Long, long, long. But fortunately, it is a series of short stories/novellas covering the history of several families over a few thousand years in Sarum/Salisbury England. Some of the stories are better than others. It's tough sometimes to get attached to a group of characters and then have them left behind for another group. On the other hand, it's nice when a clunky group is quickly done away with. I would read more of Mr. Rutherfurd's books. I like the idea of seeing the evolution of a community over time. Did I say this was long? It's a big bang for your buck.