Wolf Hall? I need a long, involving, but not too heavy book

[Takver]

Going on a very long train journey at Easter (2 days!) and need a long and good book - suggestions welcome. It has to not be too heavy (to carry, rather than read IYSWIM). Mostly I read non-fiction so any suggestions for that also welcome, history/politics/economics my particular thing but open to ideas . . .

ps, don't suggest a kindle, I don't travel often & don't want another bit of electronic 'stuff'

I would recommend any of Sharon Penman's Histories. Or New York or one of the other novels about a city by Edward Rutherford. Or The Siege by Helen Dunmore (although this book made me feel very hungry when I read it).

Not as high brow as any of the books over here but Driving over Lemons by Chris Stewart is a lovely story about a British family starting life in Andalucia - was written a fair few years ago now but I loved it. I went to the same part of Andalucia as the book and it really made my holiday special.

second wolf hall, aplogs, lacuna etc

but would also say war and peace, if you've never read it. fabbo.

oooh

'ark at 'er

Anna Karenina is more gripping, ime

oh! I've got another loooong one- the Worst Journey In The World by Apsley Cherry Garrard- one of the youngest members of Scott's Antarctic expedition- the doooomed one. It's not what you might expect- short on jingoism, heroism and the like- but full of a sort of ironic gloom. And funny, too. I love it

Hully I read War and Peace at a ruff holiday resort. I had to hide it under me sunlounger lest someone out me for a ponce

[ponce]

I loved war and peace (more than Anna K), just have to speed read a bit through the long war bit...I read it TWICE

I have just finished Dorothy Whipple's They Were Sisters. I can't recommend it highly enough. Marv marv marv

Another one is The Northern Clemency Philip Hensher v gd and long

I'm trying to picture my bookshelves and see the fat ones.

Rohinton Mistry: Such a Long Journey is great

I found Wolf Hall quite difficult to get into at first, there were some aspects of her writing style (like not attributing dialogue properly for not apparent reason) that I thought were annoying affectations. But glad I persisted with it, it's a gripping story once you get going, and it is really very very well done and in a different league to a lot of popular historical fiction (which can be clunky and cliched).

another vote for 'this thing of darkness'- so, so well written. Just fascinating.

Takver I am more than a bit of your Long Train Journey

If you want Beautifully Crafted (as Wolf Hall is) read Proust.
Even poncier.

Yes, yes, yes to 'This Thing Of Darkness' and 'The Worst Journey In The World.' Two of my all time favourites.

'Wolf Hall' v annoying and not terribly well written imo.

It's not great writing by any stretch of the imagination but Ken Follet has a huge one and a sequel - have forgotten their names at the mo though.

Have you read CJ Sansom? 'Winter In Madrid' could be fitting.

Prrrroust??

gosh!

Time to get a Kindle?

Oops - just seen your PS!

Ken Follet - Pillars of the Earth and WOrld without End - brilliant stuff.

How about 'The Little Stranger' - v engaging, well written and spooky :)

Ooh Remus I was just about to say The Pillars Of The Earth. It's a great read (but you're right about the writing). The sequel is World Without End, I think?

Also jealous of your long train journey, OP. I love trains. And reading. And holidays.

ooh, This Thing of Darkness looks great

I was banging onto dp about Darwin and Fitzroy t'other day (not because of wide reading, but because it was on the telly when I was little)

wolf hall is a fine piece of writing
skippy dies. long, but amusing.

Gah. Slow typer. Another vote for The Little Stranger.

Or what about Margaret Atwood? It's not very long but The Handmaid's Tale is excellent, as is Cat's Eye.

Wolf Hall is horrible - badly written and just wouldn't end,took several chapters to cover what should have been a not very interesting sentence, I abandoned it due to this fact. Could have been so good, but just wasn't

I'd suggest The Count of Monte Cristo for a long journey if you haven't read it already.

Poor Fitzroy - I felt so very, very sorry for him on reading TTOD.

There's a great non-fiction book too - something about Jeremy Button iirc. Read the novel first then the non-fiction.

Loved Wolf Hall (although there's a bit that made me burst into tears & annoy the hell out of my dds by suddenly grabbing & cuddling them, & I'm not normally given to book-induced heeby-jeebies!).