Top 10 Books Set in New York City
Jailene Adorno ‘16 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
New York City is a famous setting for numerous films, plays, and books. There are so many things to do and see that it’s no wonder people choose New York. As far as setting goes, New York is often a place of magic where anything can happen and many different kinds of stories can come alive. Here are ten awesome books that take place in New York City.
- The Nanny Diaries – Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
As far as satire goes, The Nanny Diaries takes the cake! It’s so hilarious, that you can’t help but to keep reading. Not only was it written by two former nannies, it also gives readers a good idea of what it’s like to work as a nanny in New York– from dealing with parents to forming a really close bond with the children that they’re watching.
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
Before it became a classic film starring Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s was a short novel. As many know, this short novel tells the story of Holly Golightly, a young country girl who moves to New York and resides in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Soon, readers start to notice that she is somewhat of a queen who reigns over the entire city as she socializes with the rich of the rich and dines with the best of the best.
- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents – Julia Alvarez
After moving to NYC from the Dominican Republic, the girls of the Garcia family are surely in for a huge shock. In this beautiful coming-of-age story, readers will get to experience Latin American culture through four extraordinary sisters as they adjust to their new lives as New York City girls. In this book, readers really get to see it all, from trying to understand a culture that differs from their own to the many hardships that immigration can bring.
- Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares – Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt? When Lily hides a red book full of dares on a bookshelf of her favorite bookstore, it’s only a matter of time before Dash finds it. Once he does, he follows all of the rules and goes on an amazing adventure around NYC, being dared by Lily to do things he wouldn’t necessarily do otherwise and hiding the book in secret places.
- The Devil Wears Prada – Lauren Weisberger
How could anyone talk about New York without talking about fashion and magazines? What starts off as a job to jumpstart her career, ends up taking Andy places she never knew possible. Then again, no one said that the fashion magazine business wasn’t vicious. While working for an upscale fashion magazine, Andy loses sight of her dream as well as what’s really important.
- It’s Kind of a Funny Story – Ned Vizzini
New York has a lot to offer and among those things are awesome, specialized public schools for the smarty pants. In It’s Kind of a Funny Story, readers get to explore what happens when peer pressure and stress take over. Once Craig’s depression and suicidal thoughts get the best of him, he admits himself into a psychiatric hospital. While there, he meets a ton of different people who teach him how to accept himself and have fun.
- Gossip Girl Series – Cecily von Ziegesar
Where would we all be if we didn’t stop to ask ourselves, What would Blair Waldorf do? And if Gossip Girl wasn’t spreading rumors about NYC’s elite, how else would we learn about all of the scandalous things going on? The Gossip Girl series does a great job of giving readers an inside look at different kinds of New Yorkers, ones of old money and secret pasts. People started reading because they were interested in the lifestyle of NYC’s elite, but they continued reading because they really needed to know who the mastermind behind Gossip Girl was.
- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
In this unforgettable novel, we follow Oskar Schell all around New York City with a mysterious key. This key is one of the many things his father left behind when he passed away during the 9/11 attacks. However, upon finding this key, he notices that the envelope it was in has the last name “Black” on it. Thus begins his journey all around the city to every single person with the last name Black. All Oskar wants are some answers. His journey around the city and his encounters with all of the different New Yorkers he meets are truly amazing.
- Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist – Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Having Rachel Cohn and David Levithan appear on this list again only goes to show what a great writing duo they are. Not only does it take place in New York City, but Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist also explores New York’s awesome music scene. Readers get to witness an unlikely couple travel all around the city looking for their favorite band, Where’s Fluffy?. As they travel around the city all night, these strangers get to know each other better and readers get to experience the nighttime excitement that NYC has to offer. It really is the city where anything can happen.
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
Perhaps it was her love of books or maybe even her wild imagination; either way, many of us saw a reflection of ourselves in Francie Nolan. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is an awesome coming-of-age story that truly reflects what it’s like to grow up in a big city in the early 1900s. Readers really do get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to this novel. It is the authenticity of the book that truly captured the hearts of many.