1. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
This took me just short of six months to read when I was in college. I loved every moment of it, and I have no idea why it took so long, but I just could not read it for more than a few paragraphs at a time. The book isn't very long - it is a substantial length - and I thoroughly recommend it. It is so beautiful and poetic, and one of the earliest Gothic novels; it follows Emily, a young unmarried woman who must live with an aunt and her husband after the death of Emily's parents. Mysterious things start to happen.
2. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
I started this when I was 6, and I hated it. I restarted it when I was 12, and I hated it. I finally got around to finishing it last year, so I feel like I have to count it since it took me, technically, almost two decades. I'm still not a huge fan of it - where are the women? - but I do understand its place in the fantasy genre.
3. Paradise Lost by John Milton
Like Udolpho, I loved this but I had to take my time with it, and I think I managed to finish it in just under a year. I found that rushing through the poem was exhausting, even though I enjoyed reading it. It tells the story of the war between Heaven and Hell, and famously portrays Lucifer as a tragic hero. It is an epic poem, and stunningly beautiful.
4. Atonement by Ian McEwan
I had to study this for my English Literature A Level, and dear gods I hated it. It didn't help that my teacher was such a huge fan of the novel, and seemed to genuinely enjoy picking it apart and analysing it. I was able to force myself to finish the hell of reading it just in time for the coursework, but I think it took a total of four months of reading it every single day. It follows a few characters during the Second World War.
5. Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius
I started this in January of 2014. One day I'll get beyond the first book.
Let me know what your five are!
E