Books set in Rhode Island
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 Rhode Island 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.
My Sister's Keeper
- Author: Jodi Picoult
- Published: April 6, 2004
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Young Adult
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The Witches of Eastwick
- Author: John Updike
- Published: January 1, 1984
- Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Classics, Witches
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An Enlightening Quiche
- Author: Eva Pasco
- Published: August 1, 2016
- Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit
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Throne of Grace (Cliff Walk Courtships, #1)
- Author: Cecily Wolfe
- Published: June 7, 2016
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian, Historical, Romance
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The One and Only Ivan
- Author: Katherine Applegate
- Published: January 17, 2012
- Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Animals, Childrens
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Rogue Island (Liam Mulligan, #1)
- Author: Bruce DeSilva
- Published: October 12, 2010
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller
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The American Heiress
- Author: Daisy Goodwin
- Published: August 19, 2010
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical
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Sing You Home
- Author: Jodi Picoult
- Published: March 1, 2011
- Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Contemporary, Chick Lit
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Never Forget (Beacons of Hope, #5)
- Author: Jody Hedlund
- Published: January 1, 2017
- Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical
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A Hundred Summers
- Author: Beatriz Williams
- Published: May 30, 2013
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit
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Something Upstairs
- Author: Avi
- Published: September 1, 1988
- Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult
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The Dressmaker
- Author: Kate Alcott
- Published: February 21, 2012
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance
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The Price of Inheritance
- Author: Karin Tanabe
- Published: August 5, 2014
- Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit
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The Husband List (Culhane Family #2)
- Author: Janet Evanovich
- Published: January 8, 2013
- Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Historical Fiction, Historical
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The Memory of Running
- Author: Ron McLarty
- Published: January 1, 2004
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Novels, Audiobook
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The Prince of Providence: The True Story of Buddy Cianci, America's Most Notorious Mayor, Some Wiseguys, and the Feds
- Author: Mike Stanton
- Published: January 1, 2003
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, History
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The Lost Summers of Newport
- Author: Beatriz Williams
- Published: May 17, 2022
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Historical
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Winner of the National Book Award
- Author: Jincy Willett
- Published: September 5, 2000
- Genres: Fiction, Humor, Contemporary, Novels
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The Red Thread
- Author: Ann Hood
- Published: May 1, 2010
- Genres: Fiction, Adoption, China, Adult Fiction
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Fish Perfume (Cozy Harbor Marina, #1)
- Author: Sammie Grace
- Published: November 16, 2012
- Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Mystery
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Dance With Me
- Author: Luanne Rice
- Published: January 1, 2004
- Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance
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The Edge of Winter
- Author: Luanne Rice
- Published: January 1, 2007
- Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Relationships
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Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets, Massachusetts - Rhode Island, 1653
- Author: Patricia Clark Smith
- Published: August 27, 2001
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Historical
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R Is for Rhode Island Red: A Rhode Island Alphabet
- Author: Mark R. Allio
- Published: October 7, 2005
- Genres: Childrens
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Murder at the Breakers (Gilded Newport Mysteries #1)
- Author: Alyssa Maxwell
- Published: March 25, 2014
- Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Cozy Mystery
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The Lowland
- Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
- Published: September 24, 2013
- Genres: Fiction, India, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
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The Passions of Emma
- Author: Penelope Williamson
- Published: January 1, 1997
- Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction
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Certainty
- Author: Victor Bevine
- Published: October 21, 2014
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Military Fiction, Mystery
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She Loves You
- Author: Ann Hood
- Published: June 6, 2018
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Music, Historical
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Good Night Rhode Island
- Author: Adam Gamble
- Published: June 13, 2008
- Genres: Childrens, Picture Books
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Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties
- Author: Elijah Wald
- Published: July 14, 2015
- Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Biography
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Music/City: American Festivals and Placemaking in Austin, Nashville, and Newport
- Author: Jonathan R. Wynn
- Published: November 3, 2015
- Genres: Music, History
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Tangled Threads: A Hmong Girl's Story
- Author: Pegi Deitz Shea
- Published: January 1, 2003
- Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Cultural
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A Week at the Shore
- Author: Barbara Delinsky
- Published: May 19, 2020
- Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary
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The Maze at Windermere
- Author: Gregory Blake Smith
- Published: January 9, 2018
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical
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The House of Five Talents
- Author: Louis Auchincloss
- Published: January 1, 1960
- Genres: Fiction, New York
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How Are You Going to Save Yourself
- Author: J.M. Holmes
- Published: August 9, 2018
- Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Race, Contemporary
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The Art of Keeping Cool
- Author: Janet Taylor Lisle
- Published: October 1, 2000
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical
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Spotting for Nellie
- Author: Pamela Lowell
- Published: April 1, 2009
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Sports
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Spartina
- Author: John Casey
- Published: June 17, 1989
- Genres: Fiction, Novels, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
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Chasing Lucky
- Author: Jenn Bennett
- Published: June 11, 2020
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Young Adult Contemporary
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The Art of the Swap
- Author: Kristine Carlson Asselin
- Published: February 13, 2018
- Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy
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Home Fires
- Author: Luanne Rice
- Published: January 1, 1995
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Romance
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Blood Oranges (Siobhan Quinn, #1)
- Author: Kathleen Tierney
- Published: February 5, 2013
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Vampires, Horror
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Providence (Providence, #1)
- Author: Jamie McGuire
- Published: November 17, 2010
- Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Fantasy, Angels
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Organized to Death: Tina Tales
- Author: Jan Christensen
- Published: November 25, 2012
- Genres: Mystery
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Our Kind of Love
- Author: Shane Morgan
- Published: June 21, 2014
- Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult
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Hope: A School, a Team, a Dream
- Author: Bill Reynolds
- Published: January 26, 2016
- Genres: Sports, Basketball, Nonfiction, High School
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Love in a Victorian (Come Home to Elm's Corner #1)
- Author: Lisa Norato
- Published: March 1, 2017
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads