Books Like...
If you liked Sister Carrie, here are the top 100 books to read next:
- #1
Save:A sprawling, haunting critique of ambition and class, packed with rich detail and complicated characters. Tedious at times, but unforgettable if you’re up for a challenging classic.
And up the broad street, now comparatively hushed, a little band of six,--a man of about fifty, short, stout, with bushy hair protruding from under a round black felt hat, a most unimportant- looking... - #2
Save:A classic slice of Americana - witty, sharp, and still relevant, but a slow burn. Essential if you enjoy literary social satire, but might be tough if you need a page-turner or lots of action.
On a hill by the Mississippi where Chippewas camped two generations ago, a girl stood in relief against the cornflower blue of Northern sky. She saw no Indians now; she saw flour mills and the blinkin... - #3
Save:A raw, powerful, and sometimes uncomfortable trip into the heart of turn-of-the-century San Francisco - a milestone of American naturalism that’s as fascinating as it is dark. Essential reading for fans of gritty classics, but not everyone’s cup of tea.
It was Sunday, and, according to his custom on that day, McTeague took his dinner at two in the afternoon at the car conductors’ coffee-joint on Polk Street. He had a thick gray soup; heavy, underdone... - #4
Save:A fiercely smart, sometimes uncomfortable classic that slices through American religious pretense with cynicism, humor, and style. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but unforgettable for those willing to wrestle with it.
Elmer Gantry was drunk. He was eloquently drunk, lovingly and pugnaciously drunk. He leaned against the bar of the Old Home Sample Room, the most gilded and urbane saloon in Cato, Missouri, and reques... - #5
Save:A stunning, heart-breaking classic - equal parts social satire and tragedy. Edith Wharton’s razor-sharp writing and complex heroine make The House of Mirth a must-read for lovers of literary fiction, but be prepared for a nuanced, not-so-mirthful descent into the dark side of glamour and ambition.
It was a Monday in early September, and he was returning to his work from a hurried dip into the country; but what was Miss Bart doing in town at that season? If she had appeared to be catching a trai... - #6
Save:A thoughtful, sometimes biting, look at pride, progress, and the price of ignoring change - the downfall of the Ambersons is both a cautionary tale and a window into a vanished era. Not a flawless masterpiece, but a fascinating, surprisingly readable classic that’s worth the ride for history buffs and fans of literary American family sagas.
Major Amberson had "made a fortune" in 1873, when other people were losing fortunes, and the magnificence of the Ambersons began then. Magnificence, like the size of a fortune, is always comparative,... - #7
Save:A beautifully written, emotionally intense classic - sometimes slow and frustrating, but unforgettable if you're drawn to character-driven stories and complex family dynamics.
“THE BOTTOMS” succeeded to “Hell Row.” Hell Row was a block of thatched, bulging cottages that stood by the brookside on Greenhill Lane. There lived the colliers who worked in the little gin-pits two... - #8
Save:A daring, inventive take on America’s chaotic early 1900s - brilliant for history buffs and literary adventurers, but possibly too detached for readers seeking close character connections.
In 1902 Father built a house at the crest of the Broadview Avenue hill in New Rochelle, New York. It was a three-story brown shingle with dormers, bay windows and a screened porch. Striped awnings sha... - #9
Save:A classic, if sometimes challenging, satire of American conformity - timeless in its themes and worth reading for its insight, even if it isn't always an easy or entertaining ride.
THE TOWERS of Zenith aspired above the morning mist; austere towers of steel and cement and limestone, sturdy as cliffs and delicate as silver rods. They were neither citadels nor churches, but frankl... - #10
Save:A beautifully written, quietly devastating classic - perfect for fans of smart, nuanced drama about love, duty, and society's invisible cages. Still worth reading for its wit and observations, even if 'happily ever after' isn't guaranteed.
Edith Wharton, a prolific writer best known as a novelist of manners whose fiction exposed the rigid mores of aristocratic society in a world that has all but vanished, was born Edith Newbold Jones in...
