Judith Krantz wrote “I’ll Take Manhattan,” a lively story about Maxime, a glamorous and ambitious woman navigating the high-stakes world of magazine publishing in New York City.
The book captures the energy of Manhattan as Maxime fights to save her family’s magazine empire while balancing her personal dramas and relationships.
The story is filled with lavish settings, bold characters, and the kind of twists that keep you turning pages late into the night.
The novel “Bright, Precious Days” by Jay McInerney tells the story of Russell and Corrine Calloway, a married couple navigating life in New York during the financial crisis and the Obama era.
Russell works in publishing, while Corrine is involved in nonprofit work and revisits an old romance.
The book explores their personal struggles, long-held secrets, and the tension between their ideals and reality, all set against the backdrop of Manhattan’s dazzling social scene.
“Chronic City” by Jonathan Lethem is set in a surreal version of Manhattan where reality seems off-kilter. The story follows Chase Insteadman, a former child actor, and his eccentric friend Perkus Tooth, a conspiracy theorist obsessed with obscure art and culture.
Together, they navigate a city filled with strange occurrences, like a giant tiger on the loose and odd fog obscuring parts of the skyline.
The novel captures a version of New York that feels both familiar and oddly distorted, reflecting on identity, art, and the blurred lines between truth and illusion.
The book “Gods of Manhattan” by Scott Mebus is about a teenager named Rory who discovers a hidden world within Manhattan where forgotten historical figures and legendary icons live as gods.
Rory learns he has a unique ability to see this world and is pulled into a dangerous mission to right old wrongs.
The story combines the modern city’s energy with a secret layer of magic and history, creating an exciting adventure through a version of Manhattan that feels both familiar and mysterious.
Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus wrote “The Nanny Diaries,” a novel that follows the life of a young college student working as a nanny for a wealthy family on the Upper East Side.
Through her job caring for the couple’s son, she gets a front-row seat to the lavish but dysfunctional world of Manhattan’s elite. The story shows her juggling their impossible demands while facing her own personal struggles.
It paints a sharp, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, portrait of privilege and the hidden costs of it.
“Summer and the City” by Candace Bushnell follows a young Carrie Bradshaw as she arrives in New York City. The story begins with her navigating life in Manhattan, meeting new people, and getting a glimpse into the glamorous and chaotic world of the city.
It’s about her early experiences, her first friendships, and her dreams of becoming a writer. Readers get to see a more naive version of Carrie slowly finding her place in the fast-paced world of NYC.
Michael Cunningham’s “By Nightfall” focuses on Peter Harris, an art dealer in Manhattan, whose well-ordered life starts to fracture when his wife’s younger brother, Mizzy, comes to stay.
Mizzy’s arrival stirs feelings in Peter that disrupt his marriage and provoke a deep sense of longing and self-examination. The novel examines identity, desire, and the ways relationships can shift in unexpected directions.
The novel “Cosmopolis” by Don DeLillo follows a single day in the life of Eric Packer, a wealthy and detached asset manager who sets out in his stretch limousine to get a haircut.
As he moves across Manhattan, chaos unfolds around him with protests, personal crises, and the collapse of his financial empire. The story captures the tension and alienation of a city in flux, where technology and capitalism dominate every interaction.
The novel “Fleishman Is in Trouble” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner follows Toby Fleishman, a recently divorced doctor living in Manhattan who finds himself navigating single life through dating apps.
When his ex-wife Rachel suddenly disappears, leaving their kids behind, Toby must juggle parenting, his demanding job, and the unraveling truth about their marriage.
As the story unfolds, it paints a vivid picture of modern relationships, ambition, and personal identity in the city.
The novel “Lush Life” by Richard Price dives into the lives of people on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It kicks off with a mugging that goes tragically wrong, leading to a murder that shakes the neighborhood.
The story moves between the worlds of artists, bartenders, and police detectives, exploring their struggles and ambitions while addressing questions of guilt, class, and survival in a rapidly changing city.
The book “Manhattan Nocturne” by Colin Harrison follows Porter Wren, a newspaper columnist who thrives on uncovering dark and sensational stories in New York.
His life takes a dangerous turn when he meets a mysterious woman named Caroline, who pulls him into the unsolved murder of her husband. The story shows the hidden, ominous side of Manhattan, where secrets and obsessions collide with the city’s pulse.
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan’s “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” follows two teenagers who meet at a punk rock club in Manhattan. Nick, reeling from a breakup, asks Norah to pretend to be his girlfriend for five minutes to avoid his ex.
What starts as a spur-of-the-moment interaction turns into an unpredictable night as they navigate the city, its music scene, and their own emotions. The story captures the energy of Manhattan nightlife and the chaos of being young.
“Apartment” by Teddy Wayne is about the relationship between two men who share a rent-free Manhattan apartment in the 1990s. The narrator, a graduate student in an MFA program, invites his classmate Billy to move in after noticing he’s financially struggling.
As they navigate their friendship and the challenges of aspiring to become writers, tensions and differences in their backgrounds come to the surface, creating an uneasy dynamic that grows over time.
“Between Two Rivers” by Nicholas Rinaldi centers on Farro Fescu, the concierge of an apartment building in Manhattan. The story weaves through the lives of the building’s residents, ranging from a reclusive poet to a woman haunted by her past.
Each character’s struggles and secrets gradually unfold, all set against the rich background of the city. Farro’s own reflections add depth, as he observes the connections and dramas that shape the residents’ lives.
The novel feels personal, revealing the humanity within a bustling and chaotic urban setting.
Claire Messud brings readers into the lives of three thirty-something friends in “The Emperor’s Children.” Set in Manhattan before and after 9/11, the story follows their personal ambitions, struggles, and shifting relationships.
Each character—Marina, an aspiring writer, Julius, a critic, and Danielle, a television producer—faces their own dilemmas while navigating the city’s pressures and expectations.
The book also weaves in the lives of those around them, from Marina’s larger-than-life father to a young relative who arrives with his own plans. It captures the tension between privilege, ambition, and self-perception during a pivotal time in New York City.
“Harriet the Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh follows Harriet M. Welsch, an eleven-year-old girl in New York City who aspires to be a writer. She journals her observations of people around her in a notebook, documenting their quirks and secrets.
When her classmates find the notebook, her blunt and honest entries lead to trouble. The story explores her attempts to navigate friendship, honesty, and her own curiosity in the bustling world of Manhattan.
The book “The Luxe” by Anna Godbersen takes readers to Manhattan in 1899, where the lives of young socialites are woven with romance, secrets, and betrayal.
It follows Elizabeth Holland, the darling of New York’s elite, as she faces unexpected challenges that threaten her pristine reputation. Alongside her story, the novel peeks into the ambitions and schemes of those closest to her, creating a world of glamour and intrigue.
The book “Manchild in the Promised Land” by Claude Brown is an autobiographical novel that follows the life of Sonny, a boy growing up in Harlem during the mid-20th century.
It captures his early experiences with street life, encounters with crime, and his struggle to escape that world. The story paints a vivid picture of Harlem’s challenges while showing Sonny’s fight to create a better future.
The novel “The Street” by Ann Petry follows Lutie Johnson, a single Black mother, as she struggles to create a better life for herself and her son in 1940s Harlem.
Trapped by poverty and racism, Lutie rents an apartment on 116th Street, where the harsh realities of urban life threaten her dreams.
The story paints a vivid picture of her fight against oppressive forces, including predatory landlords and the limitations placed on her because of her race and gender.
The book “This Love Story Will Self-Destruct” by Leslie Cohen follows Eve and Ben, two people whose lives cross repeatedly in New York City. Eve is struggling to find her place while dealing with her past, and Ben is a steady, grounded counterpoint to her fiery personality.
Their connection grows over time, shaped by chance encounters and the vibrant, chaotic backdrop of Manhattan. It’s a story about timing, growth, and the unexpected paths love can take.
The book “Harlem Shuffle” by Colson Whitehead follows Ray Carney, a hardworking furniture salesman in 1960s Harlem, who tries to stay on the straight and narrow despite the pull of his family’s criminal past and the chaos around him.
As he gets caught up in a heist gone wrong, Ray finds himself navigating a world of gangsters, corrupt cops, and shifting loyalties while trying to protect his business and family. The story paints a vivid picture of Harlem during that era, full of life, danger, and resilience.