If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere. One of New York's five boroughs, Manhattan is the most densely populated landmass in America. Its busy streets have provided inspiration for thousands of artists, including writers. Here are nine enticing books that will make you feel like a local.
Age of Innocence by Edith WhartonAge of Innocence
By Edith Wharton

Written as an "apology" for her earlier publication, House of Mirth, this book earned Edith Wharton a Pulitzer Prize in 1921—the first Pulitzer Prize ever given to a woman. A panorama of upper-crust New York in the 1870s, it is still high in demand at libraries and bookstores across America.

How Age of Innocence inspired Bridget Jones's Diary author Helen Fielding



Before by Irini SpanidouBefore
By Irini Spanidou

A snapshot of three months in New York's SoHo in the 1970s, Before probes the life, love and loss of aspiring writer Beatrice as she undergoes changes in her relationship with Ned, her painter husband.
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Chronic City by Jonathan LethemChronic City
By Jonathan Lethem

Set on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Chronic City involves a circle of friends—a faded child star, a cultural critic, a hack ghostwriter of autobiographies and a city official. The New York Times named Chronic City one of 10 best books of the year for 2009.
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Heroic Measures by Jill CimentHeroic Measures
By Jill Ciment

Ruth and Alex are in their twilight years and still very much in love when they find themselves—along with their dachshund Dorothy—in need of a new home. Set in the months just after 9/11, Heroic Measures is sure to make you laugh, cry and love.
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Start reading Heroic Measures


5 more great New York stories
Published 05/28/2010

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