28 Best Long Books Over 500 Pages that Are Worth Your Time

Get your hands on the best books over 500 pages. 

Reading long books is setting off on an epic adventure, where you can fully immerse yourself in a world of captivating stories and fascinating characters.Long novel take you on a wild ride, allowing you to escape from reality. 

The first book that ever comes to my mind when choosing a book over 500 pages is James Joyce’s Ulysses. Firstly because it’s classic, but the most important reason is that as a literature graduate, I have had a love-hate relationship with it. 

Anyhow, in today’s blog post of the best books over 500 pages, you’re going to find some really big books A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

To make it easier, I have included the page count of each book, but please keep in mind that the numbers mostly depend on the editions. 

From contemporary books to adventure novels, dive right into the incredible novels that exceed the  500-page mark! 

It by Stephen king  ( 1116 pages)

• #1 New York Times bestseller

Described by Chicago Sun-Times as a landmark in American literature, It is Stephen King‘s modern classic.

In well over 1000 pages, the book follows seven teenagers who clash against a childhood terror. The book is dark, spooky, and a magnum opus of terror.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that it is considered to be one of the most frightening stories ever written. There are many more Stephen King novels that are longer than 500 pages such as The Stand, The Talisman, Insomnia, Under the Dome and his recent release Fairy Tale. 

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The Parisian by Isabella Hammad ( 710 pages)

Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad’s first novel is a great book that follows a young Palestinian aesthete who leaves his country in 1914 to study medicine in France. But when he returns, his country is at the dawn of its battle for independence. This meticulously researched, remarkable historical fiction is also a beautiful love story.  

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The Secret History by Donna Tartt ( 559 pages)

•   A Read With Jenna Book Club Pick
• International Bestseller

If you love Colleen Hoover’s Verity, you’ll love this one. The Secret History is a smart combination of a beautiful story, intricate plotting, and the most fascinating characters.

It all starts when a charismatic classics professor and a group of clever, eccentric misfits come together to discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries, it leads them to the most dangerous path of betrayal and evil.

You’re sure to experience a lot in this 500-plus pages of sad and scary narrative. 

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A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara ( 720 pages)

• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction (2015)
• National Book Award Finalist
• Man Booker Prize Finalist
• Winner of the Kirkus Prize

This book is everywhere, but for different reasons. It mainly follows four young ambitious friends moving to New York, uncertain about their future. So people praise the gorgeous writing of Hanya Yanagihara for the raw and unfiltered account. But obviously, there are also reviews that find long pages of heartbreaking chapters that include sexual and psychological abuse, very disturbing.  

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The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule (548 pages)

Probably, you’ve watched the Ted Bundy series on Netflix. This haunting story of Ted Bundy is a shattering true crime book. This best-selling non-fiction book about America’s most fascinating serial killer takes us through the Author’s charismatic young coworker: Ted Bundy. 

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (912 pages)

There are a few books in the Harry Potter Potter series which are over 500 pages.

I have chosen Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for today’s list because it’s my favorite in the whole series, and one of my favorite books ever! There are many things to love about – such as Luna, Harry’s first kiss, Dumbledore’s Army, and Professor Umbridge for some weird reasons. 

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The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (733 pages)

Ken Follett’s masterpiece is a magnificent tale of a twelfth-century monk who is determined to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known. It’s also an immersive saga of love, betrayal, and power. 

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Dune by Frank Herbert (658 pages)

• Shortlisted for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2007.

Set in the far future, Dune is a groundbreaking science fiction novel that became one of the bestselling science fiction books of all time. It features a cast of unforgettable otherworldly characters including desert warriors and even a priceless “spice”. Some even believe the ecological insights in Herbert’s masterpiece were ahead of its time. 

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The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco  (536 pages)

• Winner of the Premio Strega 
• Winner of the Prix Médicis Etranger awards

Prepare to be transported into a 14th-century Italian monastery in Umberto Eco’s first novel. This is a medieval murder mystery concerning a labyrinthine library that will lead you to the path of murder, morality, and love. 

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Great Expectations by Charles Dickens  (544 pages)

To tell the truth, most Dickens’ novels are longer than 500 pages, so I chose Great Expectations as I am more drawn towards classic coming-of-age stories. And young Pipe’s story is incredibly inspiring. Plus it’s on my April 2023 tbr list.  

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Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1037 pages)

• Pulitzer Prize Winner 

I couldn’t resist including The Greatest American Novel in this list. Gone With the Wind is just above 500 pages, but it’s one such masterpiece that one can’t really forget.

As one of the most powerful anti-war novels ever, this is a must-read. 

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An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears

This utterly compelling mystery novel will transport you to 17th-century Oxford. Set in the background of the English civil war, the reader gets to read conflicting accounts of four different narratives, about the murder of an Oxford don.  

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The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (637 pages)

Written in a melancholic tone, The Blind Assassin is quite a slow ride. The book begins with the mysterious death of a young woman named Laura Chase in 1945. It’s a gothic romance, mystery thriller, and science fiction. 

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The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (576 pages)

• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2021)
• #1 New York Times Bestseller
• A Today Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick

An enthralling, coming-of-age historical fiction, road trip novel featuring three young men from desperate backgrounds. It’s a wild ride, where everything seems to go wrong, yet you will find yourself drawn into their epic tale of misadventure and self-discovery. 

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The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (704 pages)

A murder mystery novel that’s also a vampire romance, The Historian is inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It all begins when a young woman (we never know her name) discovers the secrets of her family’s past, a connection to an inconceivable evil. 

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House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas (803 pages)

• Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Fantasy (2020)
• #1 New York Times bestseller!

I first came to know about Sarah J. Maas’s brand-new Crescent city series, through booktok. And it was not something I would ever imagine I would be interested in. This urban fantasy featuring skyscrapers, werewolves, and cell phones is a rollercoaster ride of adventure. 

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The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (1216 pages)

The epic fantasy published nearly 70 years ago, still captivates readers around the world. The mesmerizing world of hobbits, elves, dwarfs, and wizards still remains one of the most beloved literary novels of all time. An enduring tale of bravery, friendship, and a fight against evil is a must-read for readers of all ages. 

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Middlemarch by George Eliot (904 pages)

This remarkable historical fiction set in England explores nearly every subject matter of modern life. The novel chronicles the dynamics of marriage as well as a social class in 19th-century England. 

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The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton  (848 pages)

• The Winner of the Man Booker Prize
• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2013)

Author Eleanor Catton’s second novel The Luminaries, which has won her the Booker prize, is an irresistible tale set in southern New Zealand in 1866.

The protagonist Walter Moody has come to claim a fortune in New Zealand’s booming gold rush. Moody is immediately drawn into a complex network of fates and fortunes. It’s a well-researched intriguing historical mystery with elements of astrology infused. 

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The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (625 pages)

You most certainly had to study Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, and like most people you might have skipped reading it. But I promise you that reading classics in adulthood is totally different. The Three Musketeers is an incredible adventure story that you will love. Plus this time no pressure of writing an essay on it after reading it! So give it a go. 

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Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (592 pages)

• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2021)

Another family saga on the list is Jonathan Franzen’s sixth novel about a 70s middle-class family facing a significant moral crisis. Russ Hildebrandt is about to break free of his joyless marriage, and so is his wife. And their four children are going through their own complicated issues. If you’re into reading sweeping family sagas with compelling plots and eccentric characters, read this one. 

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American Gods by Neil Gaiman (635 pages)

Neil Gaiman is a genius when it comes to combining mythology, adventure, and mystery in contemporary novels. American Gods is a contemporary masterpiece for so many reasons but mainly for its powerful imagery and richly crafted characters. The story of a building power struggle between old gods and new gods is dark, humorous, and poetic. I am so glad it’s not a quick read.

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The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon  (639 pages)

• The Pulitzer Prize Winner
• New York Times Bestseller  
• Named one of the 10 Best Books of the Decade by Entertainment Weekly 
• Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award
• National Book Critics Circle Award 
• Los Angeles Times Book Prize

This is an exuberant and irresistible novel that follows two Jewish cousins; an escape artist magician Joe Kavalier and Brooklyn-born Sammy Clay. These two unlikely teenage boys bond over their shared interest in comic books. And together they create a Nazi-fighting superhero. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a truly immersive novel and captivating, that you’ll hardly realize that the book is over 500 pages. 

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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (850 pages)

• New York Times Bestseller
• One of the top ten best-loved novels in America

If you’re part of a small group of people, who have not yet read this remarkable time-travel romance, it’s high time that you do. The main character is a nurse who travels through time to 18th-century Scotland and falls passionately in love with James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior.  This long series is a gripping Scottish Highland story that you don’t want to miss. 

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Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (529 pages)

• 2003 Pulitzer Prize Winner

Jeffrey Eugenides’ second novel Middlesex is the story of someone who was born intersex but raised as a girl. It’s also a multigenerational family drama of a Greek-American Stephanides family, who travel to Detroit.

The descriptive prose, wry humor, and themes of alienation and transformation, there is so much to love about Eugenides’ brilliant writing. 

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Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan (512 pages)

• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fantasy (2022)
• Nominee for Best Debut Novel (2022)
• The acclaimed national and international bestseller

If you enjoy reading fantasy novels inspired by myths, legends, and folktales, you’ll love this book. Inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Daughter of the Moon Goddess is a vivid and dreamy portrayal of mythical fantasy. This heartbreaking romance explores how far one woman will go for the sake of love, and family. 

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Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (563 pages)

• New York Times bestseller
• ALA Notable Children’s Book Award Winner
• Winner of the Book Sense Book of the Year Children’s Literature Award

Inkheart has everything that you look for in an enthralling young adult fantasy about books. Twelve-year-old Meggie’s adventure begins when her father, a man with wonderful and sometimes terrible ability, starts to read aloud. A timeless tale about books, imagination, and oh, also an epic book for family road trips. 

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Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig (528 pages)

I picked up Band of Sisters, without even reading the blurb, because it’s an audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan. But I was quickly drawn into the world of this fascinating group of young women.

Their resilience, bravery, and courage are truly worth spending hours reading/ listening to. Also, I must add that Band of Sisters is probably one of those historical fiction books that don’t fall under the historical romance genre and instead offers a compelling narrative of single women performing acts of heroism with very subtle elements of romance. 

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Excited to read these lengthy novels? What are some of your recommendations, let me know in the comments!

Stephy

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