For decades, The Great Gatsby has been hailed as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. As one of the most important works of literature from the Jazz Age, the short novel provided a fascinating look at American upper-class culture and hedonism in its heyday. Like many others who have been swayed by Fitzgerald's most famous work, The Great Gatsby, you've come to the right place if you're searching for more books like it.

Many great literary works were published during the 1920s, which was also a time of great economic growth and fostered creativity around the world. As a result, there are a plethora of books that can help you better understand this era of American history.

Books Like The Great Gatsby

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway

It is impossible to list books like The Great Gatsby without including Ernest Hemingway, who was one of Fitzgerald's closest friends. It is true that Hemingway's writing style is very different from that of fellow Parisian "Lost Generation" writer Fitzgerald's, but he has also contributed numerous notable works to the literary world.

When looking for a book like The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway is the one to read.

The Sun Also Rises, written by Ernest Hemingway and published in 1926, is widely regarded as one of his finest works. It provides a vivid portrait of life for many American expats in Europe in the years immediately following World War I.

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway paints a moving portrait of the "Lost Generation," which Hemingway depicted as being permanently changed by the horrors of war.

It's a love story, but the novel also touches on anti-Semitism and the changing roles of masculinity and femininity in today's society, which the protagonist and a love interest travel from Paris to Pamplona, Spain to see.

Despite being nearly a century old, the novel's themes are still relevant today.

Passing, by Nella Larsen

Though The Great Gatsby and the Sun Also Rises have been praised for providing a glimpse into the lives of wealthy Anglo-Saxon expatriates and upper-class Americans in the 1920s, they don't paint the full picture, especially when it comes to African-Americans.

Passing by Nella Larsen, published in 1929, is a great read if you're looking for a more nuanced portrayal of life in the Roaring Twenties than what's commonly offered.

Clare Kendry, an African-American woman who is married to a white man, is the protagonist of the novel. The Harlem Renaissance, racial tensions in the 1920s, homosexuality, and even eugenics are all discussed in the book.

Jazz, by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison's Jazz, the last book on this list of books like The Great Gatsby, was published in 1992, a decade after the others on this list were.

This novel, which was published in the 1920s, does a superb job of capturing the diverse cultures and personal struggles of African-Americans in America during the Great Migration and during the Harlem Renaissance.

It depicts Harlem's culture and society from a variety of perspectives, creating a vivid depiction of life in the neighborhood at the time. Toni Morrison's Jazz is a great alternative to The Great Gatsby if you're looking for a novel that doesn't glorify white privilege.

This Side of Paradise, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an excellent choice if you're looking for books in the vein of The Great Gatsby.

This was Fitzgerald's first novel, published in 1920, and it is widely believed to be based on his own experiences. Amory Blaine, a Princeton University student, is the protagonist of the book, which follows him as he grows up, joins the military during World War I, and returns home to fall in love.

Topics covered include social mobility, generational shifts and shifting values in the book. Zelda Sayre is said to have fallen in love with Fitzgerald after reading this novel.

Overall, if you're looking for a book similar to F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, picking up a copy of This Side of Paradise will provide you with many of the same feelings.

Mrs Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf

Since American authors have dominated this list of books like The Great Gatsby thus far, it's time to cross the pond and read a work by Virginia Woolf, a writer known for providing excellent insight into the society and culture of her time.

To get an in-depth look at 1920s high society and the unique writing styles that were being experimented with in that era, Mrs. Dalloway is the book to read.

Clarissa Dalloway, a middle-aged Londoner of high social standing, is getting ready for a party in the novel Mrs Dalloway, which was first published in 1925. In the vein of James Joyce's Ulysses, the novel is written in a stream of consciousness style and takes place over the course of a single day.

The book is widely regarded as a masterpiece of literature and a vivid portrait of British high society in the 1920s. Topics like feminism and mental illness, both of which were important in Woolf's own life, are also addressed.

The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton, was published in 1920 and is set during America's "Gilded Age" in the 1870s, rather than the roaring '20s like the other books on this list.

With its focus on a wealthy New York City family, The Age of Innocence is widely considered to be one of Wharton's best novels. The novel does an excellent job of depicting the social structure and culture of 1870s America, like many of the other books on this list.

Class and wealth are central themes in The Age of Innocence, and, like The Great Gatsby, it examines how and why certain people became wealthy.

So Big, by Edna Ferber

A 1924 novel by Edna Ferber called "So Big" shows the reader what life was like in rural America during this decade in comparison to other books on this list, such as The Great Gatsby.

The story revolves around the lives of a rural family of Dutch immigrants who farm the land. Following one's dreams, making something of one's self, and the dangers of seeking money for its own sake are some of the topics covered in this book.

Despite the fact that it doesn't focus on the roaring twenties or high society like The Great Gatsby, So Big is a worthwhile read if you want to gain a broad perspective on the period.

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