Your Favourite Book About New York
 

I know, there are hundreds of books with stories that happen in New York. So, what is your favourite book with prominent New York locations?

(I have invited my parents for a trip to New York and I want to give them a book, preferably a novel, about New York.)

I liked Relic and Reliquary by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston. I have also been reading Robert Tanenbaum's series with Butch Karp, a DA in NYC.

I liked "The Apothacary's Daughter" by Klassen for a novel with history of NY from the Dutch/Native American times to present with a little x.

Of course "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", still a fun read.

E.B. White's "Here is New York." Not a novel, but a long essay (58 pages) available from Amazon. It was written fifty years ago but still rings true. Take a look at the reviews online.

"The Emperor's Children" by Claire Messud. The novel tells the story of three friends--who all meet at Brown University--making their way in Manhattan around the time of 9/11. It was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Thin

tchoiniere:

I had to smile when I read your post because I had exactly those two books in my mind. However, I am afraid a diving tour of Humboldt Kill won't be quite appropriate for my parents when we will be in New York (maybe for our boys?).

Fra_Diavolo:
I just ordered "Here is New York".

Fodorites, keep on posting!

On my list of what to read next is "New York" by Edward Rutherford. He also wrote "London", "Sarum" and "The Rebels of Ireland" that were very good. He follows fictional characters and their decendants over several hundred years, incorporating historical events and figures into the story. If I had been assigned books like his in school maybe I would have been a history major!

Novelist John D. MacDonald's legendary character Travis McGee is in NYC for one of his 'adventures,' and the opening line has McGee stepping outside of a midtown office bldg at dusk and he writes: "New York was a lavender puzzle," (if mem'ry serves accurately). Don't remember how much of the rest of the book is set in NY, but it's always been one of my favorite (and spot-on) lines.

"The Island at the Center of the World"

What interests do they have?

Forever: A Novel by Pete Hamill

I also really liked the Bonfire of the Vanities, Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer and Netherland.

I am reading a good, very readable, non-fiction book,
Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City
by Anthony Flint

Forever by Pete Hamill for your father and The Red Leather Diary by Lilly Kopel (spelling may be off here for your mother)

Forever is about an Irish kid who comes to Manhattan in the 1760's to avenge the death of his parents and through some sort of black magic - he's given eternal life provided he doesn't leave the isle of Manhattan.

There is one way to "the other side" and he is offered it near the end of the book but chooses not to take it.

Red Leather Diary is about a real 5 year diary that was found a few years ago. It was filled in every day for 5 years by the owner who got it as a gift in 1915 -- The author tracked down the owner who is now in her 90's.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr is a good novel set in 19th Century NYC...

I enjoyed The Alienist too.

Lush Life by Richard Price is set on the LES and has great dialogue.

What about Ragtime? Then they can go see the play!

E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime.

I do not have one favorite. I love I.B. Singer's short stories about NY. Heller's Good as Gold took place in the neighborhood where I grew up and rang true and funny,

Henry Roth's Call it Sleep is a classic.

As lighter reads I liked The Alienist and Time and Again.

Ragtime is a direct rip off of Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist including the name of main character. For that it loses a great deal of the effect.

Thank you all for your replies - they were very stimulating. I researched almost every recommendation, and, like a pyramid scheme, found many other interesting books.

I ended up with these:

- For my parents, I bought Paul Auster's "New York Trilogy", which is fortunately available in German translation.

- For me, I bought E.B. White's "Here is New York" (Fra_Diavolo's recommendation), Burrows/Wallace's "Gotham" (probably everyone knows that) and Sanderson's "Mannahatta". The latter book is a discovery - it is a "natural history of New York City" with state-of-the-art animations which reconstruct how New York looked before the Europeans arrived. A most fascinating non-fiction book.

Fodorites, you proved again how valuable you are!

Feel free to keep on posting - I think I can need some more fiction books.

I'll have to agree with CPG about Lush Life. Outstanding book with both wonderful dialog and characters.

Wikipedia has a list of books set in NYC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._New_York_City

If you want to see the live animations for mannahatta - go here

http://themannahattaproject.org/

Sorry you missed the exhibit at Museum of the City of New York!