More like Fancy Man
anchored on:literary & generalbritish isleslate 20th centurycoming of ageidentitybig city+1 more
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- Black Swan Green
David Mitchellstandalone novel2006
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of ageidentitybritish islesfirst person
Black Swan Green is a semi-autobiographical novel written by David Mitchell, published in April 2006 in the U.S. and May 2006 in the UK. The bildungsroman's thirteen chapters each represent one month—from January 1982 through January 1983—in the life of 13-year-old Worcestershire boy Jason Taylor. The novel is written from the perspective of Taylor and employs many teen colloquialisms and popular-culture references from early-1980s England.
- The House on Mango Street
Sandra Cisnerosstandalone novel1984
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of ageidentitybig citymagical realism
In a series of inter-connected vignettes, this is the story of a young girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter of Chicago. Contains magical realism.
- Midnight's Children
Salman Rushdiestandalone novel1980
similar byliterary & generalreflectivecoming of ageidentityfirst personmagical realism
WorldCat: The life of a man born at the moment of India's independence becomes inextricably linked to that of his nation and is a whirlwind of disasters and triumphs that mirror modern India's course.
- Nights at the Circus
Angela Carterstandalone novel1984
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centurywhimsicalidentitybritish islesmagical realism
Nights at the Circus is a novel by British writer Angela Carter, first published in 1984 and the winner of the 1984 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. The novel focuses on the life and exploits of Sophie Fevvers, a woman who is – or so she would have people believe – a Cockney virgin, hatched from an egg laid by unknown parents and ready to develop fully fledged wings. At the time of the story, she has become a celebrated aerialiste. She captivates the young journalist Jack Walser, who runs away with the circus and falls into a world that his journalistic exploits had not prepared him to encounter.
- Beautyland
Marie-Helene Bertinostandalone novel2024
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of agefirst person+1 more
Beautyland is a novel by Marie-Helene Bertino. It was published on January 16, 2024, by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The book follows Adina, who is sent by aliens before birth to find out if they could live on earth and reports to them via a fax machine. The book starts with Adina's birth, which takes place in 1977 when Voyager 1 was launched.
- Orlando: A Biography
Virginia Woolfstandalone novel1928
similar byliterary & generalreflectivewhimsicalidentitybritish isles+1 more
Orlando: A Biography is a novel by Virginia Woolf, first published on 11 October 1928, inspired by the tumultuous family history of the aristocratic poet and novelist Vita Sackville-West, Woolf's lover and close friend. It is a history of English literature in satiric form. The book describes the adventures of a poet who changes from man to woman and lives for centuries, meeting the key figures of English literary history. Considered a feminist classic, the book has been written about extensively by scholars of women's writing and gender and transgender studies.
- Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishigurostandalone novel2005
similar byliterary & generalreflectivecoming of ageidentityfirst personbritish isles
Never Let Me Go is a 2005 science fiction novel by the British author Kazuo Ishiguro. It was shortlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize, for the 2006 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award. Time magazine named it the best novel of 2005. It included the novel in its '100 Best English-language novels published since 1923—the beginning of TIME'. It also received an ALA Alex Award in 2006. A film adaptation directed by Mark Romanek was released in 2010.
- 1982 Janine
Alasdair Graystandalone novel1984
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryidentitybritish islesfirst person+1 more
1982, Janine is a novel by the Scottish author Alasdair Gray. His second, it was published in 1984, and remains his most controversial work. Its use of pornography as a narrative device attracted much criticism, although others, including Gray himself, consider it his best work.
- Moon Palace
Paul Austerstandalone novel1989
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectiveidentityfirst personbig city+1 more
Moon Palace is a novel written by Paul Auster that was first published in 1989.
- Among Others
Jo Waltonstandalone novel2011
similar bylate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of agebritish islesfirst personbooks and reading
Among Others is a 2011 fantasy novel written by Welsh-Canadian writer Jo Walton, published originally by Tor Books. It is published in the UK by Corsair. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel of 2011, the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 2012 British Fantasy Award.
- The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Aimee Benderstandalone novel2010
similar byliterary & generalreflectivecoming of ageidentityfirst personmagical realism
The story follows a girl with a talent, from childhood to young adulthood. Rose has the ability to taste emotions in the food she eats, which she discovers on her ninth birthday, tasting in her birthday cake the emotions of her mother who baked it.
- Galatea 2.2
Richard Powersstandalone novel1995
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectiveidentityfirst person+1 more
Galatea 2.2 is a 1995 pseudo-autobiographical novel by American writer Richard Powers and a contemporary reworking of the Pygmalion myth. The book's narrator shares the same name as Powers, with the book referencing events and books in the author's life while mentioning other events that may or may not be based upon Powers' life.
- The Cemetery of Untold Stories
Julia Alvarezstandalone novel2024
similar byliterary & generalreflectiveidentitybooks and readingmagical realism+1 more
The Cemetery of Untold Stories: A Novel (2024) is a work of magical realism and the seventh novel by Dominican-American writer Julia Alvarez. The book follows Alma, a prolific author who, after retiring from her teaching job and writing career, inherits a plot of land in the Dominican Republic where she decides to create a cemetery for her unfinished manuscripts and notes.
- Heaven Eyes
David Almondstandalone novel2000
similar byliterary & generalreflectivecoming of ageidentitybritish isles+1 more
Heaven Eyes is a young adult novel by author David Almond. It was published in Great Britain by Hodder Children's Books in 2000 and by Delacorte Press in the United States in 2001. A paperback version was released in 2002 by Dell Laurel Leaf.
- My Life As an Ice Cream Sandwich
Ibi Zoboistandalone novel2019
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of ageidentitybig city
Twelve-year-old Ebony-Grace Norfleet has lived with her beloved grandfather Jeremiah in Huntsville, Alabama ever since she was little. As one of the first black engineers to integrate NASA, Jeremiah has nurtured Ebony-Grace’s love for all things outer space and science fiction—especially Star Wars and Star Trek. But in the summer of 1984, when trouble arises with Jeremiah, it’s decided she’ll spend a few weeks with her father in Harlem. Harlem is an exciting and terrifying place for a sheltered girl from Hunstville, and Ebony-Grace’s first instinct is to retreat into her imagination. But soon 126th Street begins to reveal that it has more in common with her beloved sci-fi adventures than she ever thought possible, and by summer's end, Ebony-Grace discovers that Harlem has a place for a girl whose eyes are always on the stars.
- Speeding Bullet
Neal Shustermanstandalone novel1991
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of ageidentitybig city
After becoming famous and getting the attention of the daughter of a wealthy New York City developer following his rescue of a little girl from a speeding subway train, Nick looks for other people to rescue.
- Quichotte
Salman Rushdiestandalone novel2019
similar byliterary & generalwhimsicalidentity+3 more
Quichotte is a 2019 novel by Salman Rushdie. It is his fourteenth novel, published on 29 August 2019 by Jonathan Cape in the United Kingdom and Penguin Books India in India. It was published in the United States on 3 September 2019 by Random House. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's classic novel Don Quixote, Quichotte is a metafiction that tells the story of an addled Indian-American man who travels across America in pursuit of a celebrity television host with whom he has become obsessed.
- Skallagrigg
William Horwoodstandalone novel1987
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of ageidentitybritish isles
Skallagrigg is a 1987 novel written by William Horwood and influenced by Horwood's relationship with his own daughter Rachel, who has cerebral palsy. It is notable in that it foresaw the importance of adaptive computer technology in the lives of future generations of disabled people. It is also an early example of discourse on disability politics, treatment of disabled people throughout history, and hit-or-miss relations and perceptions between disabled and non-disabled communities.
- The Edible Woman
Margaret Atwoodstandalone novel1969
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectiveidentity
The Edible Woman is the first published novel by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, published in 1969. It is the story of a young woman, Marian, whose sane, structured, consumer-oriented world starts to slip out of focus. Following her engagement, Marian feels her body and her self are becoming separated. Marian begins endowing food with human qualities that cause her to identify with it, and finds herself unable to eat, repelled by metaphorical cannibalism. In a foreword written in 1979 for the Virago edition of the novel, Atwood described it as a protofeminist rather than feminist work.
- The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz
Russell Hobanstandalone novel1973
similar byliterary & generalreflectiveidentitybritish isles+1 more
The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz is a novel by American writer Russell Hoban published in 1973, and was his first book for adult readers. The novel is set in an unspecified location in the Middle East, and was written when Hoban lived in London, and was initially published by British publisher Jonathan Cape. Initially appearing to be written as a kind of fable, Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz are a father and son, both map-makers; the narrative then places both father and son in contemporary London.
- Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Tom Robbinsstandalone novel1976
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centurywhimsicalidentity
Sissy Hankshaw was born with unusually oversized thumbs, and instead of seeing them as a flaw turns them into a gift: the greatest hitchhiking thumbs in America, carrying her across the country on a restless road life. Her travels take her to New York, where she becomes star model for the Countess, a feminine-hygiene tycoon, before a stint at a Dakota ranch called the Rubber Rose brings her into the orbit of Bonanza Jellybean's cowgirls and a mountain mystic known only as the Chink. Around Sissy's wandering, Robbins builds a philosophical comedy about freedom and gender, with a flock of endangered whooping cranes crossing her path. Tom Robbins's best-known novel.
- Girlfriend in a Coma
Douglas Couplandstandalone novel1998
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectivecoming of agebig city
Girlfriend in a Coma is a novel by Canadian writer and artist Douglas Coupland. It was first published by HarperCollins Canada in 1998. The novel tells the story of a group of friends growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in the late 1970s. On the night of a teenage house-wrecking party, one of the protagonists, Karen, falls into a coma. Peculiarly, she seemed to expect it, having given her boyfriend, Richard, a letter detailing the vivid dreams of the future she had experienced and how she wanted to sleep for a thousand years to avoid that dystopia.
- Brazzaville Beach
William Boydstandalone novel1990
similar byliterary & generallate 20th centuryreflectiveidentityfirst person
Brazzaville Beach is a novel by William Boyd, for which he was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for 1990, and the McVitie's Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year. The book tells the story of a woman, Hope Clearwater, researching chimpanzees, and the circumstances that brought her to Africa. It is Boyd's first novel with a female protagonist and the first to be written, at least in part, from a first person female perspective. Boyd said that rather than try to consider how a woman, as opposed to a man, would respond to certain situations he focused on developing and understanding Hope's character and personality.
- The Heroines
Eileen Favoritestandalone novel2007
similar byliterary & generalreflectivecoming of agebooks and reading+2 more
Adolescent Penny resents the way her mother cares for the literary Heroines who stay at their prairie bed-and-breakfast.
