F. Scott Fitzgerald was a notable American author known for capturing the Jazz Age's spirit. His acclaimed classic The Great Gatsby explores wealth, ambition, and romantic idealism.
If you enjoy reading books by F. Scott Fitzgerald then you might also like the following authors:
If you like F. Scott Fitzgerald, you'll probably enjoy Ernest Hemingway too. He writes in a clean, straightforward style, often exploring bigger emotions hidden beneath simple dialogues.
His stories deal with themes like love, war, and the search for meaning in a confusing world.
One of his best-known novels, The Sun Also Rises, follows a group of restless young people wandering Europe after World War I, capturing their sense of loss and aimlessness in a very direct and powerful way.
John Steinbeck often portrays working-class characters and their struggles during difficult times. Like Fitzgerald, he gives a deep look into American society, portraying real people trying to find hope in the midst of hardship.
His novel The Grapes of Wrath focuses on the Joad family as they travel to California during the Great Depression, providing an emotional and realistic picture of suffering and courage.
William Faulkner is known for his complex narratives and deep dive into the psychology of his characters. His style tends to be experimental and rich, capturing the experiences and struggles of Southern life, family secrets, and fading traditions.
A good example of his work is The Sound and the Fury, a novel that examines the decline of a Southern family and highlights Faulkner's talent for innovative storytelling and emotional depth.
Edith Wharton might appeal to you if you like Fitzgerald's sharp eye for social conventions and human behavior. Like Fitzgerald, Wharton provides insight into high society, focusing on characters navigating complicated relationships and strict expectations.
Her novel The Age of Innocence captures the dramas, restrictions, and desires of New York society vividly through the complex and emotional lives of her characters.
Virginia Woolf uses an experimental, introspective style, analyzing her characters' thoughts in detail and considering themes of identity, memory, and personal connection.
If you enjoy how Fitzgerald explores characters' inner struggles and yearnings, you might appreciate Woolf's thoughtful and sensitive approach.
Her novel Mrs. Dalloway follows a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, skillfully showing her inner world and the way simple moments hold great emotional weight.
Dorothy Parker's sharp wit and satirical style make her fiction entertaining and thought-provoking. Her stories often capture the social lives and romantic struggles of the sophisticated set, similar to Fitzgerald's themes of glamour masking dissatisfaction.
Her short story collection Laments for the Living cleverly explores human folly and heartbreak with humor and perceptiveness.
Tennessee Williams brings emotional honesty and vulnerability to his plays and stories. Like Fitzgerald, Williams examines the illusions and disappointments underlying the American Dream.
His famous play A Streetcar Named Desire portrays complex, flawed characters struggling with faded dreams and inner turmoil.
Richard Yates writes with clear-eyed realism and depth on themes like disillusionment and suburban empty promises. Readers who appreciate Fitzgerald’s exploration of failed aspirations will connect with Yates's novel Revolutionary Road.
It's a powerful portrayal of a couple trapped by unfulfilled dreams and societal expectations.
Truman Capote's elegant prose vividly captures characters and settings, much like Fitzgerald's meticulous style. His novella Breakfast at Tiffany's portrays Holly Golightly, an unforgettable character whose charm and sophistication hide loneliness and vulnerability.
It reflects similar themes of glamour and underlying sadness that Fitzgerald fans will appreciate.
Joan Didion's insightful writing explores the inner lives of people facing loss and confusion amidst social changes in modern America. Her thoughtful observations echo Fitzgerald's interest in characters confronting disappointment and uncertainty.
Her acclaimed novel Play It as It Lays provides a sharp depiction of Hollywood’s glamorous emptiness and personal crisis.
Donna Tartt writes novels full of detailed characters and themes of privilege, obsession, and moral tension. Her style is elegant, dark, and observant, capturing the hidden moods and motivations under the surface of society.
In her novel The Secret History, Tartt explores a group of charismatic and privileged college students whose academic passion leads them toward tragedy, echoing Fitzgerald's own focus on wealth, class, and moral downfall.
Amor Towles is known for his elegant prose and insightful observations about society, often featuring characters navigating uncertain social landscapes. Like Fitzgerald, Towles carefully depicts the glamour and subtle unease of affluent circles.
His novel Rules of Civility immerses readers in 1930s New York, following a young woman's journey through glitzy parties, shifting relationships, and self-discovery in a changing, glittering city.
Jeffrey Eugenides is admired for his sensitive portrayals of complex characters struggling to find their identities and meaningful connections in a changing society.
His writing shares with Fitzgerald a thoughtful exploration of youthful longing, disillusionment, and the hidden tensions within suburban America.
His novel The Virgin Suicides elegantly captures the beauty, sadness, and mystery around the lives of five sisters in a suburban town.
Evelyn Waugh writes satirical yet beautifully crafted stories that capture very human flaws within high society. Like Fitzgerald, Waugh exposes the absurdities, decadence, and moral compromises faced by privileged characters.
His book Brideshead Revisited is a classic portrayal of upper-class English society, highlighting friendship, nostalgia, class tensions, and the fleeting nature of youth and happiness.
Carson McCullers writes deeply introspective and poignant stories about characters who feel out of place in the world.
Her sensitive, vivid character studies capture the loneliness and yearning for connection among outsiders, similar to Fitzgerald's depiction of isolation among privileged crowds.
In The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, McCullers beautifully portrays lonely, misunderstood individuals whose quiet lives intersect in powerful and moving ways.