What is the most beautiful book you have ever read?

I also have "A summer book" and haven't read it yet - that's on my to-do list over xmas!

Definitely The Time Traveller's Wife. It's one of my all time favourites but I've had to stop myself from re-reading it any more because I get too upset at one particular sentence at the end. I can't even think about it without nearly crying!

The Dead (Joyce). The final para is particularly beautiful, lyrical. Once read, never forgotten.

The Hours - Michael Cunningham
One Hundred Years of Solidtude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Life of Pi

All absolutely beautiful. X

Oh and Richard Marius An Affair of Honour.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder.

Angela Carter Heroes and Villains.

I see a lot of you liked Gilead. I thought it uunbearably over- written and too self conciously " beautifully written". And quite dull.

How great- I would love to meet him. He doesn't live too far away either. What did he talk about?

Lil, I once went to a talk by Ronald Blythe once - such a nice man!

Mebs

I love Ronald Blythe's Worningford Trilogy too. Such evocative writing and what he doesn't know about Suffolk isn't worth knowing. Same with Roger Deakin -a all three of his books and Kathleen Jamie's Sightlines.

JL Carr, A Month in the Country
Ronald Blythe, Akenfield

Both of these are beautifully written; the Carr is a short and evocative novel and the Blythe is based on interviews he carried out in rural Suffolk, c1960.

Yes, Like Water for Chocolate for its magical realism and gorgeous descriptions of food. I also agree with The Secret Garden.

Thought of another - Green Dolphin Country by Elizabeth Goudge. Finely drawn characters against a beautiful setting.

Cowbiscuits, I was coming on just to recommend Miss Pettigrew Someone lent a copy of it around our office a few years ago, and everyone borrowed it in turn. I walked along the street reading it, and just loved it. One of the happiest, most enjoyable books I've ever read. If you need a pick-me-up, that's your one.

That said, I do love quite a lot of the rest of this list, though many of them are so sad I'd be reluctant to recommend them if you've had a tough time. But Pride and Prejudice is my other go-to book for instant comfort. In fact, I was travelling in India when I was 18, horribly homesick and lonely, and found a copy in a bookshop and was so comforted by its words. Jane Austen rocks.

I just scanned my bookshelves with the word 'beautiful' in mind and the ones that jumped out, for various reasons, were:

• Fair Stood the Wind for France (HE Bates)
• Stoner (John Williams)
• Notes from an Exhibition (Patrick Gale)
• A Widow for One Year (John Irving)
• The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguro)
• Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Adichie)
• Rebecca (Du Maurier)
• I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith)
• The Time Travellers Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)

...they don't all necessarily have beautiful writing, but a pervading quality of beauty (for me) nonetheless.

Thank you for the mentions of Mrs Harris - I'd never heard of them, but have been totally delighted with them since this thread started

Miss Pettigrew lives for a day by Winifred Watson

www.persephonebooks.co.uk/miss-pettigrew-lives-for-a-day-classic.html

Published by the super Persephone Books, the book itself is beautiful with gorgeous end papers and matching book mark with striking grey cover. I like to 'treat' myself to their books occasionally.

Described as a Cinderella for adults. It is the story that is beautiful rather than the style of writing which is excellent but perhaps not beautiful. Will definitely cheer you up though, sorry to hear you have had a tough year - looks like you have loads to go at here, I have just doubled my amazon wish list after reading all the replies so thanks all

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver : I've just reread it and was blown away by her writing again.

Jonathan Safran Foer Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close : breathtaking

yy to Room (quite scary in places and sad but beautiful and v.gripping) and Guess How Much I Love you!
Going to come back here later with my Kindle in hand and download a few samples of the suggestions!

Rabbit Run by John Updike. Rabbit isn't even likeable but it's just so beautifully observed.

Oh. Johnathan Livingstone Seagull. Another book that changed my life, sent to me by my Uncle when my son died.
Again, passed it on to someone who needed it, but it has stayed with me

huuugssss...

this topic is wonderful!

I have to mention Elena Ferrante...Italian novelist and damn great one!...what a discovery!!!

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, my vote goes to this one.

Oh. Johnathan Livingstone Seagull. Another book that changed my life, sent to me by my Uncle when my son died.
Again, passed it on to someone who needed it, but it has stayed with me

VelvetGreen yes, yes, yes to On the Black Hill, by Bruce Chatwin. I have read it so many times. Never 'met' anyone else who has read it before.

Have loathed all the Mitch Albom books, I think someone used the word tosh upthread. Agree.

aaaand...not to forget absolutely wonderful...exceptional Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.