for Irene -
Margaret Yourcenar's "memoirs of Hadrian" is a fairly short book, as are some of the novels of Celine (brilliant but disgusting) Beckett (goes without saying) you might also try the work of Mavis Gallant, the novels of Iris Murdoch (i'm just now reading them a long time after the essays/philosophy and she's lovely to come back to)
i've likely wandered hopelessy off topic, but never mind,
