Model Citizen

This is one of those books you pick up in a charity shop for 25p. It was massive at over 600 pages and a real marathon epic story. It's the size of 3 normal books, has an older style of writing that I wondered if I was going to manage past the first couple of pages...
But, I found that the first few pages are a style not repeated in the rest of the book. It is one of the most intriguing, funny, moving and peaceful books I've read in the SF genre.
It is the story of Lazarus Long, the oldest human alive who has lived for 23 centuries. He has lived this long due to a genetic programme of breeding set up in the early 1900's, maybe before, and then boosted as technology allowed for rejuvenation.
Lazarus is tired though, very tired and no longer wants to live. He has disguised himself as a tramp, headed for a 'homeworld' of Secondus where he wants to die, alone and unmourned.
This does'nt happen though, he is found by the ruling government on Secondus, and because he is 'The Elder' from whom most of the human race can be related he is coaxed into living again and taking another rejuvenation. Along the way he is coaxed also into giving some of his history which involves the book being spliced into sort of sub books that are so diverse. We see Lazarus as a man so lazy that his only option is to become a genius (think: a man who is so lazy to get up and turn the telly over inventing the remote control to spare him the effort) who embarks on a Naval career near WW2. The story of Lazarus as a spaceship Captain picking up a pair of slaves who are twins but not twins (the technology and DNA was explained but it went over my head) who teaches them to be more than just 'pets' but individual strong people. the story of Lazarus with the first woman he ever truly loves, who starts off as his adopted daughter! and becomes a story of a pioneering couple forging a life similar to the early American settlers but with a futuristic twist.
Also, dispersed between these stories are what I would describe as Lazarus's Books OF Proverbs, some of the funniest and poignant thoughts he's recorded.
Thoughts like: If you ever find yourself in an argument with your wife where you are 100% in the right-apologise at once.
A society that introduces identity cards is near the brink of collapse.

Whilst Lazarus has been under the process of rejuvenation he has been attracting a sort of family around him of relations and careers, scientists and historians that he eventually joins in a new pioneering away from the most advanced civilisation to a new untouched planet to start again. The city computer has also been tasked with finding a new adventure for Lazarus that will inspire him to live longer, one that is finally arrived at with Time Travel. The book finishes with the adventure of Lazarus travelling back in time to 1917 to meet his own family and due to a small miscalculation with time also get embroiled in WW1.

An incredible epic of a book, sometimes it feels like this is 7 or 8 book ideas cobbled together to make up one really big one, but it is never more than exciting. You come to love the character of Lazarus (who has a temperament a bit like Jessie Duke), and listen to the wisdom he's learned from 23 centuries of having done most things that can be thought of.

Heinliens idea of the future is great, the sexual revolution that has clearly taken place takes a bit of getting used to and if you dont get used to it you will never accept what happens later in the book, which maybe one of Heinliens motives behind the book: destroying prejudices and taboos.