It is most definitely, The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough. I recall picking it up and when I saw how thick it was, I was ready to put it back down. I wanted easy reads at that time and no long drawn out ones. However, it turned out to be the best book I have ever read and still remains in my memory today.
The book has a total of 692 pages in standard printed editions but could vary between 530 and 708 pages depending on whether it is a paperback, hardcover, or a book edition. That’s a lot of pages but believe me when I say, I breezed through it and couldn’t put it down. I WANTED MORE!
It is a family saga with a love story woven in that will break your heart and it was right down my alley. I love stories especially ones that make you cry and this one did. The romance was doomed from the start and it will span three generations. Meggie, the only daughter, falls for and carries on a lifelong romance with Father Ralph de Bricassart. Heartbreak is the name of the game but diehard romantics, me included, couldn’t care less! It was and still is the best romance novel of all time, in my opinion.
It is also the longest book I’ve ever read but it didn’t seem that way at all. That in itself is a mark of a good book, one that was well-written and captures your imagination and keeps you captivated to the very end.
A great book and one of a kind.
