Properly literary fiction vs just fiction

[Myrobalanna]

I mean great writing AND great plotting AND great characters AND inspirational use of language AND a certain take on the world...does it still exist? I keep reading reviews, buying a book I think will be fantastic, and there's just nothing to it.

Would really love some recommendations for recent, 'proper books' - not that I don't enjoy the others but I want something amazing!

Alice Munro! I had one of those transcendental moments you describe when I first read a book of hers. She only writes short stories, just FYI but you won't regret it.

Another vote for Remains of the Day.
My all time favourites:
Little Women and Good Wives.
War and Peace.
Gone With The Wind.
The Just William Books.

Can I say Doris Lessing even though I haven't read any? My df is a huge fan but we don't see eye to eye on books (ditto Trollope) so am wary. Gauche question alert, what are her books like? Always liked her when (rarely)seen as herself.

It's non fiction but I can't put down the aquariums of pyongyang

Lots of favourites and good ideas here! Robertson Davies was/is a particular love of mine. Enjoyed them all, and I assume they are still in print. Pat Barker, Sebastian Faulkes, Ian McEwen, and I can't think of the author's name, but the Old Filth trilogy is fantastic.

Jane Gardam! Glad to see that someone else likes Robertson Davies, I thought he had been forgotten in the tsunami that is the publishing industry.