There will be other lists in coming months to include any books this parameter might leave out. For instance, The Great Gatsby and Catcher In The Rye are classic New York books, but I don’t consider them historical fiction, as they are set in or near the period in which they were written. Is there a glaring omission? Any recent historical fictions that are begging for inclusion? Please give me your suggestions in the notes below, on the Bowery Boys Facebook page, or via email I’m distinguishing between regular novels (written from the perspective of the present or recent past) and New York City historical novels (which specifically use the past as a plot element and are set back at least 20-25 years). I need your help to make it better! I’d like to expand this to an Essential 50 list, using your suggestions. All of the books in the list above are fantastic, but this is far from comprehensive. There’s even a couple pure fantasy books on this list after all, aren’t they all somewhat fantasy to some extent?īut I know this is an imperfect list. To make the list, the book had to be written in the past 100 hundred years and reflect on an era of New York City 20-30 years before the book’s publication. My list below reflects both old classics and newer releases, literary fiction and genre. Historical fiction novels set in New York City are more popular today than ever before. Well-researched American period fictions (once the domain of European swashbucklers) came into popularity in the 20th century thanks to authors like James Michener and Margaret Mitchell, telling big, far-flung stories using the past as both a driving engine and a form of decoration. Books like Edith Wharton and Betty Smith hearken back several decades in the past using the authors’ own experiences to create lasting, classic narratives. There are really two types of historical fiction - recollection and period.

Devta novel part 25