When you’re talking about big reads, Anthony Powell’s Dance to the Music of Time certainly must be in the discussion. This 12-book cycle comes in at close to 3,000 pages, was published over the course of 25 years, and has over 10 major characters.
University of Chicago Press, which publishes the book in the U.S. has just come out with a complete e-book edition of the 12 volumes (or you can get it in 4 physical volumes). What’s more–for the month of December they will be tempting budding Powellists with a free download of the firs volume, A Question of Upbringing (the free download can be made from U of C’s website or any place where ebooks are currently (legally) downloaded).