What Is the Longest Book You've Read? Was It Worth It?
With so many things competing for attention, committing to read or listen to a book of any length means you are willingly forgoing other activities to invest yourself in the story. The least you can expect is that the payoff will be there.
Before discovering the joy of audiobooks, I only finished about three books a year and they were rarely over 300-pages.
Now that I’m finishing about 60 books a year, I don’t shy away from the epic reads* but in looking at the 10 longest books I’ve read — or attempted to read — the “was it worth it?” quotient is all over the place.
Also, Stephen King really needs a good editor.
*Any book over 600-pages. I’m talking story pages, not plus notes and bibliography pages.
NOT WORTH IT: London by Edward Rutherford – 1,152 pages
Dates read: December 16, 2019 – January 22, 2020
My longest read and a novel that sat on my shelf for 17 years (yikes!) before I decided to get the audiobook and crank through it. In hindsight, it should’ve stayed on the shelf. Rutherford does a decent job of consolidating (if you can call it that at more than 1,100 pages) London's history from the Druids through late-90s. But actual historic events and characters were the most interesting parts of the story. The fictional families that populate the pages are difficult to keep straight and are rather stock given the rich tapestry to work with.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars Format: Audiobook (personal library)
WORTH IT: The Stand by Stephen King – 1,141 pages
Year read: 2003
This held the top spot as my favorite King novel until 2018 when it was bumped to second by “11/22/63.” Still, “The Stand” is peak King — weaving a rich narrative of good versus evil with a huge cast of characters that become like your friends, to the point that you’ll mourn the ones that are lost. After recommending “The Stand” to multiple people over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it — there’s no in-between — and that you should probably have a few King novels under you belt because it’s easy to think the pay-off won’t be there, but oh, is it ever.
Rating: 5/5 stars Format: Paperback (personal library)
DID NOT FINISH: Under the Dome by Stephen King – 1,074
Dates attempted: March 3 – March 23, 2010
Mid-aughts King left a lot to be desired. While I read “Cell” and “Duma Key” both came up short for me, so when I first learned about “Under the Dome,” my hope was it would be another allegoric masterpiece akin to “The Stand.” Nope. Not even close. I made it about 18% of the way through before calling it quits. When this became a miniseries in 2013, I gave a few episodes a chance but quickly abandoned that too, but not before reading the Wikipedia summary of how the story ended. Let’s just say I’m glad I didn’t finish reading it.
Rating: N/A Format: CD (library loan) and Hardcover (personal library)
DID NOT FINISH: Grant by Ron Chernow – 1,074 pages
Dates attempted: April 18 – May 2, 2020
I love a good historical book, but I wasn’t interested enough in Ulysses S. Grant to finish this behemoth. Yes, it is well-written but way too detailed. Yes, there are interesting facts about the American Civil War, but that's not the kind of light reading I need during a pandemic/election year. So, after reading 400+ pages, I couldn’t justify the time already invested, and the time needed to continue.
Rating: N/A Format: Audiobook (library loan)
WORTH IT: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling – 870 pages
Dates read: November 28, 2014 – January 3, 2015
Many Potter fans place this as their least favorite in the series, but I liken that more to the tonal shift – completely necessary considering how “Goblet of Fire” ended — the length (excessive) and the (spoiler alert) death of Sirius Black. This is the book that raised the stakes for Harry and crew and expertly moved the story along while setting up the series conclusion.
Rating: 4/5 stars Format: Paperback (personal library)
WORTH IT: 11/22/63 by Stephen King – 849 pages
Dates read: April 23 – October 14, 2013; November 26 – December 9, 2018
It took me the better part of five years to find the momentum of the story (thanks, audiobooks!). While way too long — you basically read an entire contained story before the Kennedy plot even starts – Jake and Sadie were two wonderfully developed characters, and you have to know how King is going to address one of the best-known historical events ever. But it’s what happens in the last 75-pages that really sealed the deal for me. Time travelers and butterfly effects? Sign me up.
Rating: 4/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan) and Paperback (personal library)
WORTH IT: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – 816 pages
Dates read: July 8 – July 20, 2019
I previously shared why everyone should read — or attempt to read — “A Little Life,” so I won’t rehash that here. However, I will restate that this story imprinted on me in a way that no piece of art had before or since. It defies explanation, but I’m not alone. My husband, good friend and several #Bookstagrammers have all shared similar experiences. This simply should be something that everyone needs to experience at some point in their life. Read the review.
Rating: 5/5 stars Format: Audiobook (SIL’s library) and Paperback (personal library)
KINDA WORTH IT: Wanderers by Chuck Wendig – 800 pages
Dates read: November 17 – 28, 2019
“Wanderers” is like no other end of the world story I’ve read — a mix of organic material and technology providing equal threats to our survival — and that’s what kept me hooked. But at the end, I felt let down, especially after investing so much time in this world. This is a tale for our times, full of cautionary examples and commentary about politics, religion and climate change, which gives it a sense of real-world paranoia that other apocalyptic stories lack. This would’ve fallen in the “not worth it” category, but after living through the pandemic, there are elements of this story that are eerily on-the-nose.
Rating: 3/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
KINDA WORTH IT: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt – 771 pages
Dates read: November 28 – December 11, 2019
There is a lot of nuance in this book, and it is beautifully written. The last 50 or so pages — Theo’s retrospective on his life — are absolutely captivating. If “The Goldfinch” was about 300-pages shorter, I think Tartt’s introspective genius would shine through more clearly. Also, I hated Boris. I realize he is beloved by some, but the sections of the book I liked least were the ones where he was prominent. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing and manipulated Theo for decades.
Rating: 4/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan)
NOT WORTH IT: The Terror by Dan Simmons – 769 pages
Dates read: January 1 – February 15, 2018
There was a lot to enjoy about “The Terror” but more to loathe. Simmons ingeniously weaved a narrative out of a 160-year-old story that had no firm resolution. Therefore, while it is rooted in true events, it is entirely fictionalized. The first 350 pages border on repetition and drag painfully slow, but there is an event about halfway through the story that takes the novel to fantastically-gory, truly terrifying places. It shows the promise of what this novel could've have been from page one if only Simmons would've trimmed the fat from his manuscript.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars Format: Audiobook (library loan) and Hardcover (personal library)
What about your epic reads? Did they leave you satisfied or wanting more?
