What is 'very good' literature?

I seldom read a book from beginning to end in a single day. But I did the other day. Picked up 'The Reader,' by a German, Bernhard Schlink. A very fascinating story. And it's been turned into a motion picture starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Anyway, I felt cheated. Manipulated by Schlink. Drawn into the book by a truly good story. But I wanted more. I didn't want everything falling into place. I wanted more real life. Not a fabrication. But I have to admit, I was entertained. By the story. Wanting to see how it all ended. And I even cried a little bit. Little wonder that a director decided to make a film of the story. But I much prefer stories that plod along. Like real life. I would have taken the story in a different direction. More realistic, I think. And I would have stopped and savored what I was reading. Certain pages. A chapter. A moment. I want to make truly good literature last. For a long, long time. I'm in no hurry to get to the ending. The best moments of life should be taken slowly. Yes, I get back to that word, savor. I recently read another book, 'An Italian Education.' By an Englishman, Tim Parks, who moved to Italty in 1981. At age 28. He married an Italian woman. And he teaches English at the University of Verona. And he writes fiction and non-fiction. And he writes about life that he knows. Very personal. And I took a week to read the book. And I sent him an email. Telling him how much I enjoyed the book and his writing style. And I got a nice reply from him the same day. I've been in Verona. And if I'm there again, I want to meet Parks. I feel a connection. A meaningful real life connection. Much more so than to Bernhard Schlink and his 'The Reader.' Makes me think. About how one differentiates the 'very good' from the merely 'good' literature. --Jim Broede