Moon Tiger, by Penelope Lively

This won the Booker prize in the late 80s and yet I think is a consistently underrated read. Telling the story of Claudia Hampton, a journalist and historian, it captures the sense of time and place so beautifully. The characterisation is stunning, and it combines humour with some utterly moving elements.
I've read this book many, many times and always find something new in it somehow. A must read