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Top 40 Chicago Novels

"In assembling my list of the top 40 Chicago novels, I have selected only those books that unfold at least partly in Chicago.... Books are ordered with an eye to their level of artistry, their long-term impact, and the extent to which they capture Chicago." (Geoffrey Johnson, Chicago magazine)
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from chicagomag.com · made by Markd9528
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Divine Days (Leon Forrest)
Divine Days
1
Leon Forrest
Humboldt's Gift (Saul Bellow)
Humboldt's Gift
2
Saul Bellow
Sister Carrie (Theodore Dreiser)
Sister Carrie
3
Theodore Dreiser
Native Son (Richard Wright)
Native Son
4
Richard Wright
The Studs Lonigan Trilogy (James T. Farrell)
The Studs Lonigan Trilogy
5
James T. Farrell
The Cliff-Dwellers (Henry Blake Fuller)
The Cliff-Dwellers
6
Henry Blake Fuller
The Adventures of Augie March (Saul Bellow)
The Adventures of Augie March
7
Saul Bellow
The Man With the Golden Arm (Nelson Algren)
The Man With the Golden Arm
8
Nelson Algren
Chin Music (James McManus)
Chin Music
9
James McManus
The Jungle (Upton Sinclair)
The Jungle
10
Upton Sinclair
Years of Grace (Margaret Ayers Barnes)
Years of Grace
11
Margaret Ayers Barnes
The Pit (Frank Norris)
The Pit
12
Frank Norris
Trumbull Park (Frank London Brown)
Trumbull Park
13
Frank London Brown
With the Procession (Henry Blake Fuller)
With the Procession
14
Henry Blake Fuller
The Memoirs of an American Citizen (Robert Welch Herrick)
The Memoirs of an American Citizen
15
Robert Welch Herrick
The Smiths (Janet A. Fairbank)
The Smiths
16
Janet A. Fairbank
Rose of Dutcher's Coolly (Hamlin Garland)
Rose of Dutcher's Coolly
17
Hamlin Garland
The Titan (Theodore Dreiser)
The Titan
18
Theodore Dreiser
Erik Dorn (Ben Hecht)
Erik Dorn
19
Ben Hecht
Knock on Any Door (Willard Motley)
Knock on Any Door
20
Willard Motley
Prairie Avenue (Arthur Meeker)
Prairie Avenue
21
Arthur Meeker
Maud Martha (Gwendolyn Brooks)
Maud Martha
22
Gwendolyn Brooks
The Old Bunch (Meyer Levin)
The Old Bunch
23
Meyer Levin
The Odyssey of Kostas Volakis (Harry Mark Petrakis)
The Odyssey of Kostas Volakis
24
Harry Mark Petrakis
The Rivers of Eros (Cyrus Colter)
The Rivers of Eros
25
Cyrus Colter
Hairstyles of the Damned (Joe Meno)
Hairstyles of the Damned
26
Joe Meno
The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)
The House on Mango Street
27
Sandra Cisneros
Peel My Love Like an Onion (Ana Castillo)
Peel My Love Like an Onion
28
Ana Castillo
I Sailed With Magellan (Stuart Dybek)
I Sailed With Magellan
29
Stuart Dybek
Windy McPherson's Son (Sherwood Anderson)
Windy McPherson's Son
30
Sherwood Anderson
The Lazarus Project (Aleksandar Hemon)
The Lazarus Project
31
Aleksandar Hemon
The Song of the Lark (Willa Cather)
The Song of the Lark
32
Willa Cather
The Dean's December (Saul Bellow)
The Dean's December
33
Saul Bellow
The Girls (Edna Ferber)
The Girls
34
Edna Ferber
Rebellion (Joseph Medill Patterson)
Rebellion
35
Joseph Medill Patterson
The Moments Lost: A Midwest Pilgrim's Progress (Bruce Olds)
The Moments Lost: A Midwest Pilgrim's Progress
36
Bruce Olds
Letting Go (Phillip Roth)
Letting Go
37
Phillip Roth
Presumed Innocent (Scott Turow)
Presumed Innocent
38
Scott Turow
Cooler by the Lake (Larry Heinemann)
Cooler by the Lake
39
Larry Heinemann
Barriers Burned Away (E.P. Roe)
Barriers Burned Away
40
E.P. Roe
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