American writing

[nursenic]

Please offer your suggestions for great American writing-fiction and non fiction, memoir, bio and autobio, travel and food writing.

I have some suggestions too if anybody would like my recommendations.

Writers from or inspired by the deep south are a particular 'obsession' but am looking to broaden my awareness of other U.S regions. I have started collecting books on or by Alaskan authors and would like to know more Hawaiian literature/novelists.

Favourites are Bailey White, Pat Conroy, Linda Bruckheimer, T C Boyle, Hector Tobas, Barbara Kingsolver, Capote, Willa Cather, Edna Lewis, Michael Lee West, James Villas (food), John Edgerton, Calvin Trillin, John T Edge, Tim O Grady....and the usual Fannie Flagg, Rebecca Wells type southern novel..

Any ideas?

I saw the thread title and wondered if you had started a separate thread. I've checked through my Good Reads list and found....

Adrianne Trigana - Lucia, Lucia et al.
The Midwife's Tale - GM Laskas (Apalachia in '30s if memory serves...)
Their Eyes were watching god - Zora Neal Hurston (I didn't finish it (guilty emoticon))
The 19th Wife - Ebershoff
Elinor Lipman - I enjoyed Inn at Lake Devine the best
Laurie Graham although British has used some US based characters or settings, The Future Homemakers of American, All at Sea, also ones about the Kennedeys and Wallis Simpson. I really enjoy her novels - a Good Read

HTH

Thank you Leo- I felt a bit guilty for hijacking the other so started this!

I haven't read Zora Neal Hurston nor Lipman. Have bought the Ebershoff book; it's about two Mormon lives in parallel isn't it? I must read it.

I love Laurie Graham from the moment I picked up 'Future Homemakers of America' because am planning a thesis researching the effects living in the Uk had upon black American soldiers/airmen from the Deep South. Whether despite the still very rascist attitudes here, it effected civil rights nascence.

I love the Trigiani novels. Perfect escapism. Have you read any Barbara Kingsolver? If no, try-

The Prodigal Summer
The Bean Tree
Pigs In Heaven
Animal Dreams

Also her essay collection called Tigh Tide In Tuscon and her book/diary about a year spent eating only locally grown and sourced food called Animal, Vegetable, Mineral.

I also liked the novels written by a Canadian author called Lori Lansen. She wrote The Wives Tale, The Girls and Rush Home Road; the latter being my fave.

You cannot have a list of Southern American writers without including Flannery O'Connor! She's probably my favourite author. The Violent Bear it Away or A Good Man is Hard to Find. Brilliant and sooooo evocative of place. I'd also suggest Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

How about James Baldwin? Go Tell it on the Mountain or The Fire Next Time perhaps.

MIdnightExpress-

How right you are. I have dropped heavy hints regarding these classics and have both authors; O'Connor and McCullers on my emailed Amazon list. I also have Willa Cather's backlist and also 'Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil' too.

I cannot recommend the collection of writings by Bailey White enough. She's a Teacher/author from Georgia and both Sleeping At The Starlight Motel and Mama Makes Up Her Mind are two of my all time favourites. These make great 'inter labour books', Thirtysomething if you are reading this.

How to describe them??? A collection of chaptered 'vignettes' about her very Southern Gothic life with her quite batty Mother and assorted other characters wandering across the landscape of her writing. She has the most amazing way of capturing place and sensation. Whilst scooting under the 'crawl space' of her Southern house, she talks of the 'silent watchfulness of spiders....'. I have never got that out of my mind. Just perfect.

She has also written a novel called Quite A Good Year For Plums.

I would include To Kill A Mockingbird, and Donna Tartt's two novels - The Secret History, and The Little Friend.

Have ordered some of these suggestions and am very excited-have two weeks A/L coming up in which to read myself half to death.....(smile)

Hi all, I love amercian authors also since i read The prince of tides over twenty years ago. I had loved Fannie Flagg but then got a bit tired of her. You did not mention Wally Lamb another great author. There is a new book out at the moment called The Kitchen House by Kathrine ? Its getting great reviews on Amazon, its sounds like my kind of book, a little like a mix of The Help and Gone with the wind.

Franzen! Particularly the Corrections and Freedom. Really give the flavour of modern America.

Richard Yates. 50's novels, every one I've read I've loved. But Revolutionary Road is the best known. Astute observations of the American family.

Armistead Maupin for a taste of San Franscico.

Agree with Donna Tartt. I also like American fiction and must look up some of the autors listed above!

This is a great thread! Thanks for all the recs. I have had Franzen on my shelf for ages but never picked it up, but seeing as how BeeBaw just named him and my three favourite authors I really must.

The Little Friend Donna Tartt, exquisite Southern. More recently American Wife and The Decendants (Hawaii). Michael Chabon. And John Irving.

On re-reading the original post I have to add Just Kids Patti Smith, brilliant memoir of 1970's Manhattan.

Sounds like we have similar taste aprilc, I'm putting the descendants and just kids in my amazon basket now as I'm sure I'll like them too!

I lurve American writing and am desperate to try some of these - adding to wish list NOW! I am also a bit obsessed with UK and US politics (in a completely non political way) and was recommended some great sounding read on this thread though apols quite a few are UK.

US fiction that spring to mind:

Donna Tartt
James Ellroy - LA Conf
John Berendt - Midnight in the garden of good and evil (I spent a long time in that part of the US and just revelled in that book)
To Kill a Mockingbird

Freedom is in the "read in the first half of 2012" shelf......

Don't forget John Irving!!!!!

SydneyS, re Richard Yates, I enjoyed The Easter Parade, The Good School, and his short stories (Collected Stories I think it was called). Still got a few to read, he wrote a lot of books.

Think I'll have to add Ellroy and Gates to my amazon basket as well now. I like a bit of swearing and alcoholism in a novel!

(I've just started reading True Grit by Charles Portis - inspired by the frankly brilliant remake of the movie - and it's also very promising so far)

Have you read Faulkner, Steinbeck, or Cold Mountain?

As I Lay Dying, Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden - can highly recommend.

Oh yes love Steinbeck too, Fishpond.