I prefer a long-gun for home defense. A good shotgun or rifle is far more likely to STOP a shooter than any pistol, no matter what Ultra Mega-super Magnum ammo you feed it (unless maybe it's a .500 Magnum). As for being unwieldy, Ok, I'll buy that, but I ain't stupid enough to go wandering around looking for a bad guy in the dark of the night, I pay taxes for cops to handle that. I keep my cell-phone in the bedroom with me in case the phones go out (with my cable-system phone service, no power=no phone). I'm just going to hunker down in the bedroom doorway with the ol' M-37 Ithaca 12 gauge and wait for yon evildoer to poke his head around the corner or the sound of sirens, whichever comes first. Here in Detroit the scum run in packs and only butt-crack Rambo's go runnin' around the house thinking it's the O.K. Corral!
1st, get a weapon you like and which works well
2nd, learn your house (weak points, zones of fire, construction etc.) and make it work for you. Get alarms, bars on the windows, good locks, whatever you can afford to make your home a better castle.
3rd, keep emergency supplies in the bedroom. Gun, cell phone, flashlights, BATTERIES, first-aid kit etc. Adjust according to your needs, if the cops are hours away (if you live in the real boonies) have water and snacks and meds in there, you might need them.
4th, get good training and advice, gun mags and websites are great, they are also full of mall-ninjas and chuckleheads (though not around here, of course). Use your brain, you were issued it for a reason.
Lastly, practice emergencies, from fire to intruders. Practice lets you screw up for free, waiting for the real thing can be awful expensive.
Hope this helps.