Nobody doubts that New York is an impressive city, full of stories, places, unique characters, it is a city that has a charm that is difficult to ignore, it is a city that inspires you, a city that makes you feel and see life in a different way and maybe that is why it is the muse of many artists.

New York is the perfect city to set the scene for a novel, it is the ideal setting to create powerful stories, stories that can reach deep into your heart and for that reason today we want to share with you a guide or list of books, depending on how you want to see it, which you should read before traveling to New York.

This collection of books will help you to see, feel and appreciate the Big Apple in a different way and it is because each book we are going to recommend will show you the city from points of view that you have never imagined before, no matter how many times you have visited New York because we are sure that each book will tell you something new about this amazing city.

Let’s get started!

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

This collection of books should begin with a classic of universal literature. This novel is among the top 10 of the best set novels in New York and is a book that every Big Apple lover should read at least once in a lifetime.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Source www.bibliofreak.net

Breakfast at Tiffany’s shows us New York through the eyes of a young woman who loves the city, considers it the perfect place to live and dreams of an extravagant life, full of luxury, expensive restaurants and a little eccentric love. With this novel, you’ll get a close-up feel of the New York lifestyle of the 1940s, Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a magnetically filled story that you’re sure to love.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Another classic that can become your favorite New York book.  The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920s and tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a millionaire obsessed with recovering his love of youth. This novel will show you a character full of contradictions and fears, an enigmatic character who will make some wrong decisions that will cause problems in the future.

The Great Gatsby – Source www.thoughtco.com

The Great Gatsby is a novel full of details but easy to read, with a genuine prose that will seduce you. In this novel you’ll see the high society party of the 1920s, you’ll get to know a developing New York that is becoming what we know today. You’ll love this story, at times you’ll love the character and at other times you’ll hate it, a novel full of nuances that you should read.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

This novel will immerse you in the world of an important New York stockbroker with very peculiar tastes. The protagonist of the novel is called Patrick Bateman and will be the one who, through his eyes, will show you a sordid New York, of dark characters, a city that seems calm but is full of chaos.

American Psycho – Source byparra.com

American Psycho also makes a deep critique of American high society, a novel with a black humor, with a strong language and without scruples, this story will take you through unimaginable passages of the Big Apple through some characters you will always remember, a super recommended book!

Read: The best bookstores in new york city

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

If you are one of those people who love music and at the same time like to read this is the right book for you. A Visit from the Goon Squad is a novel that shows you the city of New York through music, is a journey from the 60’s to the present and where you will tour the entire music industry of the Big Apple through the charming and beautiful stories.

The book has 13 chapters and each of them can be read as an individual story as it is not centered on a single character.  In this novel you will find that each character has a vision of life, the music industry and New York City. A visit from the Goon Squad won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and is considered a very ingenious novel with a great cultural contribution to the younger generation.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

This novel will give you the opportunity to get to know Brooklyn, one of New York City’s most famous boroughs.  Through the eyes of a teenager, you can see every corner of Brooklyn, which are perfectly portrayed in the book.

The story focuses on the life of Francie Nolan, a little daughter of immigrants who are looking for a new opportunity in the new world. It is a novel that shows us a young woman who is willing to fight against any obstacle to fulfill the American dream.  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is full of nuances, emotional twists and a lifestyle you’ll love.

¡Bonus¡

Secret New York: An Unusual Guide

This book is a guide with facts and curious places that very few people know about New York City. It is the perfect book to learn more about the Big Apple, to visit places that are not so common, it is a book made for the tourist who wants to discover every corner of the city, a guide that will motivate you to venture into the streets of New York.