Can somebody recommend me an epic?

[WhistlersandJugglers]

Hi, I'm in Ireland where the libraries have been closed all year and there is no sign of them opening any time soon. I want to buy a few long books to keep me going. I like family saga type books like Brick Lane, The Poisonwood Bible, Cutting for Stone, A Suitable Boy, Half of a Yellow Sun. If anybody has a suggestion I'd really appreciate it.

@SwimmingOnEggshells - yes to both of those!

Gone to Soldiers - Marge Piercy. I loved this book. A bit like Herman Wouk's Winds of War in that it follows a range of characters through WW2 but much more focussed on women's roles and history.

Someone on one of these threads (I think the brief was to recommend an 'epic saga' that time) recommended 'The Captive Prince' and sequels. Its good. I bought it, and enjoyed it. It is also, however, male gay porn. They did not mention this.

I share my Amazon kindle account with my 74yr old mother. We would both have appreciated the warning! It is still well worth buying though. Just don't be surprised with the protagonists are very friendly. Frequently 😳

@Illegible omg I loved that book! Now I need to find it and reread. I thought she was a brilliant writer a d used to read everything she wrote.
Yet more great suggestions I too say go to early Kingsolver for some great stories

My suggestions may well not be to everyone's tastes but if you want books that will keep you occupied for a long time...

Firstly, the Jack Aubrey series (20 books) by Patrick O'Brian is an absolute thief of time and was made into Master and Commander: Far side of the world with Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany. The series associated cookbook (Lobscouse and Spotted Dog) is also a joy.

It's very violent in places but the Lone Wolf and Cub manga is wonderful. Really brings Samurai era Japan to life. Like a lot of manga series it's extremely long but unlike a lot of them it keeps to the point.

Had to pop back to say thank you to those who recommended Clan of the Cave Bear and following books. Am on the last one - have lost sleep, skipped meetings, let my children watch far too much tv. Can't believe I'd never heard of it! Wonderful reading.

I'm about a third of the way through The Shell Seekers and really enjoying it. I love books that go back and forward in time. I can't help but feel sorry for poor old Nancy, her family are very dismissive of her.

Must be not far off 30 years since I read that. Loved it! Must see if we've still got it.

For single book epics:
Colleen McCullough's The Thorn Birds. MM Kaye's The Far Pavilions.
For series:
Agree with poster further up who said the first handful of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books are good. Thankfully book 9 is only 320 pages so perhaps her editor finally had a word.
If you like fantasy, you can't beat Robin Hobb's Farseer Chronicles - about 15 of them I think, following different clusters of characters.
If you like spy novels, then Len Deighton's
Books about Bernard Samson, starting with the Berlin Trilogy, are great. There's a trilogy of trilogies.

Ken Follett does a couple of saga trilogies that you might like-one about the building of a cathedral (The Pillars of the Earth is the first) and another one about the Twentieth century

Any human heart by William Boyd

And as others have said, The Cazelet series

Based on the books mentioned in your OP, all quite literary family sagas, Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres and Some Luck from her Hundred Years trilogy - the first - I thought this was excellent but the other two didn't quite match up.

I second whoever recommended South Riding by Winifred Holtby.

Also Emile Zola's Sougon Macquart novels.

Any sign of your libraries reopening?

Oh, and a bit of a challenge but a very powerful read is Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman.

There's no sign of anything opening up here. I think the government is going to look at things again in the first week of May.
The Shell Seekers is definitely filling the library gap in my life. I wish a mumsnet thread could sort the out the hairdresser gap too.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

I'm about half way through The Pillars of the Earth and I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed a book so much in years. It's really gripping. Thanks to the posters who recommended it.

Another vote for Count of Monte Christo. Long but gripping.....

Any Human Heart by William

if you like family sagas try the Morland Dynasty by Cynthia Harrod Eagles about a house and the family who live there through the ages. Really good and there are 35 of them.