Looking for good literature with happy endings

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ShetlandPony
ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
edited July 2015 in Life After Breast Cancer

Now we know that good literature with happy endings is not an oxymoron because we have my dear friend Jane Austen as a shining example. I would love to hear suggestions of novels that are great for their insightful character development, clever plots, fascinating settings, and good writing. I don't want to read about a character being pursued by a villain throughout the book and eventually being caught. I don't want everyone to die. I don't want depression and doom. I read to escape these things! (See diagnosis.) Sure, some not-so-great things might happen in the book, but the general feeling of the book should be good. I don't care if it is for kids or adults. And if it was written before the 20th or 21st century, and the language is complicated, so much the better. If there are members out there who are also looking for this sort of thing, let's share ideas! (No spoilers, please.)

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited June 2015

    Here are some of my suggestions.

    The Penderwicks and sequels by Jeanne Birdsall. Interesting and happy. Written for kids.

    The Barsetshire series and the Palliser novels by Anthony Trollope. Read them if you like Jane Austen.

    The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, translated by Bruce Penman. Ok, it involves the plague, but it has a quality of goodness and a happy ending.

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited June 2015

    So Much For That. By Lionel Shriver. It does have some cancer in it, but it is an excellent book. I think she will be remembered as one of the greatest writers of our time. A writer's writer. She will delight your brain.

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  • BrooksideVT
    BrooksideVT Member Posts: 2,211
    edited June 2015

    Anything by Alexander McCall Smith, especially The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency, and the books that follow, where Precious Ramatswe and her secretary/sidekick drink tea, trustm(usually) in human nature, and solve lots of little mysteries concerning relationships and ethics.

    I also loved The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella, where a super high-powered attorney who has never lifted a finger finds herself unemployed and accidentally accepts a job as a housekeeper.

    Both of these are especially wonderful as audio books.

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited June 2015

    Thank you, Tomboy and Brookside. I will take a look at all of the books you suggested.

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  • labelle
    labelle Member Posts: 721
    edited June 2015

    Although simply and clearly written, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, is one of my favorite reads. It is uplifting and spiritual without being religious. Every time I read it I get more out of it and it leaves me with good and hopeful feelings.

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  • ShetlandPony
    ShetlandPony Member Posts: 4,924
    edited June 2015

    That sounds great. Thanks, labelle.

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  • Bellis
    Bellis Member Posts: 18
    edited July 2015

    I would suggest Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt

    But nothing compares to Jane Austen :)

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