn’t gripping me. Give them a go and if you like them you will find a cast of characters that become incredibly real to you.
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David Pearce - Popular Culture and Personal Passions 
Middlemarch is on my forever to-read list…
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It’s one to start slowly and steadily. I only read a chapter or so at a time, though they’re long enough (!), but I gathered pace as I got about a third of the way through and sped through it to the end.
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