I just finished Mrs. Dalloway and really loved how vividly it captured London—the neighborhoods, the street names, the city’s energy. I’m most familiar with London, New York, and Chicago, so anything with strong, descriptive settings in those places would be great.
That said, I also enjoyed All Creatures Great and Small, so I’m open to books with great rural or small-town settings too. Any recommendations for books where the setting really comes alive? Thanks in advance!
by jeremy1338
3 Comments
This is a bit biased because I know the place, but Cannery Row by Steinbeck. It really brings Monterey (California) to life as do a few of his other books set there (Tortilla Flat, Sweet Thursday). Of course, the Cannery Row part of the town is a tourist trap now, but it isn’t hard to place yourself back in time with that book.
In a complete digression, I really love the Discworld books for the picture they paint of the world there, especially the central city Ankh-Morpork. This is fantasy, but it isn’t hard to envision a historical London out of that city. Such great descriptions.
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin – 1970s San Francisco
East of Eden – Falls into the vivid settings category. The landscape in this book is a character.