Seeking: Good story spanning a family generation or two.

[doings]

. . .could be historical (don't fancy way back though) or contemporary. One of those books that gets you really involved with the characters and their lives through many years.

Like The Color Purple or The Corrections or The Good Earth???

Anybody got any suggestions, please. Thanks.

The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard

A Woman of Substance and its sequels were good, although the first book was the best.

Middlesex is very good.

Ooops, forgot the author

A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford

The House of the Spirits, Isabelle Allende.

1000 years of solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver. Awesome book.

I'm in the middle of The Cazalets. Lovibg it v much.

Laurie Graham - The Unfortunates is v funny (as are most her others)

Pillars of the earth, ken follet

WoW-zer! Just nipped out and came back - refreshed screen and there's loads of suggestions. Brilliant!

Many, many thanks.

Fall on your knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

Joy Luck Club?

penmarric Susan howatch - a great family saga set in cornwall 19c, never met anyone else that has read it but I loved it

R F Delderfield wrote some good family stuff. Titles escape my memory right now but they were good. Also one he wrote set in a school To Serve Them All My Days. They might fit the bill.

Try some Edward Rutherford books -

London
Dublin
Sarum
The New Forest

Historical to present day following several families/links with references to actual occurrences too.

If you liked the corrections have you read Freedom also by Jonathon Franzen?

Behind the Scenes at the Museum (Kate Atkinson)

Cutting for Stone - ?? Verghese

Try Maisie Mosco's series which starts with Almonds and Raisins

Set in Manchester in 1905, this book begins the story of the Sandberg family who, having escaped from Eastern Europe, now struggle through the Great War and the Depression in England. Maisie Mosco has written eight novels including "After the Dream".

I really enjoyed the series.

Sorry just seen your not way back bit. Pillars of the earth starts quite a time ago! Is very gripping though.

The Glass Palace, Amritav Ghosh.

I can second Poisonwood Bible, though didn't like some of her others so much.

For relaxing holiday reading, there's always Jilly Cooper and Riders, Rivals, etc... :)

The Whiteoak Saga - Mazo de la Roche - used to read 'em avidly,so did my mum and sis!

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton was brilliant, I couldn't put it down. Set now but with flashbacks to the second world war and the earlier life of the mother throughout. Although its not a detective story at all, there's a real mystery to it so you're constantly trying to work it all out along with the main character. It's easy to read but not a simple story! The best book I've read in ages.

The Blind Assassin Margaret Atwood, covered three generations. Great book.

I hated Poisonwood Bible

Behind the scenes at the museum is awesome but v sad.

Steinbeck East of Eden

The camomile lawn Mary Wesley

The Forsyte Saga - John Galsworthy.

So much better than any of the TV adaptations.

The spoils of time trilogy by Penny Vincenzi. Hers are not the sort of books I usually read but I loved these and have read them over and over again.