Books like An object of beauty by Steve Martin

Candide: A Tale of Conviviality and Optimism in a Wretched World

After being murdered at fourteen, Susie Salmon watches from heaven as her family, friends, and killer grapple with grief and justice, revealing how love and forgiveness shape a family's future.

The Goldfinch chronicles the life of thirteen‑year‑old Theo Decker, who survives a museum attack that kills his mother and carries an art piece that becomes a lifelong obsession, exploring loss, identity, and art in contemporary America.

A novel about Emma Woodhouse, a young woman's struggles with matchmaking, misplaced pride, and the dangers of meddling in others' lives in 18th-century England.

In 1964 South Carolina, Lily Owens, grieving her mother’s death, seeks refuge with a fierce stand‑in mother and a trio of black beekeeping sisters who open her to the secret world of bees, honey, and healing.

Jennifer Egan’s interlocking narratives weave the lives of Bennie Salazar, a former punk rocker turned record executive, and Sasha, a restless young woman, across decades and continents, exploring music, memory and the fragile threads that bind us.

A devoted dog reflects on life, love, and racing while watching his owner, a race car driver, navigate family trials and professional ambition.

A comic adventure of Joseph Andrews, a loyal footman who resists Lady Booby’s advances, escapes London with his love Fanny Goodwill, faces thieves, and ultimately marries after comedic reversals.

A comic travelogue following the Pickwick Club as they journey across England, observing and humorously critiquing social customs, inns, and the everyday lives of their fellow travelers.

20s Young Woman’s Adventures in Old Edinburgh

In Alexander McCall Smith’s witty series, the residents of 44 Scotland Street – from motherly Bertie to philosopher Isobel – share everyday humor and unexpected insights into life, friendship, and the human condition.

James Salter's 'All that is' is a captivating and sometimes devastating labyrinth of love and ambition. A deeply intimate portrait of the emotional and physical experiences of being alive. Set during the golden decades following World War II, the book captures Salter's lifelong obsession with capturing the intimate, ephemeral spaces that all of us hold and leave behind on paper. After serving as a young officer in Okinawa during the war, Philip Bowman returns home to a small publishing house in New York. The frenetic social scene of New York in the post-war era is a backdrop for the story, where Bowman feels at home. However, his enduring love seems to elude him. When he meets a woman who captivates him, Bowman embarks on a journey that he never intended to take. The book is celebrated for its lyrical evocation of a post-war world imaginatively rendered and beautifully written.

A Texas-born writer, Danny Deck journeys from Houston to California in pursuit of literary success, discovering new friendships and complex relationships along the way.

A foundling named Tom Jones is raised by a benevolent landowner, growing into a kind-hearted young man whose love affair with a well-born daughter sparks class conflict. The novel, one of the first English-language works, explores themes of prostitution and promiscuity.

In Anthony Trollope’s 1863 novel *Rachel Ray*, a young woman must abandon her fiancé amid unfounded rumors spread by her community, including her sister and the pastors of her family's churches.

Corduroy Mansions follows the quirky lives of tenants in a Pimlico apartment block, from a wine‑merchant’s dog‑named Freddie to a colonic‑irrigation enthusiast and a snarky MP’s mistress, all set against London’s everyday humour.

A delight in Edinburgh, with witty dialogue and humor.

A party planner from Manhattan finds herself thrust into the spotlight and the heart of scandal as she navigates the social and professional challenges of high society.

A series of humorous short stories about the residents of a Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, featuring the colorful characters of McCall Smith's beloved 44 Scotland Street series.

Bob Dillon, a struggling exterminator in Queens, becomes an unwitting assassin when a flyer ends up in the wrong hands, forcing him into a deadly chase through New York’s underworld.

The Art Spirit offers Robert Henri’s enduring guidance—practical techniques, philosophical insight, and a philosophy of artistic attitude—drawn from his influential tenure at the Art Students League of New York.