1001 Novels: Southern New England - Rhode Island, Connecticut

 1001 Novels: Southern New England:

 Rhode Island, Connecticut

   I just remembered that I didn't do a summary for Rhode Island for the 1001 Novels selections because I figured Id just do one for both Rhode Island and Connecticut. 

Rhode Island

1. Agatha of Little Neon (2021) by Claire Luchette

2. Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor and Really Bad Weather (2003) 

by Jincy Willett 

3. Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn (1989)  by Paul Watkins 

4. How Are You Going to Save Yourself? (2018) by JM Holmes

5. She's Come Undone (1992) by Wally Lamb

6.  Outside Providence (1988) by Peter Farrelly

7.  The Memory of Running (1999) by Ron McClarty

8.  Murder at Crossways (2019) by Alyssa Maxwell

9.  The Edge of Winter (2007) by Luanne Rice

Connecticut

1.  The Ice Storm (1994) by Rick Moody

2.  On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous (2019)by Ocean Vuong

3. Revolutionary Road (1961) by Richard Yates

4. The Stepford Wives (1972) by Ira Levin

5.  Reservation Road (1998)by John Burnham Schwartz

6.  Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan (2007)

7. Masters of Illusion: A Novel of the Connecticut Circus Fire (1994)

by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith. 

8. The Invaders (2015) by Karolina Waclawiak

9.   Talent (2019) by Juliet Lapidos

  Of the two states, Connecticut was much better/more significant/etc than Rhode Island, which has to be the least impressive of the New England states by far.  My first six books on the consolidated list come straight from the Connecticut list- and editor Susan Straight didn't even include anything by Hartford's native son, Mark Twain (not sure if that is literally true but his home/museum is in Hartford.  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court?  I guess that doesn't count because it's not actually set in Hartford but still.

   Rhode Island was pretty much torture start to finish.  The first three books from Rhode Island were ok, but the last six were six different types of literary torture.  So many sad-sacks in the books from Rhode Island! Doesn't anybody have any pride in that state? 

   I have The Ice Storm, On Earth and Revolutionary Road as a strong top 3- all three books have some claim to canon level status in 20th/21st century American literature.  I think Connecticut has a strong claim to being the "first suburb" of American letters and that is reflected by 1001 Novel's selections for that state. 

Combined Rhode Island/Connecticut List

1.  The Ice Storm (1994) by Rick Moody

2.  On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous (2019)by Ocean Vuong

3. Revolutionary Road (1961) by Richard Yates

4. The Stepford Wives (1972) by Ira Levin

5.  Reservation Road (1998)by John Burnham Schwartz

6.  Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan (2007)

7. Agatha of Little Neon (2021) by Claire Luchette

8. Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor and Really Bad Weather (2003) 

by Jincy Willett 

9. Calm at Sunset, Calm at Dawn (1989)  by Paul Watkins 

10. Masters of Illusion: A Novel of the Connecticut Circus Fire (1994)

by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith. 

11. How Are You Going to Save Yourself? (2018) by JM Holmes

12. She's Come Undone (1992) by Wally Lamb

13..  Outside Providence (1988) by Peter Farrelly

14.  The Memory of Running (1999) by Ron McClarty

15. The Invaders (2015) by Karolina Waclawiak

16.   Talent (2019) by Juliet Lapidos

17.  Murder at Crossways (2019) by Alyssa Maxwell

18.  The Edge of Winter (2007) by Luanne Rice