Thursday, July 24, 2014

Favorite Novels Set in New York City

Earlier this month, I spent a week in New York City. While I was there, I started thinking about all the great fiction I've read that takes place in New York. It's not surprising, I suppose, that writers find inspiration in the Big Apple ... after all, Manhattan is the center of the publishing industry, and the city as a whole has drawn writers and other artists for more than a century. Still, it's interesting to think about the wide variety of novels for which New York City provides an evocative setting; in some cases, the city, or a part of the city, seems almost like a character in and of itself.

I decided to create a list of my ten favorite novels that take place in New York City. These range from classics to children's books, from historical fiction to contemporary novels. I know I have left out a few novels that some would say are quintessential New York stories . . . but these are my favorites. Here they are:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: Wharton's masterpiece about the Golden Age of Old New York is one of my all-time favorite books. The characters are magnificently drawn, and the satire about the elaborate customs of the city's aristocracy is witty and fascinating. You know, I think it may be high time I re-read this classic.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: Foer's beautifully written novel is layered and emotionally resonant. It is a 9/11 book, of course... but it's also about tragedy and grief in a larger sense, and how people can overcome terrible things and still live on.

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles: I loved this novel set in 1930s Manhattan. It's full of sharp and witty prose, and filled with interesting, multi-dimensional characters. A delicious and intelligent read.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg: As a kid, I relished this novel about two siblings who run away from their suburban life to the big city, where they hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan: Egan's series of linked stories about people connected to the music business is set mostly in New York, although some of the narratives take place in California and other locales. I found this inventive book to be equal parts clever, funny, and sad.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Of course. This list just wouldn't seem complete without Fitzgerald's 1925 classic about decadence, excess, idealism, and the pursuit of the American Dream.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: Tartt's novel, winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, is beautiful, flawed, and unforgettable. The Goldfinch struck me as very much a 9/11 story. The main character, Theo, loses his mother in a fictional terrorist attack at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He is unmoored by the experience, and his psychological wounds take a decade to heal; Theo seemed to me to represent New York itself, struggling to recover after the tragedy.

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh: This classic and ground-breaking coming-of-age story about a girl sleuth living on the Upper East Side was one of my absolute favorite books as child. I must have read it a dozen times. Can you believe that it was first published in 1964 and celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year?

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann: McCann's intricate and gorgeously written novel of interconnected stories, set in 1970s New York, offers a nuanced portrait of love, loss, and hope.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr: Carr's literary thriller takes readers back to New York in 1896 and the seamy underside of the Gilded Age. The young Theodore Roosevelt, police commissioner of New York City, organizes a team of unlikely allies, including a psychologist or "alienist" in the parlance of the time, to hunt a serial killer targeting adolescent boys. Definitely an interesting companion piece to read alongside The Age of Innocence.

What do you think . . . Are these some of your favorite New York novels, too? What have I left out that you consider a great New York story?

6 comments:

  1. Great topic and list! I've read and loved 8 of these. Hope to get to The Goldfinch very soon, but I'm not sure about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close... should probably give it a try at some point.

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    1. I worried that Extremely Loud would be too emotional to read... But I ended up loving it. I keep meaning to read one of Foer's other novels, but haven't gotten a chance yet.

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  2. I was born in Brooklyn, lived in Queens as a teen and young adult, and then lived for awhile in upstate NY-- Sullivan county-- so I enjoyed reading this list!
    NYC is like a main character in its own right in many books, it is so atmospheric. I now live on the west coast, but look back at my time there fondly. From the Mixed Up Files..such a good read. One of the last places I requested to visit before moving away was the Metropolitan Museum of Art, love it!

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    1. Yes, love The Mixed-Up Files! You know, it's interesting how many novels have scenes that take place in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.... That place really takes a hold of the imagination, doesn't it?

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  3. You've got some great ones listed here! I especially love From the Mixed Up Files... I never read it as a kid but listened to it on audio with my sons, and we all loved it. Harriet the Spy was one of my faves when I was a kid, too - oddly, though, my sons didn't like it much - thought that Harriet was mean to the other kids which never really bothered me - I guess they are better people than me! lol Which is great.

    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is my favorite movie, and I really want to read the book (which is on my shelf), and I'll be reading The Goldfinch in August.

    I read two novels this year set in NYC which I really loved and where the city is a big part of the story: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon and Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.

    Great idea and fun list!

    Sue

    Book By Book

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    1. Ah, the Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay--definitely a great New York story! Yes, that should really be on the list. I haven't read Tell the Wolves I'm Home, but I would like to.

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