Reading list · Set-in-place

Books set in New York City

The novels that actually unfold in New York City. Every title is verified to exist and tied to real places, so you can read your way there before you go.

6 books · 6 set here, 0 kindred · grounded to real New York City locations

Every title is verified to exist and grounded to a real place in New York City — we'd rather show you fewer titles than make one up.

What books are set in New York City?

6 novels are set in New York City on Storyland: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Jazz by Toni Morrison, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald — each tied to real New York City locations you can visit.

  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
  • The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
  • Jazz by Toni Morrison
  • A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

  1. The Catcher in the Rye

    J.D. Salinger

    Set there

    Holden's lost weekend across Manhattan, from the Natural History museum to the carousel in the park.

    Maps to: Manhattan — Midtown & Central Park

  2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

    Betty Smith

    Set there

    A girl grows up poor and hopeful in early-1900s Williamsburg.

    Maps to: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

  3. The Age of Innocence

    Edith Wharton

    Set there

    Wharton's Gilded Age New York of opera boxes and Fifth Avenue drawing rooms.

    Maps to: Old-money Manhattan

  4. Jazz

    Toni Morrison

    Set there

    Morrison's Harlem in the Jazz Age — migration, music, and love turned violent.

    Maps to: 1920s Harlem

  5. A Little Life

    Hanya Yanagihara

    Set there

    Four friends' decades in New York, anchored in a Lispenard Street loft downtown.

    Maps to: Lower Manhattan — Chinatown & SoHo

  6. The Great Gatsby

    F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Set there

    The Eggs are Long Island, but the novel's turn is Manhattan: the confrontation in a suite at the Plaza, and the drive into town over the Queensboro Bridge.

    Maps to: Manhattan — the Plaza Hotel & the Queensboro Bridge

Reading your way into New York City

From Wharton's Gilded Age drawing rooms to Morrison's Jazz-Age Harlem, New York holds more stories per block than anywhere. The books below are drawn from Storyland's book↔place engine and checked against real locations.

Frequently asked

What books are set in New York City?

6 novels are set in New York City on Storyland: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Jazz by Toni Morrison, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald — each tied to real New York City locations you can visit.

What should I read before visiting New York City?

Before visiting New York City, read The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (Manhattan — Midtown & Central Park), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (Williamsburg, Brooklyn), The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (Old-money Manhattan), Jazz by Toni Morrison (1920s Harlem), A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (Lower Manhattan — Chinatown & SoHo), and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Manhattan — the Plaza Hotel & the Queensboro Bridge). Each is set in New York City and maps to real locations you can walk.