I never thought of him as tarnished either, though he certainly had his faults. Great writer and, IMO, philosopher. I've always enjoyed his stuff.
I quit reading fiction many years ago, not because I do not enjoy it, but there is way too much history that is even more intersting and reading time is too scarce these days.
But for my money, The Sun also Rises, To Have and Have Not and For Whom the Bell Tolls rank as gems with several others closely behind.