Smart books featuring honorable men with principles (ala Dickens, Steinbeck, King, McMurtry, etc.) ?

I realized awhile ago that I care less about genre than I do about characters. During the pandemic, I listened to every Steinbeck, Stephen King, Dickens, McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, etc. book that I could get on Libby w/4 library cards. (probably 75% of their bibliographies). The thing that I found attracted me most was the “good man” trope: Self-sacrificing, principled, courageous (though certainly flawed) men… like Doc in Cannery Row, Gus and Call in Lonesome Dove, and many heroic characters throughout King and Dickens novels. Plenty of WWII fiction/historical fiction (All The Light We Cannot See) has these characters too… and, I want more! (also, good biographies that explain why our current world is so messed up, and historical fiction ala Erik Larson, Rutherfurd, McCullough).

The only thing worse than being alone with my own thoughts while doing repetitive tasks all day for work is listening to poorly written books that are just strung-together cliches and shallow character development.

I would love recs for looooong books, and series of books. I prefer linear narratives and don’t love fantasy or things that are too abstract (I avoided King’s Dark Tower series until I was desperate, and was surprised to enjoy them -mostly just for the character development -couldn’t believe I was crying at work over the death of comic, mythical creature.)

Fave books of this year: (for context)

The Power Broker (about Robert Moses) -Caro

Cannery Row + Sweet Thursday -Steinbeck (re-listen every few years)

Factory Man -Beth Macy

The Wright Brothers -McCullough

Harlem Shuffle + Crook Manifesto -Whitehead

McTeague -Frank Norris (weird old-timey San Francisco)

The Bonfire of the Vanities + A Man In Full -Wolfe (plus Devil’s Candy -Salamon)

The Lonesome Dove series -McMurtry

Titan -Chernow (about John D. Rockefeller)

Ninth Street Women- Gabriel

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Fave King novels/novellas:

The Stand\*, The Green Mile\*, Lisey’s Story, Duma Key, 11/22/63, Joyland, Dr. Sleep\*, Mr. Mercedes, The Outsider, The Institute, Billy Summers, Different Seasons, Hearts in Atlantis\*, The Talisman, On Writing..

\*”good men” characters: Stu, Paul Edgecomb, Danny, Billy Freeman, Ted Brautigan, etc.

(hate/don’t like/can’t get into: Rowling, Maas, Murakami, Gaiman, other YA stuff…)

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Thanks!

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by jrusten