Books set in Iowa

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September 27, 2022
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Books set in Iowa

Every state has its hallmark writers. Mississippi has William Faulkner and his incomparable (fictional) Yoknapatawpha County and Missouri can lay claim to Mark Twain. The state of Maine is gifted with Pulitzer winner Richard Russo and horror icon Stephen King. Rural Pennsylvania is the playground of the much-heralded (and occasionally maligned) John Updike, and when many bibliophiles think of New Jersey, they also think of Richard Ford's series of novels featuring recurring Everyman character Frank Bascombe. Illinois can lay claim to William Maxwell, Sandra Cisneros, and Adam Langer, among numerous others. And what reader can think of Washington State without contending with the sparkle-vampire yarns of Stephanie Meyer?

What makes authors like these inextricably associated with a particular state is not simply the matter of their having been born there or choosing to live there. The connection, from a writerly standpoint, is deeper than that—their work, nearly all of it, is set in "their" state.

Of course, there are certainly exceptions. Whether a writer sets a tale in the town where they went to college or spent part of their childhood—like Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" and its New England arts school setting and the almost-factual small town of Jo Ann Beard's "In Zanesville," respectively—or crafts a story that follows a social or political theme to a location they know little about but lay narrative claim to anyway, the world is rife with books known, loved, and respected that also capture the essence of place—books where setting itself is one of the strongest characters.

Stacker compiled a list of books set in Iowa from Goodreads. Whether you're looking for a good read set in the state you call home, or you're looking to expand your curiosity with a writer you're already familiar with, we've got you covered.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

- Rating: 3.85 (59,532 ratings)
- Author: Vicki Myron
- Published: September 24, 2008
- Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Memoir, Cats
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Shoeless Joe

- Rating: 3.97 (14,528 ratings)
- Author: W.P. Kinsella
- Published: January 1, 1982
- Genres: Fiction, Sports, Baseball, Fantasy
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The Bridges of Madison County

- Rating: 3.66 (89,776 ratings)
- Author: Robert James Waller
- Published: April 13, 1992
- Genres: Fiction, Romance, Classics, Chick Lit
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Gilead

- Rating: 3.84 (100,925 ratings)
- Author: Marilynne Robinson
- Published: October 28, 2004
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Religion
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A Thousand Acres

- Rating: 3.81 (65,123 ratings)
- Author: Jane Smiley
- Published: January 1, 1991
- Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Literature
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Stars Over Clear Lake

- Rating: 4.09 (1,412 ratings)
- Author: Loretta Ellsworth
- Published: May 2, 2017
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, World War II
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What's Eating Gilbert Grape

- Rating: 4.10 (15,766 ratings)
- Author: Peter Hedges
- Published: September 1, 1991
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Young Adult, Contemporary
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Alice's Tulips

- Rating: 3.82 (3,932 ratings)
- Author: Sandra Dallas
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, Mystery
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The Weight of Silence

- Rating: 3.94 (43,311 ratings)
- Author: Heather Gudenkauf
- Published: August 1, 2008
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
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Squashed

- Rating: 3.79 (2,311 ratings)
- Author: Joan Bauer
- Published: January 1, 1992
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen
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The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

- Rating: 3.92 (64,046 ratings)
- Author: Bill Bryson
- Published: January 1, 2006
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Humor, Biography
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H is for Hawkeye: An Iowa Alphabet (Discover America State By State Alphabet Series)

- Rating: 3.88 (40 ratings)
- Author: Patricia A. Pierce
- Published: October 16, 2003
- Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens
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Grasshopper Jungle

- Rating: 3.63 (17,482 ratings)
- Author: Andrew Smith
- Published: February 11, 2014
- Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, LGBT, Fiction
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The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

- Rating: 3.56 (39,992 ratings)
- Author: Katarina Bivald
- Published: September 4, 2013
- Genres: Fiction, Books About Books, Romance, Contemporary
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Ashfall (Ashfall, #1)

- Rating: 3.98 (24,383 ratings)
- Author: Mike Mullin
- Published: October 14, 2011
- Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction
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An Ocean in Iowa

- Rating: 3.44 (763 ratings)
- Author: Peter Hedges
- Published: April 1, 1998
- Genres: Fiction, Coming Of Age, Novels, Realistic Fiction
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Some Luck (Last Hundred Years: A Family Saga, #1)

- Rating: 3.62 (19,235 ratings)
- Author: Jane Smiley
- Published: October 7, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical
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Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression

- Rating: 3.72 (6,112 ratings)
- Author: Mildred Armstrong Kalish
- Published: January 1, 2007
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Biography
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The Music Man

- Rating: 3.86 (56 ratings)
- Author: Meredith Willson
- Published: January 1, 1962
- Genres: Drama, Plays, Historical Fiction, Fiction
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The Happy Valley Mystery (Trixie Belden, #9)

- Rating: 4.14 (2,651 ratings)
- Author: Kathryn Kenny
- Published: January 1, 1962
- Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens
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The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship

- Rating: 3.37 (11,877 ratings)
- Author: Jeffrey Zaslow
- Published: January 1, 2009
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Book Club
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Golden Age (Last Hundred Years: A Family Saga #3)

- Rating: 3.79 (4,372 ratings)
- Author: Jane Smiley
- Published: October 8, 2015
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary
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Lila

- Rating: 3.95 (30,989 ratings)
- Author: Marilynne Robinson
- Published: October 7, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Novels
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The Lincoln Myth (Cotton Malone, #9)

- Rating: 3.87 (12,781 ratings)
- Author: Steve Berry
- Published: May 20, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Mystery
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Sleeping with the Enemy

- Rating: 4.01 (8,907 ratings)
- Author: Nancy Price
- Published: January 1, 1987
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery
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One Breath Away

- Rating: 3.99 (17,388 ratings)
- Author: Heather Gudenkauf
- Published: May 29, 2012
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
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Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland

- Rating: 3.50 (953 ratings)
- Author: Patricia L. Bryan
- Published: April 1, 2005
- Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Mystery
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Universal Harvester

- Rating: 3.22 (15,033 ratings)
- Author: John Darnielle
- Published: February 7, 2017
- Genres: Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Audiobook
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Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous

- Rating: 3.60 (1,608 ratings)
- Author: Suzanne Park
- Published: June 1, 2021
- Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Fiction
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A Wanted Man (Jack Reacher, #17)

- Rating: 4.04 (72,685 ratings)
- Author: Lee Child
- Published: August 30, 2012
- Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime
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State Fair

- Rating: 3.44 (96 ratings)
- Author: Phil Stong
- Published: January 1, 1932
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Adult Fiction
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The Vast Fields of Ordinary

- Rating: 3.93 (10,632 ratings)
- Author: Nick Burd
- Published: May 1, 2009
- Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Romance, Fiction
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The Snows

- Rating: 3.80 (50 ratings)
- Author: Sharelle Byars Moranville
- Published: August 7, 2007
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Teen, Young Adult, Historical
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The Water-Method Man

- Rating: 3.36 (12,279 ratings)
- Author: John Irving
- Published: January 1, 1972
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Novels, Literary Fiction
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Eleven Days

- Rating: 3.85 (1,777 ratings)
- Author: Donald Harstad
- Published: June 15, 1998
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller
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Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa

- Rating: 4.01 (643 ratings)
- Author: Melanie Dobson
- Published: January 1, 2010
- Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Romance, Historical Fiction
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If You're Reading This

- Rating: 4.09 (1,423 ratings)
- Author: Trent Reedy
- Published: August 26, 2014
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Sports, Fiction
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Dead of Night (Doc Ford Mystery, #12)

- Rating: 3.96 (2,045 ratings)
- Author: Randy Wayne White
- Published: March 17, 2005
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller
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Blue Jasmine

- Rating: 3.88 (589 ratings)
- Author: Kashmira Sheth
- Published: January 1, 2004
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, India, Fiction
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Jack

- Rating: 3.88 (7,443 ratings)
- Author: Marilynne Robinson
- Published: September 29, 2020
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads

Early Warning (Last Hundred Years: A Family Saga, #2)

- Rating: 3.85 (7,165 ratings)
- Author: Jane Smiley
- Published: April 23, 2015
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Audiobook
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The Cooking School Murders (Eugenia Potter, #1)

- Rating: 3.54 (369 ratings)
- Author: Virginia Rich
- Published: June 1, 1982
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller
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Arrowood

- Rating: 3.75 (7,411 ratings)
- Author: Laura McHugh
- Published: June 16, 2016
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
- Read more on Goodreads

Home

- Rating: 4.04 (25,232 ratings)
- Author: Marilynne Robinson
- Published: September 2, 2008
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads

Stumptown Kid

- Rating: 3.97 (298 ratings)
- Author: Carol Gorman
- Published: January 1, 2005
- Genres: Sports, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Baseball
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Old Glory: A Voyage Down the Mississippi

- Rating: 3.94 (695 ratings)
- Author: Jonathan Raban
- Published: January 1, 1981
- Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Adventure, Memoir
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Heartbreaker (Buchanan-Renard, #1)

- Rating: 4.05 (26,387 ratings)
- Author: Julie Garwood
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense, Mystery
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Mary Ingalls on Her Own

- Rating: 4.29 (2,140 ratings)
- Author: Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
- Published: December 26, 2007
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical
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Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun (Calamity Jayne, #3)

- Rating: 3.97 (845 ratings)
- Author: Kathleen Bacus
- Published: October 1, 2006
- Genres: Mystery, Romance, Cozy Mystery, Humor
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The Luck of the Buttons

- Rating: 3.59 (545 ratings)
- Author: Anne Ylvisaker
- Published: April 12, 2011
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Mystery, Juvenile
- Read more on Goodreads

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