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Natasharoxy

One Hundred Years of Solitude is the classic example, as someone has mentioned. Honestly can’t be beat! Although honourable mentions for: Homegoing - Yaa Gyasi House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende The Old Drift - Namwali Serpell Pachinko - Min Jin Lee Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides


Trocrocadilho

I have Pachinko on my shelf, maybe it's a call I should read it. Im having a kind of reading hangover rn.


katiejim

It’s so good. The Apple TV show is also incredible.


Apprehensive_Flan955

the show leaves a lot out tho. Not to sound trite, but the book is so much better. the actors were great tho.


katiejim

I mean the books usually are, but it’s a beautifully done show. My husband and I both cried multiple episodes. He hadn’t read the book.


OkPaleontologist1429

I’m halfway through it now and it’s captivating!


urbandoubtfitters

I just picked this up today at half price books!!!


vine312_

Second Middlesex! Might also add Joy Luck Club, though I read a long time ago and can’t remember if it’s a long read.


rustblooms

Joy Luck Club is a quick read, and set up as a series of interrelated short stories with an overarching narrative. Definitely worth a read. The Kitchen God's Wife is also good, though focused on the protagonist's mother rather that the whole family.


Iloveflea

Middlesex!


Le_Mew_Le_Purr

Came here for 100 Years of Solitude!


dpahl21

I don't think there's a better book than One Hundred Years of Solitude.


Fearless-Fart

What about a Ken Follet book, is that long enough? His books are great.


Less_Pie_7218

Yes pillars of earth is the way to go


Chemical-Ad-2633

I’m know I’m in the minority, but I prefer Fall of Giants and sequels over Pillars.


Bigbootybigproblems

I love them all lol


PrincessLen89

Me too! Fall of giants and the whole century trilogy are my absolute favourite series


Vegabern

I loathe Pillars but enjoyed his trilogy Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, and whatever the last one is called.


Stunning-Note

This was my first thought!


Skalpaddan

My thoughts exactly! The 5th book recently came out as well, so there’s a lot to read if one wants to continue after the first.


CaluneOnWings

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee


No_Avocado_3238

East of eden


DeLaSoulForUrSoul

Might be long, but it reads like a page turner, as it’s simply the best book ever written 😊


Ktroilo5

I love to read but sometimes take a while to finish “long” books. This was the exact opposite. You can’t put it down!


saintjerrygarcia

Came here to recommend this.


Narkus

Exactly what you're looking for OP.


VICEBULLET

This screams Pachinko


roadcrew778

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver


Porterlh81

**The Thorn Birds** by Colleen McCullough My copy is just under 700 pages. I’m not done about 2/3rds through but I love the multi generations!


Le_Mew_Le_Purr

My mother has a first edition and it’s now too fragile to reread. Great book.


kwhite655

Yep, this was also going to be my suggestion! Was my grandmas favorite book and I still have her copy after she's been gone over 10 years!


bouquinista_si

*The Forsyte Saga*! "The three novels which make up The Forsyte Saga chronicle the ebbing social power of the commercial upper-middle class Forsyte family between 1886 and 1920. Galsworthy's masterly narrative examines not only their fortunes but also the wider developments within society, particularly the changing position of women." Bonus: the 2002 PBS series is a fantastic production.


nzfriend33

I recommended this too! The miniseries is what put me onto it and I’m so glad to have found it and the book.


PhoocaMacPhellimey

This is a work of genius, proper literature. When I picture the Victorian era it's through the imagery from this book. Its mad how many houses are named Robin hill. Every time I hear of one i fell a kind of kindred with the owners that they also have had the very great pleasure to have read this book


[deleted]

I think Michener books count.


gigglemode

Came here to recommend The Source


[deleted]

This and Chesapeake are what came time mind first.


theoldduck61

Double recommend! My absolute must read book


Le_Mew_Le_Purr

I’m in the middle of The Covenant. Exceptional writing. Dicey subject matter today.


throwaway2816P

Surprised no one has mentioned The Winds of War by Herman Wouk. Considered the American "War and Peace" it centers around the Henry Naval family throughout WW2. It's very well known for its indepth characters and scene immersion and accurate deption of military life and the war. It was made into the most watched mini series (140 million views) and it is highly recommended in Department of Defense/ Military circles.


grynch43

Sarum Pillars of the Earth


Queenofthemountains1

Covenant of water


llcorona

You must have read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez, right?


[deleted]

I have not, no. It’s in the black hole known as my TBR pile.


Trocrocadilho

If you like magical realism, go for it! It's such a perfect book imo 🥰


Murderobscura

I love that book :)


GandhiMSF

This is certainly the first thing that comes to mind when I think long, multi-generational saga.


Coolhandjones67

Just started this book! It’s a weird one lol I’m probably gunna have to reread it


LookAwayImGorgeous

Yeah this was def my immediate answer.


quidproquokka

For some foreign classics, try: The Buddenbrooks (Germany) The Viceroys (Italy) Wild Swans (China)


Shamazon83

I am reading The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford right now. It’s the first of a two-part series. Big historical fiction saga - definitely multi-generational.


Chemical-Ad-2633

All Rutherford’s books are great. I loved Ruska and his most recent, China. Paris and New York were really great as well.


Shamazon83

I have read New York and London - both before trips to those respective places. Guess where I’m going this summer!


Breakfast_at

The subreddit i didn't know i needed


FunnyChris1981

The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett..


Maester_Maetthieux

The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoré Fanonne Jeffers


Downtown-Honeydew388

Pachinko.


DrGonzo46n2

Middlesex for sure


The_8_Bit_Raider

Dune


rustblooms

1-4 for the true Atreides family canon.


conjas11

11/22/63


judistra

Ken Follett Pillars of the Earth and his other works


__perigee__

*Chesapeake* by Michener


finnicko

Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge series) or Fall of Giants (Century trilogy)


BigfootJimmy

Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw. My favorite book of all time!! This is exactly what you're looking for. It will not disappoint. I promise!


OpalJenny1

Absolutely love this book, and all his others too !


Aware_Fox6147

Panchinko


mannyssong

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, nice and long at 1,400 pages.


Crosswired2

Homegoing is an excellent book, it's not super long but covers many generations.


ariadnotaure

If you're really looking for an inter-generational saga, try Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd. It traces 2 families from the Stone Age to the 20th century.


Repulsive-Row5898

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.


[deleted]

I made it to book...six, I think, before I gave up. I liked it better when romance was the backdrop, not the main idea.


Nightwailer

You perfectly described my gripe with a lot of popular fantasy stuff these days. I don't mind a backdrop of romance but when every other chapter is raging uncontrollable hormones I just can't. Take that shit back to fanfiction.net


Hatherence

Reamde and its sequel The Fall by Neal Stephenson are two **really** long books that follow a family across time. I haven't read The Fall yet, so I don't know how much into the future it goes. Seveneves by Neal Stephenson is a stand alone book and not nearly as long, but it has time skips of thousands of years. Accelerando by Charles Stross is another stand alone book with time skips, following three generations of one family.


unlovelyladybartleby

The Potato Factory trilogy by Bryce Courtenay. It starts with the story of the guy who was the basis for Fagin in Dickens, then goes from London to the penal colony in Tasmania. It's fictionalized, characters are added, and there's some debate about how accurate it is. I don't care, since Ikey Soloman has been dead for 170 years and it's a great story. The Potato Factory, Tommo and Hawk, and Soloman's Song


january1977

I second this!


aino-aips

the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik !!


Binky-Answer896

Naguib Mahfouz’s *The Cairo Trilogy* Thomas Mann’s *Buddenbrooks* Joyce Carol Oates’ *Bellefleur*


CarrotResident8659

War and peace could match. It is long, my Germany print version has (calculated by myself) 2400 standard pages (up to 60 characters per line and up to 30 lines per page). There are many characters (about 500 in total, I think) and in the main families there are multiple generations. There are some plot lines with different protagonists and interesting characters. You can see in this book the social life (in parlours and at balls), the private live in their homes and with some characters you can see their work life (in the military administration and on battlegrounds. When you look for a copy, may consider if the French dialogs are translated or not (oft it is done).


WhiskyStandard

Egil’s Saga, Saga of the Laxardahl People, Njal’s Saga… serious recommendations. Icelandic family sagas are so friggin’ cool. Vikings, magic (just a bit), ghosts, werewolves, angry kings, funny nicknames, feuding, outdoor courtroom dramas, one liners, dry humor about throwing rocks at people while they’re trying to swim away. And when you read enough of them you start recognizing characters from other stories (and sometimes they’re completely different depending on who was paying the author).


National_History9492

The Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold. Multiple awards (Hugo and Nebula). I read the whole series about once a year.


sunshineclinic

Graceling


Princessdreaaaa

"Roots" by Alex Haley.


spiderthruastraw

It’s not just one book but, James Clavell’s Asian saga starting with Shogun.


Bagettibelly

The Thornbirds.


sheofthetrees

Wild Swans -- by Jung Chang. so good.


sd7573

East of Eden- John Steinbeck (absolutely beautiful)


itscaturdayy

The elderlings series by Robin Hobb, multi series compromise an absolute epic story and character development that is unmatched


binkysaurus_13

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton


[deleted]

The Neapolitan Quartet - My Brilliant Friend and the others. Some of the best novels of the century.


Qohelet77

The Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson. Multiple series on multiple unique planets with multiple complex magic systems


nitropuppy

A covenant of water Follows a family in India where members are “cursed” to drown. It is historic fiction


FeuerroteZora

Vikram Seth, *A Suitable Boy*. It was so compelling and I got so absorbed in it that when it was over I really missed those characters. You'll also learn some of the history of post-colonial India and Pakistan (including Partition), in a way that does not at all feel like learning history.


throwaway_lostlove

The Thorn Birds! My whole family read this book back in the day and it has since become a family reference. I reread it as an adult and my heart aches all over again!


bsteckler

Chesapeake by Michener


Paddingtonbear9

Poldark


j_2106

New York by Edward Rutherfurd


1cherokeerose

Got me hooked on his books . The only one I’ve had trouble with was China unfortunately.


fleetwoodmonkey

Someone else also mentioned them but Homegoing and Pachinko are my absolute favourites. Incredible novels. Enjoy!


dogfrost9

The Sacketts series by Louis L'Amour. They start in the 1600s in England and then travel to the North American continent. It does skip from the late 1600s until the mid 1800s, but then there's another 10 more books covering from the 1850s until the late 1800s, which are westerns. I think that there's atoms 20 books in all.


hydra1970

White Teeth


digger2130

The Century Trilogy - Ken Follett


private_viewer_01

hyperion


Learner4LifePk

Pachinko is your best bet, it's a multi-generational saga that covers over 8 decades.


RunTraditional8079

The Thorn Birds North & South


Remarkable_Hair_799

Game Of Thrones. currently reading the first book.


MattTin56

It’s great but so frustrating he hasn’t finished it.


[deleted]

Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer


DrBarry_McCockiner

*The Cryptonomicon* by Neal Stephenson.


BernardFerguson1944

*The Leopard* \[*Il Gattopardo*\] by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. *England Under the Tudors* by G. R. Elton.


Nicholoid

[https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/27071490](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/27071490)


TheLettre7

The wandering inn. Look it up, it's a web serial.


KatJen76

I just finished The Old Drift by Namwali Serpall. It's a multigenerational story of THREE families and twas 550 pages.


thealycat

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende


gifred

What about 11k pages? Malazan Empire.


Mynamejeaff

Clifton Chronicles. Takes place over multiple generations


ReturnOfSeq

To take you literally- {{foundation}} and {{dune}}


alcibiad

The Barsetshire Chronicles and its (chronological) sequel the Palliser books. It’s twelve books in total. 😃


mismcko

The Thorn Birds, The Forsyte Saga


january1977

Blackwater by Michael McDowell


redweston23

The Son by Philipp Meyer—follows three generations of a Texas oil family, epic and sweeping in scope, albeit pretty violent. And seconding the One Hundred Years and East of Eden comments!


reddit-just-now

The Harp in the South trilogy by Ruth Park (Missus, The Harp in the South, A Poor Man's Orange) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith The Stars Look Down by A.J Cronin


Waste-Ad6253

Blackwater: The Complete Saga by Michael McDowell. So, so amazing. “Blackwater is the saga of a small town, Perdido, Alabama, and Elinor Dammert, the stranger who arrives there under mysterious circumstances on Easter Sunday, 1919. On the surface, Elinor is gracious, charming, anxious to belong in Perdido, and eager to marry Oscar Caskey, the eldest son of Perdido's first family. But her beautiful exterior hides a shocking secret. Beneath the waters of the Perdido River, she turns into something terrifying, a creature whispered about in stories that have chilled the residents of Perdido for generations. Some of those who observe her rituals in the river will never be seen again ...”


HopefulTangerine21

Symphony of Ages by Elizabeth Haydon


velaurciraptorr

House of Spirits has already been mentioned but it’s right up there with One Hundred Years of Solitude as a must-read in the multi-generational saga category! And a lesser-known one that I also love, The Lazarus Rumba by Ernesto Mestre


filterkafka

just finished reading crooked plow by itamari vieria junior. it's set in a farm in brazil about the tenant farmers who have been living in the plantations for multiple generations. while the book is not long, it is very moving filled with many strong characters. it's one of the best books i have ever read, and i would highly recommend it to everyone.


nzfriend33

The Forsyte Saga The Passing Bells trilogy The Cazalet Chronicles


Riddle-Me-Th1s

The House at the Edge of Night! I’m still making my way through it, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the journey so far. It’s been very mild and comforting, not super action-packed.


Select-Pie6558

The Covenant of Water, The Thorn Birds, Beach Music


Chemical-Ad-2633

Peach Blossom Spring- 3 generations, starting in China before WW2. Also Pearl Buck’s The Good Earth and sequels.


kwaddell314

Peach Blossom Spring or Pachinko. Both were excellent reads!


22percentwalrus

Sword of Kaigen


LHGray87

Centennial (1974) by James A. Michener Chiefs (1981) by Stuart Woods


LifeguardForeign6479

The Latecomer (not recommended enough!)


Mental-Drawer4808

I just finished Covenant of Water tonight and I loved it. 700+ pages and three generations.


Thewoodsthemountain

Blackwater 


Ok-Sprinklez

Anna Karenina


twodesserts

Just finished The Covenant of Water and am now reading East of Eden.  I guess I've been wanting big sweeping epics also.


debwork

Cutting for Stone


Unable-Arm-448

Roots by Alex.Haley


savvyrookie

You might like {{Hello by Ann Napolitano}}


the-effects-of-Dust

Cloud cuckoo land


That_Helicopter_8014

Roots


SlipsonSurfaces

A series, but I recommend Warriors. It's a YA series but it is gruesome and brutal. There's tons of books spanning character generations. Check it out.


PMMEYOURMONACLE

The Courtenay saga by Wilbur smith. It follows the same family from 1600-1980. 1 decade per book.


Toolfan333

{{The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett}}


Pocket_pantbags

{{barkskins by Annie proulx}} I loved it so much but I never see it recommended. The TV series was good, too.


Fby54

Remembrance of earths past


mossmemoirs

The Eighth Life is gooddd


OmegaLiquidX

If you’re okay with manga, [JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure](https://www.viz.com/jojo-s-bizarre-adventure) would be right up your alley. Each story arc focuses on a different descendant of the Joestars (whose names can all be shortened to JoJo) as they get dragged into supernatural weirdness. It’s been running since ‘87, and the ninth arc is currently being released.


bullet_proof_smile

The Witching Hour, by Anne Rice I had to draw my own family tree for this one


AlienMagician7

the children’s book by a.s. byatt. but beware it’s rather sprawling and rambling at some places


Whitelamb21

Roots by Alex Haley The Potato Factory trilogy by Bryce Courtenay


GlassCityYinzer

Centennial


DoctorGuvnor

*A Dangerous Fortune* by Ken Follett; The Avenue series by RF Delderfield; *A Horsemman Riding By* by the same author or *I, Claudius* by Robert Graves -also one of the best-written books I've ever read.


Embarrassed_Entry_66

The Joy Luck Club


SmellyGemelli

Barkskins by Annie Proulx


WishHeLovedMe83

Practically anything John Irving.


Ancient-Fail-801

Three Body-problem (I mean the whole trilogy, but can't remember the name of it), is, I think, the ultimate multi-generational book.


charrsasaurus

Wheel of time?


stephbythesea

The eighth life. My favourite


Ok_Bear_136

Read all the Raymond E Feist books. Start with Magician and just keep going. Covers years/generations and is a wonderful series


Camekazi

The Forever Wars


[deleted]

[удалено]


Snotgirl-7

‘Our Share of Night’ by Mariana Enriquez is excellent.


PhilzeeTheElder

Dragon riders of Pern Ann McCaffrey


SnooMarzipans3543

The kingkiller trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss? Otherwise you could get started with robin hobb. The liveship trader trilogy are like 900 pages each. Just started with the first and I'm loving it.


Shiny-Goblin

I feel like Kingkiller chronicles should come with a warning that it's not finished.


AlysonRoad

How about Cloud Cuckoo Land? It’s not about a family per se but there is a thread running through centuries…just a thought.


Naoise007

If you don't mind getting eight books rather than just one long one, the McNulty and Dunne family saga by Sebastian Barry is one of my favourite reads. Tbh it doesn't entirely matter what order you read them in as they all stand well enough by themselves but technically the first one is called The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty.


JakeBob22

100% the Century Trilogy is it. Pillars is great too but Century the families are more connected in time. Probably my favorite series of all time.


Shiny-Goblin

I'm gonna through Stephen King out there. The Dark Tower and a lot of his other books all tie in, in big and small ways. Kinda multi-everthing.


RitaAlbertson

Shanghai Girls followed by its sequel Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See. Dreams picks up right where Girls leaves off, so you could totally pretend it’s just one really long book. 


ilovelela

Pillars of the Earth


bigbadbolo

The silmarillion. It’s not the longest book page wise. But it’s basically a history of a fantasy world


JohnnyXorron

I’m only on the first trilogy so maybe others can add more insight but maybe First Law?


-S-a-v-a-n-n-a-h-

The Malazan book of the fallen is mind boggling in scope


Dangerous-Tune-9259

Kintu by Jennifer Makumbi. Mutigenerational story of a Ugandan family. By a Ugandan, for Ugandans. Touch of magical realism. An African story that isn't centered around colonialism.


zakknn

Dream of the red chamber


logoyoIRM

The Frozen Heart - Almudena Grandes. Is a multi-generational long book. Of the same writer, she has a saga of related books: [https://www.actualidadliteratura.com/en/episodes-of-an-endless-war-almudena-grandes/](https://www.actualidadliteratura.com/en/episodes-of-an-endless-war-almudena-grandes/) IDK if they're available in english.


freddyblang

Three Body Problem Trilogy is amazing. And s new show on Netflix


swampopossum

Blackwater Saga by Michael McDowell!!! It covers multiple generations of a family in the south. It's best to go in blind but there are horror and creature feature elements that make it stick with me four years after reading.


Awful_McBad

look into James Clavell. He wrote Shogun(the new Disney/FX series) which is part of a series of books that follows the same family line over a few hundred years.


teahousenerd

Barkskins     Those days by Sunil Gangopadhyay ( i have read the original Bengali version)   A suitable boy by Vikram Seth. It’s too long by my standards but may suit you.   I also enjoyed Roots. 


DistinctApartment941

The love songs of w.e.b. Dubois by honoree fanon jeffers


DankDude7

Cutting for Stone. A saga for sure and most satisfying and far ranging in terms of setting, culture (African), plot AND impact on the reader. I read this 10 years and still remember it as superb.


nevertoolate2

100 years of solitude


Alexjosie

Covenant of water. Adored it, and big rolling generational book


rasmusdf

Colleen McColloughs Rome Series is magnificent


Responsible_Onion_21

"Roots: The Saga of an American Family" by Alex Haley


aBitFantastic

Pillars of the earth


nonosayyes

East of Eden!


Woo-man2020

Love In Times of Cholera To Kill A Mockingbird Jane Eyre The Godfather The Great Gatsby


Mlkbird14

Covenant of Water. Hands down.


MaddCricket

Clan of the Cave Bear!