Novels set on holiday

A SEARCH ON Amazon for “novels about holidays” returns thousands of results. That is hardly surprising. A holiday, with its promise of adventure or escape, is an excellent setting for a novel. Many of the authors below were inspired by their own. And the idea of reading about a fictional character’s holiday while on one yourself has an instinctive appeal. But how do you choose from all those options? Like a local guide who steers you away from the tourist traps, The Economist has chosen some of the best novels set on holiday. Be warned, though: these include intellectual and aesthetic adventures, not just easy beach reads.