Chapter 26 - I Like Big Books

When I owned a bookstore we had a sign for sale which read "I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie". I always felt this was a little off-putting although the sign always sold out. In retrospect I have to admit, that sign was probably meant for me. I love reading a book where the author captivates you from page 1 through anything over 500 pages. Sure it may take a few more days to read the book, but it is often like sitting down to a sumptuous multi-course meal, not something you'd do every day but once in a while, you just have to indulge.

I have just finished one of these literary behemoths, recommended by a fellow book lover and, as it turns out, our book club book for July. It was definitely a 5 star read in my opinion. Curiosity got the better of me so I went back into my StoryGraph (thestorygraph.com) account to see how many big books I've read over the years that are not only over 500 pages but also have a 5 star value. (I mean, really, what's the point of reading a big book unless it is a 5 star read?) Turns out I've read about 70 books over 500 pages since 2017, about 10 a year but only 18 achieved 5 star status. Here are five I'd recommend.

The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - This is the book I just finished. It is a family saga, and drew me right into the story from the very beginning with the marriage of 12 year old girl to a 40 year old widower in Southern India. Verghese is a doctor by profession so I expected there would be some medical problem in the novel but you really don't find out about that until later in the story. The book was extremely interesting, well researched, and beautifully written. It weighs in at 715 pages.

The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett - This was the prequel to Pillars of the Earth and I think it was one of my favorite Follett books. I read this a few years ago and I remember reading all 928 pages in two days. The story starts in 997 CE and follows a young boatbuilder who flees his home after a Viking raid destroys everything. He and his family migrate to another community where they are seen as outsiders. A young Norman noblewoman marries for love and follows her husband across the seas where the customs and morals are entirely different from those she knows. Finally a young monk wants to transform his abbey into a renown place of learning. Inevitably, the paths of all three characters intersect. Follett's storytelling doesn't get much better than this.

South of Broad by Pat Conroy - Just slightly more than 500 pages, this book by the great Southern author, Pat Conroy, is about friends who, in spite of being outsiders, come together to support each other through the years. Leopold Bloom King has been raised in a family where tragedy struck early on. He searches for his identity as a teen and finds his tribe in other outsiders who then become his family. At 514 pages, it is a very approachable Conroy book and really hits the mark if you have lifelong friends.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - I read this book when it first came out and it still haunts me. Taking place during World War II, Hannah tells the story of sisters, Vianne Mauriac who stays in her small village in France while her husband is at the front, and Isabelle, a reckless 18 year old who joins the Resistance. When Vianne's home is requisitioned by a Nazi captain, Isabelle's rebellion could lead to death for both of them. The book is an easy 570 pages.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr - Very different from his previous book, All the Light We Cannot See, this book spans a tragedy which takes place in current time, to an escape in the future, and finally goes back to the 1400's in Constantinople. Of course, it all comes together in the end. This is a richly interwoven story and while it follows three timelines, it is pretty easy to follow. It is 626 pages long.

Do you have a favorite big book you can recommend? Please share.