I’m looking for a book that has beautiful prose and is more stylistic (uses literary devices beautifully).
I’m not really into fantasy so any beginner-fantasy-friendly books would be great. I’ve only read ACOTAR so far, but I guess fantasy fits what I’m looking for? Literary/contemporary fiction as well!
by Character-Lie-6109
10 Comments
Anything by Guy Gavriel Kay. Often considered one of the best prose writers alive
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Its a beautiful book.
Anna Karenina is beautiful, but I’m not sure it’s what you’re looking for. Piranesi as well.
Maurice, by EM Forster.
Love letters to the dead by Ava Dellaira
Anything by Clarice Lispector
The Great Gatsby. Phenomenal IMO
the Night Circus
For specifically fantasy, check out Patrick Rothfuss. I’ve read a decent amount of fantasy and his prose is probably the best I’ve encountered, although there’s certainly an argument for both Tolkein and Susanna Clarke.
If you’re willing to go outside of fantasy there are tons of options. Nabokov has famously beautiful prose, I’ve only read Lolita but it rang true for that book. My personal favorite prose is McCarthy’s: simultaneously sparse and poetic is how I’d describe it. Neither of those authors are particularly beginner-friendly though, so maybe Donna Tartt for something easier and more contemporary? I think even her detractors would agree that her prose is beautiful and evocative.
*The War of the Flowers* by Tad Williams.