FictionMatters

FictionMatters

Reading in Public No. 16: Long books, active attention, and CoComelon

What do readers owe long books?

Sara Hildreth's avatar
Sara Hildreth
Aug 22, 2023
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2023 has been my year of Big Books. This began when I started Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries (my third attempt) in December of last year and finally finished it in February. Since then I’ve read Fellowship Point, Birnam Wood, The Parisian, Three, The Fraud, and Wellness—all books over 500 pages—and I have quite a few hefty tomes I’d still like to get t…

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