06 - A book set in the 1920's

[Julia]

I'm going to read Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell


I couldn't find out when exactly the plot is set, but as Orwell served as a police officer in Burma from 1922-1927 and this was his inspiration for the book published in 1936. So for me that's close enough.

[Debbie]

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 ..."

Someone mentioned above that Orlando ends in the 1920s. It's a classic, often studied by women's and transgender studies students. Worth a read, if you haven't read it.

[Debbie]

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 ..."

Also, just found this women-loving-women listopia, but I have no idea how valid some of the titles are. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Angelina]

it’s set in 1922 and was quite good, I preferred it to her more popular book.

[Angelina]

Debbie wrote: "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, whic..."

This will work as set in the right era. I read it a while ago and wasn’t too bad.
The Paying Guests

And I think some of the Kate Shackleton series may be appropriate I just can’t remember which books sorry

[Angelina]

Oh thought of some more the Kate shackleton series By Frances Brody .

This is just an example there’s lots all in the 1920s. A Woman Unknown

Oh and Peter whimseys are in the 1920s by Dorothy l sayers

[Sarah]

I think is set in the 1920s. It was published in 1930 but must have been written a wee bit before that. I can't find any dates in the story but I think it must be the 20s. I'm reading it for Black History Month.

Also the clothing the youngest female character is wearing seems to match the styles of the 20s and she got a bobbed hairdo. So I think that says it is the 1920s.

UPDATE: I believe now this book is set before the 1920s, as near the end they mention a war, which I believe is WWI. So it's probably the decade just before the 20s. The 1910s.

[Cr]

Kind of want a second opinion.
If a book is set in the Taisho period (1912-1926) without specifying the exact year, should it be counted? There's a taisho roman (大正ロマン) book I'm thinking of counting for this prompt, but I haven't read it yet and I'm not sure if it ever specifies the exact year it takes place...

Note: I can't use the book's published year as reference because the specific book I'm looking at was published in 2019.

[Maks]

The Diviner's Series by Libba Bray is set in 1920's

[Drakeryn]

Just came across Desdemona and the Deep, which is apparently a goblin market story set in the 1920s. (Also it's tagged as LGBT @Danii, although it's fantasy rather than contemporary)

[Ali]

I read Mrs. Dalloway to fit this.

Also, while the primary story in this is not LGBT, there is an LGBT love interest shared in a loving, respectful way. A sincere love that was not carried out further due to bias of the era (trying not to give spoilers in case folks haven't read this).

[Lilith]

I finished The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle. Beautifully crafted, mysterious atmospheric feel, and an intriguing plot. Almost Weird Fiction. Set in Harlem in the 1920s, and the MC as a jazzman really works.

Great to discover LaValle! He created an homage to H. P. Lovecraft - and upended Lovecraft's racism on its head. If you're into Thelema, High Magick or similar pathways, you'll appreciate the symbolic language. Really well done.

[Karin]

I ended up reading Summer Lightning which was published in 1929 and set then. It was funny and well done.

[Leona]

Ali wrote: "I read Mrs. Dalloway to fit this.

Also, while the primary story in this is not LGBT, there is an LGBT love interest shared in a loving, respectful way. A sincere love that was not carried out fur..."

I won this book from my library in a challenge they had. I will read this one. Thanks.

[Ruth]

With the public library closed, I have much less choice in my book options. My Mom had some musty copies of John Steinbeck novels, and I just read Cup of Gold (which obviously fulfills the "gold, silver, or bronze in the title" prompt" and Tortilla Flat

I'm trying to figure out if Tortilla Flat takes place in the 1920's or not.

There's reference to the characters "going off to war with Germany and coming home again", and since the book was published in 1935, they can't be referring to WWII, so I'm guessing this takes place after WWI (except the first paragraph or so which takes place before they go off to war.) There's also a reference to Prohibition being in effect (in spite of the ready availability of alcohol in their town.)

Taken together, does this mean the 1920's?

[Katy]

Ruth wrote: "With the public library closed, I have much less choice in my book options. My Mom had some musty copies of John Steinbeck novels, and I just read Cup of Gold (which obviously fulfills the "gold, s..."

I'm not going to bother looking it up, but IIRC, prohibition ended in 1929, so I'd say you're good to go.

[Jackie]

Ruth wrote: "With the public library closed, I have much less choice in my book options. My Mom had some musty copies of John Steinbeck novels, and I just read Cup of Gold (which obviously fulfills the "gold, s..."

If you've had WWI and Prohibition, but not the Great Depression, you are almost certainly in the 1920s.

[Barb]

The Mary Russell /Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King are good reads and set in the 20s. Series starts with "The Beekeepers Apprentice"

[Teri]

Barb wrote: "The Mary Russell /Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King are good reads and set in the 20s. Series starts with "The Beekeepers Apprentice""

Good idea. I've read that first one but not any further in the series, although I've meant to do so.

[Barb]

Once I had read one to use for this prompt I had to read another. Lucky it had a map in it!

[Leona]

Read a cozy mystery today. A Mind for Murder: A 1920's Cozy Mystery by Molly Dox. I sat outside and read this today. Catherine Riley wants to get out of the traditional role of being a woman in 1926 and helps her father, a detective, solve a murder. I gave it a 3 star. I will ready some other books by Molly Dox

[Heather]

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie does not fit this prompt. I started to read it for this prompt, but Hastings specifically mentions that World War I is still going on. WWI was 1914-1918 so this book must be set before 1920.

However, I think other early Poirot books probably work. I read The Murder on the Links for this prompt.

[Heather L]

Finished Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh yesterday for a classics group, and the first half of the book—probably more like first two-thirds—is set in the 1920s. I think the only reason I managed to plow through to the end was so I could check off this challenge.

[Ilaria]

Does "Tender is the night" by Fitzgerald count? I heard that the plot starts in 1925 but then it is set six years later, so in 1931...

[Shelley]

I read Mrs. Dalloway, which was way darker than I was expecting.

[Drakeryn]

These Violent Delights (by Chloe Gong and scheduled for release in November) is a Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, and it looks incredible.

[Odette]

Oh that sounds really cool, thanks!

[Cornerofmadness]

There are plenty of 1920s mysteries for those who like them. I went with Bright Young Dead by Jessica Fellowes

[Leona]

Shelley wrote: "I read Mrs. Dalloway, which was way darker than I was expecting."

I agree, I have the book so might to a re-read.

[Kristin]

I was originally going to use The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women for 'A Book By or About a Woman in STEM', but I am a science lover and figured it would be easier to find something else for that category than this one, since I generally prefer books set in current times. That said, this is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it for any prompt it fits.

[Jackie]

Ooh, I met this challenge with Gods of Jade and Shadow and I have been making my way through Fitzgerald's short stories and novelettes.

[Barbara]

I read Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. One of the best true crime books I've read this year.

[Britany]

Finished
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Tamara]

I read "Black Orchid Blues" by Persia Walker.

[Virginia]

I read A Certain Age for this.