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Need some help.. a book with NY as locAtion? Fiction or historical fiction, light fun reads.

Need some help.. a book with NY as locAtion? Fiction or historical fiction, light fun reads. My last read was located in Cuba and current read is based out of Hollywood (The Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo) thanks in advance

Wendy #recommend #historical fiction #history

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85 Answers

Megan

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo also takes place in New York, but The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams takes place on Long Island. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36381085-the-summer-wives

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Megan

And I LOVE Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23492483-brooklyn

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Megan

Modern Love by Emma Straub takes place in new york city https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27209486-modern-lovers

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WendyQuestion author

You are right!! I am 1/3 in and since it’s Evelyn speaking it didn’t click NY to me. Thanks

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Joan

The Dollhouse-Fiona Davis

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Leah

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn!

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Nancy

New York by Edward Rutherfurd

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Emily

Still Me- Jojo Moyes (it’s the 3rd book in the Me Before You trilogy)

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Emily

A Fall of Marigolds- Susan Meissner (alternates between 1911 and 2011 NYC). Really great book!

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Patricia

Check out The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash. It was just released a few days ago I believe.

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Megan

Witches of New York by Ami McKay

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Melany

The Alienist by Caleb Carr, The Bone Collector by Jeffery Deaver, The Relic by Preston & Child

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Adina

Forever by Pete Hamill

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Laura

I’m pretty sure Nanny Diaries is set in NYC? It’s been years since I read it. It was very funny

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Lorianne

Robert Sullivan’s Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants. Sullivan decides to observe the rats living in a particular alley in NYC, and in the process he explores humans’ relationship with this hated species and the history of this particular alley. (Anything, it turns out, is interesting if you look deeply enough.)

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Melanie

@Lorianne I loved this book! I read it long ago and forgot about it. Thanks!

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Christina

The Goldfinch

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Heather

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Natalia

Lilian Boxfish Takes a Walk, Rules of Civility, The Sweetbitter.

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Cindy

Fall of Marigolds

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Julie

Subwayland by Randy Kennedy Adventures in the world beneath New York.

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Julie

Another good one is The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster

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Valpuri

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

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Janet

New York by Edward Rutherford. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis
The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis , as well. I loved this one.

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Kelly

An invisible thread

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Tonja

The Light We Lost

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Komet

THE SUBWAY GIRLS by Susie Orman Schnall. Takes place in NYC between 1949 and the 2010s.

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Angi

Jazz by Toni Morrison

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Emily

And now for a completely different suggestion: Bright Lights, Big City by Jay McInerney. Very quick read and its written in the second person perspective so you are sort of the same as the main character. 🙂

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Leslee

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, 1930s New York.

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Nancy

The Address by Fiona Davis- good historical fiction

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Chris

New York by Edward Rutherford

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Elizabeth

The Age of Innocence, Wharton.

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Sarah

The Alienist. Not really light but I found it an enjoyable read.

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Sarah

Are you enjoying Evelyn Hugo? I really liked it.

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WendyQuestion author

I am. In 1/3 in. I live in Los Angeles, know how crazy Hollywood and Highland can get. Sunset street. Knowing these places while she describes them makes the book at that much fun.

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Sarah

Also — I second the suggestions of New York by Edward Rutherford and The Alienist

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Terri

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

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Mary

I love all of her books.

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Terri

@Mary me too!

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WendyQuestion author

OMG.. waking up to heaven. Thanks everyone. I will of course start with 1, but have soooo many books to look forward to

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Karen

NY is as diverse as California. NYC is completely unique to the rest of the state. It has an awesome history- but many think we’re all like NYC – most of the state is actually rural! Anything by Richard Russo captures the contemporary ‘upstate’ experience.

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Kim

“From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler” by E. L. Konigsburg. Published in 1967 and it is a juvenile fiction and a favorite of mine! I love old juvenile fiction! 🙂

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Georgina

Also recommend Rules of Civility. Loved it way more than Gentleman in Moscow.

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Jana

@Georgina I agree. Rules of Civility was a great read

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Kathy

I liked A Gentleman in Moscow better but I enjoyed both.

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Debi
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Bonnie

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oats ( Not her typical book, it’s very good.)

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Rebecca

we have a used copy.

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Karen

Any particular part of NY?

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WendyQuestion author

Will be visiting NY city so to attached a story to the city would be fun

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Chris

The Color of Cold and Ice – New York City and Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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Barbara

Wonderful read! I recommend highly!

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Carey

The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud, Three Junes by Julia Glass (set only partly in NY but the part that is is stunning)

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Linda

The Sun is Also a Star – perfect for NYC

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WendyQuestion author

@Linda read the preview looks interesting

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Linda

My book club didn’t like it as much as I did but YA isn’t always their thing. What I loved about it is that it reflects the author’s life.

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Kathryne

NYC local here: favorites that I’ve really loved:
Time and Again (classic time travel book, but not sci fi ish at all).
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan (30s and 40s gangster, strong female protagonist)
A Little Life. 4 college friends move to NYC to make their way. Long, beautiful, tragic, epic.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
The Golem and the Jinni (mixture of realistic fantasy and historical fiction)
All of a Kind Family.
The last four are great immigrant coming of age books.

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Kathryne

And the BEST NYC Museum is the Tenement Museum, which goes perfectly with the last three, especially All of a Kind Family…which is a middle grade book, but so enjoyable!

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Jason

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt or Severance by Ling Ma

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Denise

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

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Jenny

A Fall Of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

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Carol

Forever by Pete Hamill

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Cheryl

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott.

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Shea

I just finished “A Gift to Remember” by Melissa Hill. It is a light holiday read set in NY and many locations in the city play a big role.

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Therese

Bonfire of the Vanities. I read it a long time ago. I don’t remember much about it, other than I liked the book a whole lot more than I liked the movie.

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Jennifer

You by Caroline Kepnes and The Favorite Sister by Jessica Knoll.

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Divya

A Tree grows in Brooklyn ?

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Paula

Alternate Side by Anna Quindlan

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Kris

Lilian Boxfish Takes A Walk by Kathleen Rooney

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Lori

Extremely loud and incredibly close

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Emily

I wouldn’t exactly call that a “light fun read”! Good, though. 🙂

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Lori

@Emily lol! Guess I missed that part ?

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Guusje

Tree Grows in Brooklyn – and oldie but a goodie

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Kathy

Rules of Civility, The Golem and the Jinni

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Jane

Lillian Boxfish takes a Walk. It’s so good

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Kathy

I didn’t see The Great Gatsby mentioned. It might be too obvious but it would work

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Margit

The Molly Murphy mysteries by Rhys Bowen. Molly is an Irish immigrant in turn of the century New York.

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Patricia

“Brooklyn”

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Nancy

The Gaslight Mysteries by Victorian Thompson are set in NYC at the turn of the last century

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Melanie

Time and Again by Jack Finney

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WendyQuestion author

Love everyone’s help. I definitely have many books to go to now. And all it took was 1 question I was afraid to ask.

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Terri

@Wendy Happy Reading!

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Kathy

Mary Higgins Clark

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Kathy

New York – Rutherfurd

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