"The Northern Clemency" by Philip Hensher was a long (over 600 p) about Enland in the 70's. It has great character development, something I really like in a book. It also told about life in England, but many of the characters could be anywhere. It told about two families who were neighbors and how their lives were affected by the times and each other. Probably this book would bore most people to sleep, but I like it.
Pantechnican-moving van