I really loved Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner – it just reminded me of old jazz songs like the ones that Ella Fitzgerald sang. Not sure why, but that’s just the vibe I got from it, and it was also a little bit romantic and one of the themes was a woman who was discovering herself and exploring her sensuality. I always crave reading it again every February (Valentine’s Day time) but it’s always so hard for me to reread things and I never can finish it the second time around because I already know how it ends. Any recommendations on books that have a similar vibe?
by Routine_Amphibian257
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You could try other Brookner novels; but her books are always melancholic, so not much joy!
I think you might like the vibe of Barbara Pym; there’s some of the same bleakness but generally leavened with satire and wit and sometimes gleams of happiness. Set in postwar Britain amongst the middle-classes, whom she skewers in Austen-esque style.
Not all her books have successful romantic relationships, but as you were disappointed with the outcome of Hotel du Lac, I can spoiler slightly and suggest An Unsuitable Attachment.