Day Three: The Longest Book You've Read

Les Miserables is the longest book I've read in entirety, weighing in at a hefty 1,463 pages.  And yes, I read it before the movie came out.  I've actually read it all the way through twice.  The first time I read it, I was a sophomore in college.  My American Lit professor saw me carrying it around and accused me of "just trying to look smarter."  He bet me that I'd never get through it.  Well, I am and have always been a stubborn old poop, so when he told me I couldn't do it he provided me with the incentive I needed to muddle through it.

It is also by far the most difficult lengthy book I've read.  It, by Stephen King, Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, and the North and South trilogy by John Jakes are all of comparable length to Les Mis, but definitely much more lightweight on the readability scale.  I reread Les Mis over the summer last year.  It was even better the second time around.  I can't say that I like the book better than the musical, but it is definitely a read that everyone should complete at some point in their life.  Victor Hugo's grasp of the human condition and the drive within everyone to improve their status in life is incredibly moving, and his characterization is top-notch.  He is somewhat given to rather lengthy discourses on Napoleon Bonaparte and various battles in French history.  This can be off-putting, especially if you're not really "up" on French history.  

It is quite a sense of accomplishment to finish a book like Les Mis.  At some point, I plan on conquering Atlas Shrugged, but there's time for that later!  How about you?  What's the longest book you've read?