Oblomov Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 I quite like stories that have a period feel, especially if factual events are described from the viewpoint of one character - not necessarily in the First Person, although that format probably works best. Examples of such stories are the well known All Quiet in the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, World Fair - E L Doctorow's superb depiction of a boy growing-up in the 1930s Depression era New York etc. Of course, there are several such books set during World War 2. What I am after is a really good book looking at the "Roaring" life and changes in the 1920s America and/or Europe, before the 1929 crash changed it forever. The one I have closest to that subject is Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, but although good, I find its scope too narrow. I am after something that looks at the 1920s in a wider perspective, but using the experiences of the main character as the focus for narration. Any suggestion would be welcome. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted July 8, 2007 Share Posted July 8, 2007 How about Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 I really enjoyed Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, which was written, I believe, in 1926. It takes place in Europe and touches on a lot of different people and places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 How about Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis? Sounds like one of those, thanks. There was a sequel that was supposedly just as good, wasn't there? In fact, your suggestion reminded me of the film version of Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell. I meant to get the DVD but had forgotten about it; I'll order that too, now. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 A lot of Evelyn Waugh's books are set in the 1920's, and Nancy Mitford's books (can't remember any titles off hand - it's been a while) are also set during that period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 And I thought of another one in the middle of hte night - PG Wodehouse books are all set in the 20s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Thanks Sam. I am actually after books that depict the changing culture and atmosphere of this so called "Jazz Age", not merely books written in the 1920s. Many authors like Edgar Wallace and (his good friend, apparently) P G Wodehouse did write in the twenties, but they did not necessarily reflect the culture of the times - at least Wallace didn't, I have read most of his books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Rex Stout wrote his Nero Wolfe series over a long period of time - the first books take place in Manhattan. I'm not sure if they were exactly in the roaring twenties, I do know a dollar went a long way in those early books. His first Nero book was published in 1934. "Science in detection can be distinguished, even brilliant, but it can never replace either the inexorable march of a fine intellect through a jungle of lies and fears to the clearing of truth, or the flash of perception along a sensitive nerve touched off by a tone of a voice or a flicker of an eye." (from The Golden Spiders, 1953) Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samgrosser Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Thanks Sam. I am actually after books that depict the changing culture and atmosphere of this so called "Jazz Age", not merely books written in the 1920s. Many authors like Edgar Wallace and (his good friend, apparently) P G Wodehouse did write in the twenties, but they did not necessarily reflect the culture of the times - at least Wallace didn't, I have read most of his books. I haven't read Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf - though it's on my TBR pile, but I think it might be what you're looking for. Here's a link that will tell you more. http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/08/reviews/woolf-dalloway.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 This is probably not what you are after, but I have read several very interesting books set in Kenya during this time period. 'The Life and Death of Lord Errol: the truth behind the Happy Valley Murder' by Errol Trzebinski and 'Child of Happy Valley' by Juanita Carberry. Both of these highlight the decadent lifestyle of a group of British aristocrats and adventurers, living in the Rift Valley, involving drugs and promiscuity which lead to the murder of one of their group. World War I probably brought this to an end rather than the Wall Street Crash. Another set in Kenya is 'Out of Africa' by Isak Dinesen. All these are biographical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 This is probably not what you are after, but I have read several very interesting books set in Kenya during this time period. 'The Life and Death of Lord Errol: the truth behind the Happy Valley Murder' by Errol Trzebinski and 'Child of Happy Valley' by Juanita Carberry. . Thanks! Though you are right in presuming that my query was related to life in America & Europe in the 20s, I am also very interested in the Happy Valley murder case. Saw the film with Charles Dance a while back. I am sure those 2 books that you mention will be interesting. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 It was certainly a very fascinating story and quite politically motivatated if Trzebinski is to be believed. The book by Juanita Carberry was interesting in that she was staying at Sir Jock Delves Broughten's house (later accused of the murder)the night of Lord Errol's death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 It was certainly a very fascinating story and quite politically motivatated if Trzebinski is to be believed. The book by Juanita Carberry was interesting in that she was staying at Sir Jock Delves Broughten's house (later accused of the murder)the night of Lord Errol's death. It is a very interesting case. I think the crucial evidence that went in Broughton's favour was the fact that at his age and condition (even if he was just pretending to have been inebriated at the time of the murder) he simply could not have made it on foot to and back from the murder spot in the timeframe available. But I always have asked myself - what if he had access to a vehicle, probably even an accomplice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 If you can get a copy of the Errol Trzebinski book, you'll find she has a very interesting theory of who was behind the murder ....somewhat different from the White Mischief movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 If you can get a copy of the Errol Trzebinski book, you'll find she has a very interesting theory of who was behind the murder ....somewhat different from the White Mischief movie. Thanks. I ordered it from Amazon Marketplace just now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 It was certainly a very fascinating story and quite politically motivatated if Trzebinski is to be believed. It does seem odd that a lot of present day investigative writers find a conspiracy theory in past and apparently straightforward crimes like the death of financer Alfred Lowenstein, kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, murder of Lord Erroll etc. Mind you, they are always worth reading and making up ones' own mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Well, now I'm all curious - obviously I'm following this thread along with y'all. My first thought about the Roaring Twenties was the Prohibition here in the US, speakeasies, flappers and all that jazz. We've got Elliot Ness and Al Capone, the Untouchables though I doubt it was ever a fiction book, just a tv show and eventually a movie. I suppose movies like The Cotton Club fit in as well. Who Framed Roger Rabbit must've been set in the 20's since they have the scene with "Walt sent me." That might be a book, I think. Mebbe not. We've got flappers (women shave their armpits for the first time in history), two musicals come to mind; Thoroughly Modern Millie and Chicago. I know there was a movie called Roxie Hart which is about a woman who kills her husband, a "passion killing" or some such who gets off with no jail time. Wikipedia lists the following for literature: The Roaring Twenties was a period of literary creativity, and works of several notable authors appeared during the period. D.H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover was a scandal at the time because of its explicit descriptions of sex. Books that take the 1920s as their subject include: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is often described as the epitome of the "Jazz Age" in American literature. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque recounts the horrors of WWI and also the deep detachment from German civilian life felt by many men returning from the front. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is about a group of expatriate Americans in Europe during the 1920s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblomov Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 Well, now I'm all curious - obviously I'm following this thread along with y'all. My first thought about the Roaring Twenties was the Prohibition here in the US, speakeasies, flappers and all that jazz. We've got Elliot Ness and Al Capone, the Untouchables though I doubt it was ever a fiction book, just a tv show and eventually a movie. I suppose movies like The Cotton Club fit in as well. Precisely. I am after stories woven around that period from the perspective of one or more person(s). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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