I absolutely love and adore London and always enjoyed watching films and TV shows that takes place in London but I wanted to start reading a book that also takes place in London.

I was wondering thus if anyone has any recommendations of a good book (fiction...) that takes place in London and has a good portrayal of the city (whether it's the people, city life, geography and etc. doesn't matter. Combination is always preferred but I'm not picky)?

When it comes to genre, it doesn't really matter either as I can read almost anything if it is very good but if it is general fiction with a good plot, then it is a big plus. But like I said, anything is okay; fantasy, chick-lit, mystery, ya, romance, sci-fic, drama and etc.. As long as the book is very good :D

Thanks! :)

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I'm looking for modern depictions of London :)

The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Oops...it is old London...but you still might like it.

London The Novel
London Fields
Saturday
Brick Lane A Novel
White Teeth
Bridget Jones's Diary
The Line of Beauty
84, Charing Cross Road
Small Island A Novel
High Fidelity
Pattern Recognition
Neverwhere A Novel

Elizabeth wrote: "The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Oops...it is old London...but you still might like it.
"

I've heard about that book several times so I definitely think I should check it out now, even if it is old London :D Thank you!

Liz wrote: "London The Novel
London Fields
Saturday
Brick Lane A Novel
White Teeth
Bridget Jones's Diary
[book:The Line of Beauty|..."

Oh wow, thank you, thank you! :D *excited*

Here's a few more

1. Time Out London Short Stories v.2 ed. Nicholas Royle. There are two volumes of these contemporary stories set in different environs of London.

2. The Intimate Adventures Of A London Call Girl and The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl - What Belle did next Belle de Jour came out of university and thought this was a better way of making money. It was - and still is - a prize-winning blog.

3. What Happens in London by Julia Quinn if you like romance books.

4. The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi who won the Whitbread prize for this.

5. Saturday by Ian McEwan is set in Marylebone, an area I used to live in.

6. Someday My Prince Will Come by Jerramy Fine. Chicklit in London.

7. Elegance by Kathleen Tessaro. An American in London

8. Sophie Kinsella's very successful Shopaholic series and now, I think, a film, are set in London.

Enough already?

:-)

Down and Out in Paris and London
High Fidelity
The Perfect Fool
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Keep the Aspidistra Flying
england, their england by a.g. macdonnel
The Book of dave by will self.

I can't remember if it is Light a Penny Candle or Circle of Friends. Also, Brendan O'Carroll: The Mammy, The Chisellers, The Granny, and the Young Wan (love these--funny and heart-warming)

I'm with Liz...I loved 84 Charing Cross Road!

You have England at a time when it has changed from who she was. I hope you find the true spirit that is England.

Elizabeth wrote: "The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly

Oops...it is old London...but you still might like it.
"

And the other one that goes with it--White Rose

Definitely 84 Charing Cross Road and its sequel, The Duchess of Bloomsbury.

Several of Elizabeth George's mystery novels are set in London proper.

I absolutely LOVED The Little Lady Agency I do not usually go for "chick-lit" but I thought this was fun, sweet, and witty. (I also second Sophie Kinsella's novels; different style but also great fun and London-centric! If you like Kinsella, don't miss her newest book Twenties Girl A Novel which features our heroine giving an American friend a tour of London, so funny!)

:-) Happy to find this thread. I, too, love London! The "modern setting" request has me a bit stumped, as I tend to read more classics or books based in earlier eras, but I will let you know if I think of more!

Another author you might like is China Miéville. I have only read two of his books - Un Lun Dun and King Rat, but I believe the idea of London the city can be found in some of his other books. Both Un Lun Dun and King Rat draw heavily on London's history and geography until the city itself is practically a character.

You might be over this particular reading kick, but just in case you're not... My absolute favorite is London Observed by Doris Lessing. It's a collection of short stories (not usually my thing) -- and I swear every story captures something different and intimate about the city: its chaos, elegance, and diversity. I pack this one every time I'm headed to Heathrow.

Here's someone else's take on it:
'During that first year in England, I had a vision of London I cannot recall now... it was a nightmare city that I lived in for a year. Then, one evening, walking across the park, the light welded buildings, trees and scarlet buses into something familiar and beautiful, and I knew myself to be at home.'

Doris Lessing wrote these words in 1957, and since then she has continued to observe both London and its inhabitants with the shrewd, compassionate eye of an artist. London Observed: Stores and Sketches contains eighteen perfect pen-portraits of Londers and their city, seen from a cafe table, a hospital bed, the back seat of a taxi, a casualty department... together making up one of the finest collections of short writing to appear in a decade.

Kate wrote: "You might be over this particular reading kick, but just in case you're not... My absolute favorite is London Observed by Doris Lessing. It's a collection of short stories (not usually my thing) ..."
I'm always on the look out for London books and this one sounds great! I have a thing for short stories collections :D Thank you! *adds it to the ever long to-read list*

Great books great list