diff --git a/imapclient/fetch.go b/imapclient/fetch.go
index 74d95f13..a6662f1b 100644
--- a/imapclient/fetch.go
+++ b/imapclient/fetch.go
@@ -652,7 +652,7 @@ func (c *Client) handleFetch(seqNum uint32) error {
 
 		var (
 			item FetchItemData
-			done chan struct{}
+			done chan error
 		)
 		switch attName {
 		case "FLAGS":
@@ -738,7 +738,7 @@ func (c *Client) handleFetch(seqNum uint32) error {
 
 				var fetchLit imap.LiteralReader
 				if lit != nil {
-					done = make(chan struct{})
+					done = make(chan error)
 					fetchLit = &fetchLiteralReader{
 						LiteralReader: lit,
 						ch:            done,
@@ -817,7 +817,9 @@ func (c *Client) handleFetch(seqNum uint32) error {
 		}
 		items <- item
 		if done != nil {
-			<-done
+			if err := <-done; err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
 			c.setReadTimeout(respReadTimeout)
 		}
 		return nil
@@ -1313,12 +1315,18 @@ func readSectionPart(dec *imapwire.Decoder) (part []int, dot bool) {
 
 type fetchLiteralReader struct {
 	*imapwire.LiteralReader
-	ch chan<- struct{}
+	ch chan<- error
 }
 
 func (lit *fetchLiteralReader) Read(b []byte) (int, error) {
 	n, err := lit.LiteralReader.Read(b)
-	if err == io.EOF && lit.ch != nil {
+	if err == nil {
+		return n, nil
+	}
+	if lit.ch != nil {
+		if err != io.EOF {
+			lit.ch <- err
+		}
 		close(lit.ch)
 		lit.ch = nil
 	}
diff --git a/internal/imapwire/decoder.go b/internal/imapwire/decoder.go
index cfd2995c..2efb975c 100644
--- a/internal/imapwire/decoder.go
+++ b/internal/imapwire/decoder.go
@@ -577,7 +577,7 @@ func (dec *Decoder) Literal(ptr *string) bool {
 	}
 	if dec.CheckBufferedLiteralFunc != nil {
 		if err := dec.CheckBufferedLiteralFunc(lit.Size(), nonSync); err != nil {
-			lit.cancel()
+			lit.cancel(nil)
 			return false
 		}
 	}
@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ func (dec *Decoder) LiteralReader() (lit *LiteralReader, nonSync, ok bool) {
 	lit = &LiteralReader{
 		dec:  dec,
 		size: size,
-		r:    io.LimitReader(dec.r, size),
+		r:    newLimitReader(dec.r, int(size)),
 	}
 	return lit, nonSync, true
 }
@@ -639,16 +639,24 @@ func (lit *LiteralReader) Size() int64 {
 
 func (lit *LiteralReader) Read(b []byte) (int, error) {
 	n, err := lit.r.Read(b)
-	if err == io.EOF {
-		lit.cancel()
+	if err != nil {
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			lit.cancel(nil)
+		} else {
+			lit.cancel(err)
+		}
 	}
 	return n, err
 }
 
-func (lit *LiteralReader) cancel() {
+func (lit *LiteralReader) cancel(err error) {
 	if lit.dec == nil {
 		return
 	}
+
+	if err != nil {
+		lit.dec.err = err
+	}
 	lit.dec.literal = false
 	lit.dec = nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/imapwire/limit_reader.go b/internal/imapwire/limit_reader.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c35359e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/imapwire/limit_reader.go
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package imapwire
+
+import "io"
+
+// A reader that returns io.EOF after a specified number of bytes.
+//
+// If EOF is received before the requested number of bytes, io.ErrUnexpectedEOF is returned.
+type limitReader struct {
+	wrapped io.Reader
+	count   int
+}
+
+func (reader *limitReader) Read(destination []byte) (int, error) {
+	if reader.count == 0 {
+		return 0, io.EOF
+	}
+	if len(destination) == 0 {
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+	if len(destination) > reader.count {
+		destination = destination[:reader.count]
+	}
+	read, err := reader.wrapped.Read(destination)
+	reader.count -= read
+	if err == nil {
+		if reader.count == 0 {
+			return read, io.EOF
+		}
+		return read, nil
+	}
+	if err == io.EOF {
+		if reader.count == 0 {
+			return read, io.EOF
+		}
+		return read, io.ErrUnexpectedEOF
+	}
+	return read, err
+}
+
+func newLimitReader(reader io.Reader, count int) *limitReader {
+	return &limitReader{
+		wrapped: reader,
+		count:   count,
+	}
+}