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2020 Challenge - Advanced > 06 - A book set in the 1920's

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message 1: by Sara (last edited Nov 18, 2019 11:49AM) (new)

Sara One of my favorite finds from a couple of years ago was The Girls at the Kingfisher Club which is a retelling of the twelve dancing princesses fairy tale set in the speakeasies of 1920's New York. I loved it!

Listopia link: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...


message 2: by Leanne (new)

Leanne Colton (ohiogirl1975) A Certain Age is set in the 20s


message 3: by Melissa (new)

Melissa (melly2508) | 0 comments Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is what I'm planning to read for this prompt


message 4: by tea_for_two (last edited Nov 18, 2019 11:55AM) (new)

tea_for_two | 21 comments Fiction:
Gods of Jade and Shadow
The Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood start in the 20s
The Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers are set in the 20s

Nonfiction:
The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (it's about Prohibition, so extends beyond the 20s, but the bulk of it is set in the 20s)


message 6: by Natalie (new)

Natalie (esaria) | 13 comments Nicole wrote: "Nonfiction:
Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern
[book:The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Ag..."


The Poisoner's Handbook is phenomenal! Highly recommend :D


message 9: by Alexa (new)

Alexa (ohmygoshhhitslexa) | 17 comments I haven't read it, but based on the summary, it looks like A Gentleman in Moscow could be a contender for this prompt!


message 10: by Ellie (new)

Ellie (patchworkbunny) | 1756 comments I had this on my ATY rejects challenge so happy to see it here.


message 11: by Amy J. (new)


message 12: by Alicia (new)

Alicia Ellsworth (sanukipityreads) | 160 comments Here is a list of Historical Fiction Books Set in the 1920s from Bookbub:
Radio Girls
The Girl from the Savoy
A Fine Imitation
A Certain Age
The Light of Paris
Jazz Moon
The Ringmaster's Wife
Moonlight over Paris
Platinum Doll
Leaving Lucy Pear

I love Beatriz Williams and saw Cocoa Beach and The Wicked City on another list. Wicked City is really good.


message 13: by Therese (new)

Therese | 133 comments Can anyone tell me if The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie is set in the 20s? It looks like it could be. Thanks.


message 14: by writer... (new)

writer... (goodreadscomwriter) | 25 comments Therese wrote: "Can anyone tell me if The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie is set in the 20s? It looks like it could be. Thanks."

Written in 1924 if that helps?


message 15: by writer... (last edited Nov 22, 2019 09:25PM) (new)


message 16: by Robyn (last edited Nov 22, 2019 08:00PM) (new)

Robyn Hendrix | 19 comments I think I will use this as a nudge to start the Phryne Fisher series.
Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher, #1) by Kerry Greenwood


message 17: by KF-in-Georgia (new)

KF-in-Georgia | 117 comments Yes. The Man in the Brown Suit was published in 1924. One character is described as someone "who fought in the Great War." Since the book was written in the early 20s, and most of Christie's work was set in then-contemporary times, I'd say it's safely a 1920s book.


message 18: by Therese (new)

Therese | 133 comments KF-in-Georgia wrote: "Yes. The Man in the Brown Suit was published in 1924. One character is described as someone "who fought in the Great War." Since the book was written in the early 20s, and most of Christie's work w..."

I had seen when it was published but I didn't want to check it out too much although I thought that it could be. Thanks for verifying this for me.


message 19: by Hannah (new)

Hannah | 68 comments Maisie Dobbs is set in 1929 according to its description.


message 20: by Michelle (new)

Michelle H | 48 comments Sujata Massey's books work!
The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry, #1) by Sujata Massey
The Satapur Moonstone (Perveen Mistry, #2) by Sujata Massey


message 21: by Chrissy (new)

Chrissy | 387 comments I enjoyed Speak Easy, Speak Love, which is a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing.


message 23: by Jen (new)

Jen (jentrewren) This is the only category where I have nothing on my TBR physical shelf or wish list and the only book I had any interest in I have re-read recently (Gatsby) so if anyone knows something really short and painless that would be fab.


message 25: by Jen (new)

Jen (jentrewren) Looks like 2020 may be the year I finally read some Potter (vision prompt and now this the world seems to be telling me it is time).


message 26: by Rachel (new)

Rachel Heaney | 210 comments Jessica Fellowes' 'Mitford Murder' series has 3 titles so far and each mystery is set in the 1920's. In order they are:

1. The Mitford Murders
2. Bright Young Dead
3. The Mitford Scandal


message 27: by Tanu (new)

Tanu (tanu_reads) | 115 comments @Jen, someone else mentioned that the early Phryne Fisher books by Kerry Greenwood (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries was based on them) are set in the 1920s.


message 28: by Jen (new)

Jen (jentrewren) Thank you. Mitford Murders might be fate I was in Mitford manor as my house at school.


message 29: by Darci (new)

Darci Day | 164 comments The blurb for Gods of Jade and Shadow says it takes place during the Jazz Age, so I'm going to use that one.


message 31: by Edie (new)

Edie | 60 comments Jen wrote: "This is the only category where I have nothing on my TBR physical shelf or wish list and the only book I had any interest in I have re-read recently (Gatsby) so if anyone knows something really sho..."

My classics book club just read The Painted Veil by Somerser Maugham. It is set in the 20s in China and I really liked it. For me, it was a quick read (and one I had trouble putting down).


message 32: by Jen (new)

Jen (jentrewren) Edie wrote: "Jen wrote: "This is the only category where I have nothing on my TBR physical shelf or wish list and the only book I had any interest in I have re-read recently (Gatsby) so if anyone knows somethin..."
Thanks for giving me another option!


message 33: by Nicole (last edited Dec 17, 2019 08:43AM) (new)

Nicole | 97 comments found some more on Listopia

1920s Historical Fiction https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
Jazz Age Historical Fiction https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
YA set in the 1920s https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...
Fiction Set in 1920s https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
World War One + 1920s Ghost Stories https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
1920s WLW https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...


message 34: by Ally (new)

Ally (allybl) | 47 comments This books spans the 20s and mainly starts in 1929.
The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer


message 35: by Rachel (new)

Rachel Welch (rachelreadsss) | 4 comments Would “Radium Girls” count? I think it’s late 1910s-early 1920s


message 36: by Jen (new)

Jen (jentrewren) Found one sitting on my shelf and forgotten Lady Chatterley's Lover so not me but since it is short and I already own it, plus it is a category I'm not keen on, it will save trying to find/buy/borrow something else I'm not keen on.


message 37: by Ketutar (last edited Dec 30, 2019 09:28AM) (new)

Ketutar Jensen | 98 comments 10 books that defined the 20s

1920s bookish lineup

Auntie Mame An Irreverent Escapade (Auntie Mame #1) by Patrick Dennis Around the World with Auntie Mame (Auntie Mame #2) by Patrick Dennis
The Vampire Files, Volume 1 (Vampire Files, #1-3) by P.N. Elrod set in prohibition-era Chicago
Speak Easy by Catherynne M. Valente
Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed
The House Without a Key (Charlie Chan, #1) by Earl Derr Biggers
Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey, #1) by Dorothy L. Sayers
Grand Hotel by Vicki Baum Lacul Doamnelor by Vicki Baum (It's called Martin's Summer in English, though it's not that famous...)
Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly

Quite a lot of OZ books are set in the 20s, as are Doctor Dolittles
Also some Tarzan books :-D
And Edgar Wallace's books

Edith Maud Hull wrote The Sheik 1919, and then continued writing desert romances through 20s - there's quite a lot of oriental erotic fantasies written in the 20s, and... well...
I suppose A Rose in the Banyan Tree fits... can't remember when it was supposed to happen, but I read it at the "great Indian revival" of the 80s :-D together with A Passage to India
There's also The Ginger Tree, The Lover and The Russian Concubine

Jazz by Toni Morrison
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
Emily's Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary
Mellan rött och svart by Jan Guillou
Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1) by Ken Follett
Orlando by Virginia Woolf - it ends in the 20s

The Plumed Serpent by D.H. Lawrence
"The novel received negative reviews. Commentators have characterised it as fascist and an attack on Christianity, and seen it as expressing Lawrence's fears about the decline of the white race and belief in women's submission to men. It has also been interpreted as an expression of his personal political ambition and as having homoerotic aspects."

The Two Sisters by H.E. Bates
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy
Pimpernel and Rosemary by Emmuska Orczy
Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties, #1) by Jenn Bennett Grim Shadows (Roaring Twenties, #2) by Jenn Bennett Grave Phantoms (Roaring Twenties, #3) by Jenn Bennett


message 38: by Pie (last edited Dec 31, 2019 10:57AM) (new)

Pie (pixelpie) | 49 comments The Snow Child takes place in Alaska during the 1920s.
Also found these two lists https://www.bustle.com/articles/16137... https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/t...


message 39: by Ketutar (new)

Ketutar Jensen | 98 comments There seems to be an uprise of 20s lady detective novels:
Miss Fisher has been mentioned several times.
Daisy Dalrymple
Lady Eleanor mysteries; A Poisoning In Piccadilly and A Burglary In Belgravia
High Society Lady Detective series

historical mysteries set in the 20s


message 40: by Shannon (new)

Shannon Dyer (solsticesinger) | 6 comments I really liked the other typist which is set in the 20s. Renee Rosen‘s doll face could also work.


message 41: by Danii (new)

Danii Allen (whisperedwishes) I'm only reading LGBTQ+ books this challenge, and I also strongly favour contemporary fiction, so I feel like I'm picking from a pretty limited pool for this one (unless I cheat, which is a strong possibility).

Does anyone have any suggestions that might fit for me? I've seen that Libba Bray has a book set in the 20s, but I'm not a big fan of hers, and beyond that I'm stuck.

Or alternatively, what Keep It Simple options are there?


message 42: by Darci (new)

Darci Day | 164 comments Danii wrote: "I'm only reading LGBTQ+ books this challenge, and I also strongly favour contemporary fiction, so I feel like I'm picking from a pretty limited pool for this one (unless I cheat, which is a strong ..."

If you're okay with stretching the prompt a bit, Amberlough might work. It appears to take place in a 1920's-ish fantasy world.


message 43: by Jess (new)

Jess Schira | 7 comments Jennifer W wrote: "Wow, I have a bunch that I've either read or want to read...


Nonfiction:
Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
[book:Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin..."


My dad 'urged me to read Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI last year. This prompt looks like the perfect reason to pull it off my shelf and dive in. Plus it will fill my goal to read more non-fiction this year.


message 44: by Dea (new)

Dea (maidmirawyn) | 202 comments Michelle wrote: "Sujata Massey's books work!
The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry, #1) by Sujata Massey
The Satapur Moonstone (Perveen Mistry, #2) by Sujata Massey"

Thanks for that!

I read The Widows of Malabar Hill last year and enjoyed it. Sounds like The Satapur Moonstone is a solid option for this year. :)


message 45: by Milena (new)

Milena (milenas) | 1198 comments Mirawyn wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Sujata Massey's books work!
The Widows of Malabar Hill (Perveen Mistry, #1) by Sujata Massey
The Satapur Moonstone (Perveen Mistry, #2) by Sujata Massey"
Thanks for that!

I read The Widows of Malabar Hill last yea..."


I liked The Satapur Moonstone even better.


message 46: by Drakeryn (new)

Drakeryn | 708 comments Just came across A Criminal Magic in my goodreads feed. It's urban fantasy set in 1926 in Washington D.C. and deals with sorcerers in crime syndicates.


message 47: by Aimee (new)

Aimee (pebbles320) Danii wrote: "I'm only reading LGBTQ+ books this challenge, and I also strongly favour contemporary fiction, so I feel like I'm picking from a pretty limited pool for this one (unless I cheat, which is a strong ..."

There's some LGBTQ+ content in Mrs. Dalloway (set in 1923) - one female character reflects on a kiss shared with a female friend before the start of the story, and a male character is repulsed by heterosexual sex. It's not blatant, because of the period the book was written in, but I thought I'd mention it.


message 48: by Karin (new)

Karin Rachel wrote: "Would “Radium Girls” count? I think it’s late 1910s-early 1920s"

Much of it is in the 1920s. The first factory starts in 1917, but I am not sure if more than half of it is in the 1920s. I usually go for more than 50 percent in some challenges, or, if the challenge seems easy for me, over 75 percent.


message 49: by Sarah (new)

Sarah B | 101 comments Thunder from the Sea by Joan Hiatt Harlow is set in 1929 Newfoundland before and after the earthquake that hit the island.. it's a sweet story about an orphan boy and a dog.


message 50: by Sherri (new)

Sherri Harris | 782 comments I read The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey for this prompt.


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