Perfectly respectable happy books

Now that I think about it, almost all of my literature is bleak or satirical. How about some literature that deals with how great everything is? Too difficult to write?

What about Candide, or, Optimism???

The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman is funny and hopeful...although some sad stuff does happen. A lovely book.

Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons is also hopeful and lovely.

These aren't "great" literature, but they are worthwhile reads that left me with a happy glow.

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons is both humorous and serious, and involves putting what seems to be a hopelessly bleak situation into unexpectedly happy order. It's a wonderful book.

Is it literature if it mentions famous work such as Jane eyre. If it is then you need fforde's works to cheer you up. Start with The eyre affair.

Or go down the children's route. Wind in the Willows is literature. And cheerful. and celebrates how great a picknick by the river can be.

Candide is actually mocking the hero's happiness. Vonnegut's Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five is busy being happy in dire circumstances; God Bless You Mr Rosewater has a similar conceit. I've published some novels in a similar vein, from a more contemporary angle. It's an interesting question: people are interested in happiness, but they find it hard to talk about, without resorting to pop psychology. I'm convinced that it's a niche that fiction doesn't explore enough.

Hmmm. Happy, somewhat literary, for grown-ups? Perused my library and came up with these:

Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries - Dorothy Sayers
A Confederacy of Dunces not touchstoning - pretty happy, isn't it?
The Life of Pi
Lucia books - E.F. Benson

Oh, and I second the Fforde books. Very funny.

I thought I'd find more. Here, here (or is it hear, hear?) for the bleak and satirical!

If I interpret your idea of "happy" books as those that are not bleak or satirical, I think they might be what I term "nice" books. I find myself passing up my mysteries and SF and romances for these every now and then.

You might try the "Mma Ramotswe" books (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books by Alexander McCall Smith. I have enjoyed these both in audio and print - although I must confess I do not care for his other series'.

I also like the "Mitford" books by Jan Karon. The main character is an Episcopal priest in a small town in North Carolina but they are not overly religious (or I would not be reading/listening to them). Think of a variation on small town life a la Lake Wobegone.

Speaking of which, the Garrison Keillor books are good too.

Seeing the recommendation of Alexander McCall Smith made me think of my favourite trilogy which is written by him, which starts off with Portuguese Irregular Verbs about a hopeless professor who specializes in, well, Portuguese irregular verbs. The second book The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs has got to be one of the funniest books I've ever read. I haven't read much else by him but I would recommend this trilogy to anyone!

>6 krolik: krolik
Candide was one of the first e-audio books I listened to; I wanted to try the medium, but started with short books just to get used to it. Candide was one of the many books I'd heard was excellent, owned a copy, but hadn't yet read. I agree that it's satirical, rather than "happy," but my version was by a good narrator, and I ended up chuckling a lot at the ridiculousness of everything.

>8 heyjude: heyjude
I second your suggestion of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I only read that first one in the series, but it was very enjoyable.

I capture the castle by Dodie Smith, a good read & funny, Ann Tyler'searly works,serious stories but optomistic, Charles Baxter The feast of love Olive Ann Burns Cold Sassy Tree Jon Hassler The love hunter All of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon stuff.

Anything by P. G. Wodehouse.

Sorry, he gets the bold red touchstone tonight.

Try Fifty Acres and a Poodle by Jeanne Marie Laskas. She writes essays for The Washington Post magazine. Her book is about when she and her boyfriend (both city folks) bought a farm. It's a fun read.

I was looking to see what kinds of books you like to read in order to make my suggestion, but since you don't have a public library perhaps you'd like to share on this thread the kinds of books you like. It might make suggesting something else for you to read easier.

>13 SqueakyChu: SqueakyChu - This isn't relevant at all, just an aside: you wrote, "since you don't have a public library," and I immediately thought, "No public library, how terrible!" Then I realized that you meant the user's LT catalog is private. D'oh! Yes, I really do have a Master's degree! I even used to be pretty smart before I had children! Egads.

Oh I didn't think anyone would really recommend books to me in particular, so I didn't bother, SqueakyChu. But Fifty Acres and a Poodle looks good to me, as does Alexander McCall Smith's trilogy up there.

Thinking more about my own catalog, it occurs to me that The Razor's Edge is a great happy book. Some very unfortunate things happen, really it's painfully realistic about how life actually works out for people, compromising and such, but the author's attitude is positive and it's really just a nice and endearing book.

I love to recommend books. Since I have no idea if you are male or female, I'll tell you that both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed Fifty Acres and a Poodle. (...a standard poodle)

If you read it and like it, feel free to come back for another suggestion! :D

John Dufresne introduced me to some incredibly oddball, tragi-comic characters in Lousiana Power And Light and Deep In The Shade Of Paradise. Highly recommended.

heyjude- Alexander McCall Smith is definitely a great choice- but Carl Hiaasen is always good for a laugh and a good story.

threadjack
#6 "It's an interesting question: people are interested in happiness, but they find it hard to talk about, "

As in the the Hobbit when they spend weeks at Rivendale but Tolkien doesn't manage to say anything about them. I can't remember the exact quote now.

/threadjack.

Thirds or whatever we are on now for Alexander Smith's No.1 detective series. Personally I didn't like 44 scotland much.

I second P. G. Wodehouse and also recommend Barbara Pym and Anthony Trollope's Barsetshire novels. The Egg and I is nice fun book, and also City BoyThe adventures of Herbie Bookbinder by Herman Wouk, Fool on the Hill by Matt Ruff. Michael Malone and T.R. Pearson and Ed McClanahan The Natural Man for modern Southern comic novels.

I would recommed The shell seekers - a wonderful, upbeat book.

When I want a lighter read - I reach for anthing by Janette Oke. She's listed as a Christian author, but I don't feel as if she's selling religion, it's just who her characters are. One need not be deeply reliogious to enjoy her books. My favorite is the Song of Acadia saga (5 in all) coauthored with T. Davis Bunn They should definitely be read in order. I think the correct sequence is: The Meeting Place, The Sacred Shore, The Birthright, The Distant Beacon, The Beloved Land (song of Acadia).

I recommend Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin. A group of perfectly sensible, interesting people pair off and marry. Colwin makes these everyday decisions as interesting as they'd be had the characters been people we know. Someone has tagged this books with "comedy of manners" and "cozy fiction" and those sound like good tags to search for further possibilities.

If you've ever believed that just doing the right thing for people, and that using a little imagination to deal with life, ought to make the world better, I recommend Thornton Wilder's Theophilus North. It's one book that's always made me hopeful.

It's sort of a cross between Jane Austen ("perfectly happy", after a lot of intrigue) and F. Scott Fitzgerald (the rich in the 20s). Over the years, I've tried to get several people to read it, but haven't had any luck.

jjlong,
Theophilus North is a favorite of mine, too

Leonie Swann's Three Bags Full : A Sheep Detective Story is very funny, although not great literature. It tells of a flock of sheep in Ireland, including Miss Maple, who try to solve the death of their shepherd.

If you want to feel uplifted, try The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon which ends with such optimism.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Jane Austen -- pretty much take your pick; they are all happily ever after; yet still 'perfectly respectable.'

I put up for consideration 3 by Rita Mae Brown, Six of One, Bingo, and Loose Lips. They are about sisters Juts and Wheezie Hunsenmeir. I re-read them yearly and laugh as muchas I did the first time with each new reading. Ms. Brown has a joyous and pragmatic outlook on life. I always feel happy and sad and connected to humanity more after reading about Juts and Wheezie and the folks of Runneymede.

"No matter how quirky or devilish, Brown’s people cavort in an atmosphere of tenderness....It is refreshing to encounter this celebration of human energy.” —Chicago Sun-Times

For a hopeful view of things, I submit the many Barsetshire novels of Angela Thirkell. She managed, ably, to keep up her wit and humor, writing a book a year for about thirty years, through WWII and its aftermath.

Here are several that I'm about due to re-read for the nth time, except, painfully enough, they seem to have disappeared from my stacks into some wormhole that sucks up books around here. Each of them is satisfyingly unsentimental, intelligent, and often funny.

Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler

The River Why by David James Duncan

One of the Casualties by Weldon Hill

(edited to add the Weldon Hill book). Just noticed that all three books have young men as central characters, and that they were written in the 80s, 70s, and 60s respectively.

I recommend wholeheartedly Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. It's a children's book, but adults still love it. Anne is absolutely adorable and heart-warming. I've read it a few times. I like Emily of New Moon by the same author even better. Montgomery wrote it later in her life, and she says it's more realistic. Emily's life is not easy, but the tone is optimistic and it's just so beautifully written. Emily of New Moon is probably my favourite book of all time.

Someone mentioned The Wind in the Willows, which is a good choice. Also Little Women and probably Peter Pan, and even The Importance of Being Ernest. David Copperfield is about half-happy and half-difficult, but there's humor throughout and everything works out well in the end, and The Pickwick Papers is very funny. :)

I ditto all the recommendations for The Ladies Number One Detective Agency for a happy read. Although they may not qualify even as "somewhat literary" how about Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fannie Flagg or Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts.

>31 Marchpane: Saint Maybe has been one of my favorites for years.

along with seconding any number of those above i'd recommend:

confessions of a failed southern lady by florence king

the color purple by alice walker for although it's very painful, i find it joy-inducing as well. it's certainly not a 'how great everything is' book but it left me feeling that great can be brought about.

animal dreams, the bean trees and pigs in heaven by barbara kingsolver get it for me. i love animal dreams particularly although it's not considered her best.

i also enjoyed horse heaven by jane smiley.

how about fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe? TOWANDA

and there're always winnie-the-pooh and house at pooh corner when, like pooh, you need a little something to pick you up.

edit: the color purple shows up in touchstone blue on the right but not in the post itself. *shrug* who could understand these mysteries.

Candide and A Confederacy of Dunces are two of the funniest books ever written but they aren't exactly 100% happy.

The former deals with maimings and disasters. The latter, mental illness, pornography, alcoholism and long stints in public restrooms.

They are clearly the top two best books on this post though!

I just finished reading a brand-new book (published May 2009) by Mindy Friddle (an LT author): Secret Keepers has a 72-year-old heroine, an interesting community of other characters, their family history, exotic plants, and a South Carolina summer.

I think this belongs to a *magic wilderness/garden* theme in fiction that's definitely not bleak (Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman also comes to mind).

Most of David Lodge can be considered funny, although pergaps in an academic kind of way, and with a definite English twist. In my teens I found The British Museum is Falling Down absolutely hilarious.