readers advisory for all discussion

I'm looking for "sweeping" sagas preferably families in dysfunction- gloomy perhaps but love these to read during the winter season. Fiction or classic for genre. I'm thinking of titles like Middlemarch, The Poisonwood Bible etc. Thanks. :)

Thinking about it, I guess most family sagas portray families that are to some extent dysfunctional. (To spice things up.)Wuthering Heights comes to mind. Or Jacaranda Vines.

Nadine wrote: "Thinking about it, I guess most family sagas portray families that are to some extent dysfunctional. (To spice things up.)Wuthering Heights comes to mind. Or Jacaranda Vines."

Thank you Nadine! "Wuthering Heights" is one I have read but that is the type I'm looking for:). "Jacaranda Vine" is a new title to me and I will check it out! Thanks so much!

either Fall on Your Knees or The Way the Crow Flies would work. they are both 500+ pages, and i loved both of them - definitely belong on my "family seeeecrets" shelf.

i would also suggest The Piano Man's Daughter, another massive canadian sweeping family drama. this one is plagued with a terrible cover, but as long as you can get over that, it is a wonderful multi-generational saga about and irish-canadian family, way, betrayal - all the good stuff.

And although it is NC-17, Bastard Out of Carolina is amazing.

karen wrote: "either Fall on Your Knees or The Way the Crow Flies would work. they are both 500+ pages, and i loved both of them - definitely belong on my "family seeeecrets" shelf.

i ..."

Thanks Karen! I have read both of the first two Anne-Marie McDonald works and adored them. "The Piano Mans Daughter" is new to me and as it is can-lit that is almost a certain go for me :) much appreciated!

Robert wrote: "And although it is NC-17, Bastard Out of Carolina is amazing."

Ha ha- no ratings apply to me - no censor needed! Thank you for your suggestion! I will look into it promptly:)

Bellefleur.

I don't know how dysfunctional it is, but there is an old family-drama series my mother and sister liked called Jalna.

Miriam wrote: "Bellefleur.

I don't know how dysfunctional it is, but there is an old family-drama series my mother and sister liked called Jalna."


Thank you Miriam! I will look into "Bellefleur" (great title!) and a series "Jalna". I appreciate these recs so much:)

I really love One Hundred Years of Solitude, but it is definitely not for everybody. It is more tropical than the ones you've listed above, and it is magical realism, so less connected to strict plotting. It takes place over the course of 100 years in a family. At one point, the new generation has all the same names as the older generation, so that gets a little confusing.

Just as an alternate take, Bastard out of Carolina is one of my most hated books, but it makes sense that these types of books would cause extreme reactions in people. But, you might take a look at Robert's ratings and my ratings and see if one of us likes more similar books to what you like.

I love both Bellefleur and Bastard but another truly great, imo, book about dysfunctional family is The Man Who Loved Children

Sparrow wrote: "I really love One Hundred Years of Solitude, but it is definitely not for everybody. It is more tropical than the ones you've listed above, and it is magical realism, so less connected ..."

Hi Sparrow and thanks for suggesting "One Hundred Years of Solitude" and this is a book I have should have read long ago. I don't mind a bit of derivation in genre, I just don't get into much pure fantasy etc. I think it's time for me to tackle this one :) As for "Bastard out of Carolina" I checked my fiction and had read this. Thanks for taking the time to recommend Sparrow!

Yep! I read Love in the Time of Cholera when I got into Garcia Marquez, and it is a little less weird, so maybe a better intro to him? It is also a family story, but maybe slightly less expansive saga?

Sparrow wrote: "Yep! I read Love in the Time of Cholera when I got into Garcia Marquez, and it is a little less weird, so maybe a better intro to him? It is also a family story, but maybe slightly le..."

Hey Sparrow! Looks like I'm in for a trip to the bookstore tonight! And "Love in the Time of Cholera" sounds like a good start to the Marquez venture. Thanks so much for your help:)

I also realized just how dysfunctional the Borgia family (the Italian family) was. There must be some good books about them. Plus it all happened for real, so that might be the extra spice. I am looking for a good book about them as well, but haven't decided which one to get yet.
Maybe this one: THE BORGIAS (Special Edition) THE LIFE OF CESARE BORGIA Bestselling History of the Original Crime Family: The Borgias Biography Cesare Borgia

The book Borgia Bride is about them. . . . I don't think it is very good, though. A lot of things are in emerald, if I'm remembering correctly. Eyes, jewels, rivers. It's a little much. Lots of brocade.

Isn't Outlander a romantic family saga? I have not read it. And what about Lonesome Dove? Again, have not read, but maybe it's a Western family saga?

Inspired I just got a (kindle-) sample of a book about Lucrezia Borgia by a German author.Lucrezia Borgia: Das Leben einer Papsttochter in der Renaissance

Nadine wrote: "I also realized just how dysfunctional the Borgia family (the Italian family) was. There must be some good books about them. Plus it all happened for real, so that might be the extra spice. I am lo..."

The Borgias as I remember from history were very dysfunctional- may have look at some maybe overview type of book. Thanks Nadine!

Sparrow wrote: "The book Borgia Bride is about them. . . . I don't think it is very good, though. A lot of things are in emerald, if I'm remembering correctly. Eyes, jewels, rivers. It's a little ..."

Love it!! "it's a little brocade"- that says it all :)

Sparrow wrote: "Isn't Outlander a romantic family saga? I have not read it. And what about Lonesome Dove? Again, have not read, but maybe it's a Western family saga?"

Whoa Sparrow! I draw the line at western! Really I am not a book snob but I do have defined lines:). Thanks for taking the time though :) "Outlander" is one I have no clue about though.

haha. It's supposed to be good, though! I have a really pretty copy of it that I got from a book fairy, so I'll let you know if it is awesome.

How about Beach Music or The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy? Beach Music is more "sweeping" than PoT but they're both dysfunctional to say the least! I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb would fit the bill too.

Ok so now I am adding a twist! These are titles I own scattered about and would like to know if you've read them and what you think of them. And if you have read more than one, which would you read first. These are still the big dysfunctional saga theme supposedly :)

The Brothers K
The Laments
A Fraction of The Whole
Bleak House
Villette
Wish You Were Here
The Mitford Sisters ( non-fiction)
Delta Wedding

Thanks everyone and please add to these if you want of course!

Joanie wrote: "How about Beach Music or The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy? Beach Music is more "sweeping" than PoT but they're both dysfunctional to say the least! [book:I Know This Muc..."

Loved "Prince of Tides" so if " Beach Music" is even better, then is a definite! Thanks Joanie:)

Marzie wrote: "Joanie wrote: "How about Beach Music or The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy? Beach Music is more "sweeping" than PoT but they're both dysfunctional to say the least! [book:..."

I've read "She's Come Undone" and liked it so "This Much is True " is a logical choice. Thanks again:)

Oooo. Brothers K is one of my all-time favorite favorite books, and so is Bleak House!! Our Mutual Friend is another great Dickens with wonderful, dysfunctional families. Favorite!

Brothers Karamazov is another amazing dysfunctional family saga! So good!

Delta Wedding is one of the only Weltys that I haven't read, and she is hit or miss for me, so it would be difficult to say whether I think it's good or not.

i loooove bleak house. best dickens ever. although i have not read o.m.f. but i mean to.

i also love vilette. i liked it even more than jane eyre. i think that character is amazing.

Sparrow wrote: "Oooo. Brothers K is one of my all-time favorite favorite books, and so is Bleak House!! Our Mutual Friend is another great Dickens with wonderful, dysfuncti..."

Oh this is getting good! Thank you Sparrow !

karen! When you read OMF, maybe you will be like, OMG CONFLICT, WHAT IS THE BEST DICKENS EVER??? CAN I LOVE THEM BOTH BUT DIFFERENTLY?? Like I am.

ha!

Sparrow wrote: "Delta Wedding is one of the only Weltys that I haven't read, and she is hit or miss for me, so it would be difficult to say whether I think it's good or not."

Delta Wedding supposedly takes place in the span of one day- not much sweeping there yet I have heard authors call this "great". Officially undecided on this one!

karen wrote: "i loooove bleak house. best dickens ever. although i have not read o.m.f. but i mean to.

i also love vilette. i liked it even more than jane eyre. i think that character is amazing."

"Bleak House "is a go then. And I too am not totally fond of "Jane Eyre"either- "Villette" is the one I always say "someday" but I need to make a go at it. Thanks Karen.

Marzie wrote: "Sparrow wrote: "Oooo. Brothers K is one of my all-time favorite favorite books, and so is Bleak House!! Our Mutual Friend is another great Dickens with wond..."



"The Brothers K" for sure and "Our Mutual Friend" in the near future. Great suggestions Sparrow !

Ellie wrote: "I love both Bellefleur and Bastard but another truly great, imo, book about dysfunctional family is The Man Who Loved Children"

Hi Ellie! Thanks so much for the input. I now realize "Bellefleur" is by Oates whose books I have enjoyed, so that is a definite. I am not familiar with "The Man Who Loved Children" but I will definitely look into it. Thanks again:)

Anna Karenina isn't that kind of the point of it?

If Jack's In Love