My favorite Dickens–Bleak House and, especially, Our Mutual Friend.
I love Trollope too! I’ve read 22 of his novels so far. I just started Kept in the Dark.
Trollope is great. I second the suggestion for the Guerney literary and potato,peel pie society. I also loved A Passage to India, the movie is great, but there is sooo much more in the book. And if you like all that Raj fiction - I also liked A Jewel in the Crown and I really liked Nightrunners of Bengal by John Masters, and Kim by Kipling. I’m also determined to balance the British point of view by reading books written by Indians. On my list forever has been A suitable boy.
^The Raj Quartet (The Jewel in the Crown, etc) and A Suitable Boy are huge favorites of mine. One reviewer wrote of A Suitable Boy “I’ve never met so many dear friends in any other novel.” I agree completely!
@mathmom, here are a few suggestions for more books about India or written by Indian authors: “A Fine Balance,” by Rohinton Mistry (fiction); “The Lowland,” by Jhumpa Lahiri (fiction); and “Beyond the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity,” by Katherine Boo (nonfiction). They’re among my favorites of the books I’ve read in the past five years or so.
@rosered55 - Thanks!
^I’ve been meaning to read Beyond the Beautiful Forevers, which is supposed to be amazing. A Fine Balance is totally excellent, but there is content in it that hurts your heart.
+1 for Beyond the Beautiful Forevers.
It has left a lasting impact on me when thinking about cultural differences and the behaviors of people living in extreme, extreme poverty and my own privilege. I recently returned from traveling in a different developing country and I thought about that book many times whenever I started thinking critically of how certain things were done/cultural differences.
Two older books about India that also give insight about people living in poverty are City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre and Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya.
I was really absorbed by The Signature of All Things, by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Also give a big thumbs up to A Suitable Boy (delightful), A Fine Balance (harrowing), and Behind the Beautiful Forevers (fascinating). The Raj Quartet, of course.
I just remembered another non-fiction book I found fascinating: The Places In Between by Rory Stewart. He walked across Afghanistan in 2002, following the route of an historical figure, depending on local hospitality.
Speaking of historical fiction, I really enjoyed most of Kenneth Roberts’ books, particularly Arundel and A Rabble in Arms.
I love the novels of Alan Furst, which are set in Europe in the WWII era. I suppose they would be considered spy novels. Mostly you’ll find them shelved in the Mystery section.
I’ve almost always enjoyed Bernard Cornwell, known for the Sharpe series, but I’m particularly fond of his Saxon series. (No, I am not a girly girl, I fear. 
)
We read Nectar in a Sieve in HS, along with Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. Both fine, illuminating novels that I should probably revisit.
I read “Things Fall Apart” in college (in the 1980s), and when my children read it in high school, I reread it. For me (and apparently a lot of literature teachers), it’s the “if you’re going to read only one book about the west and Africa and why things are the way they are, read this book.” Borrowing the word someone used up thread, it’s harrowing.
Two recent novels about Africa that I liked a lot better than Things Fall Apart:
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma.
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga. This is basically a bildungsroman that follows the development of a young girl. It provides fascinating insights into the lives of African women at different levels of society. The novel is short, well-written and very engaging. Highly recommended.
Oh, I’ve never heard of Nervous Conditions! Thanks for the suggestion!
Perhaps someone has already posted this, but new Gamache book out on August 30.
And yet another Trollope fan here… after finishing Fates and Furies, I pulled out the Palliser novels this morning as a palate cleanser. I would much rather read about the marriage of Glencora and Plantagenet, and all the other assortment of couples, as well, of course. So many couples, such varied relationships, most of which evolve through time, just like real life.
The CC bookclub read Things Fall Apart - it made for a good discussion. I’d tried to read it a few times, but was always enticed away by things that were more fun. It’s a good book. But not necessarily a fun read.
Some people have mentioned historical fiction, and one author who stands out to be is Susanna Kearsley. The book I read was called Mariana,which technically I suppose is a romantic fantasy (the main character flashes between present time and a past time) so may not be your thing if you don’t like that kind of book, but her historical settings are accurate and her writing is good, too. Her other books are like this as well, so if you like historical fiction, you may like her books.
I have to recommend the last two of the last few books I read:
A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. It’s a classic in several different fields of history but it’s a really fascinating book about the every day life of a midwife in the early years of the republic. It’s an extremely accessible read for a broad public.
The Slave Ship: A Human History by Marcus Rediker. Another historical book but this one is about the life of a slave ship during transatlantic slavery. So much of the historiography of Atlantic slavery focuses on what happened on the coasts- this talks about the voyage in between through a series of short and long narrative stories. I am not really interested in Atlantic history but this book hooked me. There are very graphic scenes of violence though so be warned.
I second @VaBluebird 's suggestion of The Century Trilogy by Follett. It follows families from five countries (Germany, US, England, Wales… I forget the other…) starting with WWI through the Civil Rights movement in the 60s. Full of historical information as well as interesting perspectives from the differing countries. I also loved LOVED his Pillars of the Earth.
I found A Little Life to be very very depressing. Beautifully written, but depressing. I like the redemption in stories to outweigh the sadness and pain. This book was balanced the other way, IMO. Another depressing (to me) book was Our Endless Numbered Days. If Oprah hasn’t picked this one, she will.
BTW, Congratulations, @Pizzagirl !