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Original poster

A book (or a series of books) to get lost in

71 replies

AKAmyself · 28/11/2016 20:35

I desperately need something chunky and absorbing to get lost in. A book that will make me call in sick from work and hide in the loo when my in-laws are here.

I adore multigenerational family sagas, I love romance when it's well written and the characters are strong, I love historical books.

I love both high literature and more commercial fiction, not fussy or snobbish about it... have loved everything from War and Peace to Outlander!

Basically I want to fall in love with a world and a set of characters and forget all about the shitty world we live in.

not asking too much, am I? please hit me with your recs!

thanks!

OP posts:
BoreOfWhabylon · 29/11/2016 20:21

Mary Stewart's Merlin/Arthurian series:

The Crystal Cave
The Hollow Hills
The Last Enchantment
The Wicked Day

Shitonyoursofa · 29/11/2016 20:18

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Totally absorbing.

Sosidges · 29/11/2016 20:16

RF delderfield. Writes great sagas

GeorgeHerbert · 29/11/2016 19:19

Cazalet again. Or Elena Ferrante's Neopolitan Quartet - I literally could not pull myself away, read one after the other!

auberginesrus · 29/11/2016 18:53

Yet another vote for the Cazelet chronicles - I found out about them on here and have read them all twice. Just marvellous.

Kuriusoranj · 29/11/2016 06:02

I have a huge soft spot for Susan Howatch - The Rich Are Different and Sins of the Fathers. Multi-generational single story arc told from multiple perspectives. Yum.

FrancisCrawford · 29/11/2016 05:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
AKAmyself · 29/11/2016 05:42

So many great suggestions, thanks all! And keep them coming!

OP posts:
GreengrocerMortificado · 28/11/2016 21:09

The Wilbur Smith Egyptian books are wonderful

MummyStep123 · 28/11/2016 21:05

Huge fan of women of the other world by Kelley Armstrong, have just finished the series. It's more of a supernatural read x

Patsy99 · 28/11/2016 21:03

Ps. It's a multigenerational family saga.

Patsy99 · 28/11/2016 21:03

Another vote for the Cazelet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard.

Hilary Mantel named the first instalment- The Light Years - as the novel everyone should read and I couldn't put it down.

Allthebestnamesareused · 28/11/2016 21:02

The Clifton Chronicles - a Jeffery Archer series following family/business empire etc. total holiday type read!

rugbychick1 · 28/11/2016 20:59

The Bronze Horseman trilogy by Paulina Simons. A romance featuring strong characters, but not conventional, and starts in Russia around the time of WW2

LadyMetroland · 28/11/2016 20:57

Trollope. Barchester Chronicles.

Pg Wodehouse, Blandings stories for pure escapism

Evelyn Waugh's Sword of Honour trilogy

serialbunburyist · 28/11/2016 20:57

If you're into fantasy at all I'd highly recommend Brian Staveley's Unhewn Throne trilogy. Or Robin Hobb, starting with the Farseer Trilogy. Total escapism with excellent writing.

festiveleadballoon · 28/11/2016 20:52

Game of thrones

YesILikeItToo · 28/11/2016 20:49

You've read A Suitable Boy, though, haven't you?

Sleeperandthespindle · 28/11/2016 20:49

Harry Potter!
I hadn't read them since I read each one as they were released (was a teacher so had an excuse). I have just finished listening to all of them read by Stephen Fry (sharing the first few only wirh DC) and have been utterly lost in them.

Failing that, CJ Sansom or Ken Follett (Pillars of the Earth).

MermaidofZennor · 28/11/2016 20:44

The Cazalets series by Elizabeth Jane Howard is very good as is the Shardlake series by C J Sansom.

MegBusset · 28/11/2016 20:39

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides