The Best Fiction About the Golden Era?

[jgilbert]

P. G. Woodhouse Wooster and Jeeves! Great summer reading.

 

[verazasulich]

I'm not sure if anyone will agree, but I think HP Lovecraft's works can be rather evocative, and not just of slimy tentacled things. His descriptions of New England architecture and social relations - say, in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward or The Whisperer in Darkness - are quite pleasantly eerie.

 

[Jay]

I'd have to second Chandler, but for a reason. Some of the stories (actually written in the 30s/40s/50s) I've read seem to omit details that make the time period stand out. For instance peoples' style of dress, cars, building designs, furniture, is often glossed over. Chandler on the other hand, seemed to have a keen eye on all the things that make up the golden era. He often denotes peoples clothing choices, critiques modern (read: golden era) architecture, and such in a manner that makes it all the more realistic.

Edit: This could also just be me being a little biased since I just started re-reading The Big Sleep.

 

[Talbot]

Yes ditto on Berlin Noir.

Also, not quite 'golden age', but check out Walter Mosely. The Easy Rawlins series starts in 1947 Los Angeles and is a great read. 'Devil in a Blue Dress' is the first (?) I think. I highly recommend it.

 

[dahliaoleander]

James M. Cain anyone. (Mildred Pierce, Double Indemnity.)

Interestingly, Opera comes in in various points in Mildred.

 

[imported_the_librarian]

For noir and the time travel feeling, and NOT produced by Chandler, et. al, hard to go wrong with Nathan Heller by Max A. Collins

Grab the link: http://www.thrillingdetective.com/heller.html

See ya pal!

(Is Mac back?)

 

[old yazoo]

The Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse - wow. It was written and takes place in the 20's, and there's a lot of references and imagery from the jazz age. And the ending...on my.

The Clown by Heinrich Boll - one of my favoritest books.

 

[Cricket]

I have so many books on my reading list but it is hard to get to all of them. I love the mystery classics from Agatha Christie or the fiction of the working class from John Steinbeck. But I am really into the detective ficition. I did some looking around and here is what I found online. When I have time, and I am finished with my current book, I am going to check some of these things out.

Here are some of the things I found while searching on the net:

Most of the authors of the Golden Age were British: Margery Allingham (1904 - 1966), Anthony Berkeley (aka Francis Iles) (1893 - 1971), Agatha Christie (1890 - 1976), Freeman Wills Crofts (1879-1957), R. Austin Freeman (1862-1943), Michael Innes (1906–1993), Philip MacDonald (1900–1980), Ngaio Marsh (1895 - 1982), Dorothy L. Sayers (1893 - 1957), Josephine Tey (1896 - 1952), and many more, Some of them, such as John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen, and S. S. Van Dine, were American but had a similar style (others such as Raymond Chandler had a more "American" style).
Gilbert Adair's whodunits The Act of Roger Murgatroyd (2006) and A Mysterious Affair of Style (2007) are evocations of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Other current writers heavily influenced by the Golden Age style include Peter Lovesey and Simon Brett.

These suggestions have me really excited to head to the library.

 

[David Conwill]

Burns Bannion

I can't think of a better place to post this, so I'll mention it here since we're already talking books. Anyone here know the Burns Bannion "Kill Me In..." stories? They were written by a friend of my grandparents and they used to have nearly the whole collection (though I don't know what became of them after my grandfather died). The author's real name was Norman Thompson, but he wrote under the name Earl Norman. They were just mindless entertainment, but fun.

-Dave

 

[Samsa]

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

I'll cast another vote for Grapes of Wrath.

 

[Cascadian]

Lately I've been getting (back) into the early Saint stories by Leslie Charteris.

It's somewhat OT since it's not fiction, but most of what I read is non-fiction and I recently enjoyed: Dream Lucky: When FDR was in the White House, Count Basie was on the radio, and everyone wore a hat... by Roxane Orgill. I think it could be interesting to people on this board, and not just for the book's subtitle. On Amazon.

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Lately I've been getting (back) into the early Saint stories by Leslie Charteris.

It's somewhat OT since it's not fiction, but most of what I read is non-fiction and I recently enjoyed: Dream Lucky: When FDR was in the White House, Count Basie was on the radio, and everyone wore a hat... by Roxane Orgill. I think it could be interesting to people on this board, and not just for the book's subtitle. On Amazon.

I concur with the early Saints. Charteris certainly had periods as Simon Templar progresses through the series.

Thanks for the tip on Dream Lucky. I have added to my list.

 

[skyvue]

I just read Dream Lucky, too. I would only add to the above description that includes more about the African-American experience of that era than similar book I've read (and I intend that as a commendation).

I just finished a book that I guess is a YA novel called Me and Orson Welles, in which a teenaged lad from Jersey finds himself almost by accident in the legendary late '30s Mercury Theatre production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Norman Lloyd and many other famous people appear in it and there are many references to swing music, radio programs of the day, and such.

I'd be happy to send it to the first person to claim it -- it's not a classic, but it's a quick read and enjoyable enough. A coming-of-age story, ala (but not as good as) Summer of '42 (which is another novel about the Golden Era I recommend).

 

[imported_the_librarian]

Burns Bannion...I've just checked and if ANYONE has these, it looks like you are sitting on a gold mine!

Check this out:

Public Library--Nope.

Worldcat-->only 5 libraries have anything from this guy (in my area)

Amazon--> Nope, well a few-->big $$$$$$$$$$

Abe Books--->same story BIG $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

This is killing me as these look like a great series, but nowhere to be found!

************

Have you seen this yet though:

http://blackmaskmagazine.com/fiction.html

 

[Panache]

I'm with Rittmeister and Spiffy,

The Berlin Noir books and the (mis)adventures of Phillip Marlowe have the details that make the time period live for me whn reading them.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Two O'Clock Eastern Wartime by John Dunning. [Scribner - 2001]

I started this one long before I joined the Lounge, but never finished it. Time to pull it out again. It's also time to give up trying to figure out which car that is on the cover - I've settled on "invented for the cover", since I can't find one like it anywhere.


Lee

 

[KY Gentleman]

Just wondering what book recommendations people had about the era we all love.

You ought to check out a book called "Beautiful Joe" by Marshall Saunders written in 1894. Its still available (you'll probably have to order it),the story inspired a movement for the more humane treatment of animals. It has a good plot/message and it was so good after reading it as a child I hunted a copy down some thirty years later. I still gleaned a great deal from it after all these many years.