What’s the biggest book you’ve read recently? (Feel free to think “big” as size, or as popularity, or in any other way you care to interpret.
That would be A. S. Byatt's The Children's Book. It is big in its number of pages, big in its ambitions to encompass many sweeping social, political, and artistic themes of a recent period of history in Europe (in my post on finishing it I called it 'vast'). Big in the cut of humanity it takes - bringing together the breadth of many characters' lives in this period over their whole length and weaving their stories together as a single narrative. Big in the sense that its reading demands much of your time and your brain. Here's what I said about it at length.
8 comments:
I'll have to read this one. I like your description of it, calling it 'vast', I think it's pretty accurate for books that talk about many important and ambitious issues, especially if it's spanning the generations.
I've hesitated to pick this book up due to the mixed reviews. I guess I'll just have to try it for myself.
Certainly is "big" in looks though!
Another person with The Children's Book! Y'all are making me want to run out and get it NOW :) Here's my BTT.
For me...three books...
1) Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer - Cos I am still reading it!!
2) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - The story was fabulously lengthy and I simply didn't want it to end!
3) Also, a very big (in terms of length and print!) fairy tale book I recall reading as a child!
I haven't really got around to reading any of AS Byatt. Seems like a lot of topics to stuff into a book.. I guess I'll pick it up soon!
This sure is big. In every way!
Booking through Big
I agree, I'm interested in Byatt's book now.
This is the second pick for this book. I am so interested now!
The Children's Book is my next to tackle. I am reading "Drood" right now, listening to it is more accurate. "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins was just the begining to a love of long, rich and "vast" descriptive stories.
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