I added the rest of O. Henry's New York books—The Voice of the City, The Trimmed Lamp and Strictly Business—but Cabbages and Kings shouldn't be on here—that's the South American collection.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany

Why is "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton on this list? Wasn't that set in Oklahoma?

Angela's Ashes shouldn't be on this list; it's set in Limerick, Ireland.

Mochaspresso wrote: "Why is "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton on this list? Wasn't that set in Oklahoma?"

Tulsa Oklahoma

8 duplicates removed.

I adore Nero Wolfe mysteries and am pleased to see so many of them on here, but Too Many Cooks takes place almost entirely in West Virginia, and Some Buried Caesar is set in upstate New York, so it seems like they shouldn't be on this list.

Also, the Lightning Thief has maybe one scene in New York City? So it really surprises me to see it here, at #35, no less. Oh well.

Technically speaking, The Great Gatsby isn't a tale of New York City, just New York. Although some scenes take place in NYC, Nick and Gatsby live on Long Island.

Are any of the JD Robb books on here?

You could add them. (At the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes.")

This "silly rule" is to keep authors from spamming lists with their books, which is what used to happen.

Title change reverted.

Is this list only for historical fiction?

No.

What exactly is New York City? Sorry, but I'm Dutch :-) Reason for asking is that I thought of Draeckenwijck by Anya Seton.

New York City is defined by the five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.
The boroughs were consolidated as a single city in 1898.

Now, if you're a local, for example living in Brooklyn, and I say to you, "Yesterday, I bought a book in the city," - that is implied that I bought it in Manhattan. :-)

Tommy wrote: "New York City is defined by the five boroughs - Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.
The boroughs were consolidated as a single city in 1898. ..."

Thanks!

Mochaspresso wrote: "Why is "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton on this list? Wasn't that set in Oklahoma?"

Yes it was. I was about to post about this as well.

#50 .... The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.

The actual town (Winrixville? or something like that) is ficticious however it is/was in Oklahoma. The movie - based on the book - was filmed in and around Tulsa, OK.

Lisa wrote: "Is this list only for historical fiction?"

In the description it says "fiction and non-fiction" so I would think any and all genres falling under those terms would qualify for the list.

Mochaspresso wrote: "Why is "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton on this list? Wasn't that set in Oklahoma?"

Removed.

10:04 by Ben Lerner
Shelter in Place by David Leavitt
Sensation Machines by David Wilson
Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Drifts by Kate Zambreno
Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill

Compelling works, all set in New York City. While Shelter and Fleishman tend to more traditional narratives, Lerner and Offill experiment with new approaches to the novel. Both 10:04 and Department are mentioned in James Wood's latest edition of How Fiction Works for their successful innovations. Breaking even further from the traditional mold of the novel, Zambreno's Drifts may be the best book ever about not being able to write a novel. Adam Wilson's Sensation Machine balances somewhere between Leavitt and Lerner, exploring multiple POVs, while including a crunchy and delicious page-turning plot.

I am curious, in regards to a book taking place in NYC .... I have a couple of books I'd like to add however only *part* of the books happen in NYC. In other parts they are in other locations (and not necessarily within NY state). Would those still be considered acceptable for this list, or does the entire book need to happen within NYC?