Books like 'Transcendent Kingdom'
Readers who enjoyed Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
contemporary psychological literary-fiction family religion poc-mc realistic grief coming-of-age lgbtq
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Blue Twilight by Tess Thompson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsDeath came between them in high school. Will solving a painful cold case bring them together at last?Carlie Webster remains haunted by the past. After a messy failed marriage sends her packing for her small hometown, she relives the memories of her sister’s thirty-year-old unsolved murder...Categorized as:
spirituality religion family literary-fiction christian female-mc fiction contemporary -
![Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt]()
Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey, Tom Kitt
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"A brave and breathtaking musical... -
![I Hid My Voice by Parinoush Saniee]()
I Hid My Voice by Parinoush Saniee
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThis is the story, based on fact, of a boy who couldn’t speak until the age of seven. Now twenty, he describes the events of his life.Four-year-old Shahaab has not started talking. The family doctor believes there is no cause for concern; nevertheless, Shahaab is ridiculed by others who call him "dumb... -
![Joy by Victoria Christopher Murray]()
Joy by Victoria Christopher Murray
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsVictoria Christopher Murray's bestselling novel shares the story of a successful black Christian woman who must decide how far she is willing to go to have a future with the man she loves.Anya Mitchell feels greatly blessed. The owner of a successful Los Angeles financial services company, she is also prosperous in love, thanks to handsome writer Braxton Vance... -
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![Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, Alessandra Esteche]()
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo, Alessandra Esteche
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsA fierce international bestseller that launched Korea’s new feminist movement, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman’s psychic deterioration in the face of rigid misogyny.Truly, flawlessly, completely, she became that person.In a small, tidy apartment on the outskirts of the frenzied metropolis of Seoul lives Kim Jiyoung...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc historical-fiction journey literary-fiction poc-mc -
![The Moonlighters Collection: Truth Stained Lies, Distortion, Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock]()
The Moonlighters Collection: Truth Stained Lies, Distortion, Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTerri Blackstock’s bestselling Moonlighters trilogy—now available in one volume! Truth Stained Lies When truth doesn’t make sense, will lies prevail? Distortion A husband’s lies can have deadly consequences. Twisted Innocence Holly Cramer’s past choices have finally caught up to her, but she never expected them to endanger her baby... -
![Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin]()
Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThird generation Texas Ranger Tyler Steele is the last of a dying breed-- a modern day cowboy hero living in a world that doesn't quite understand his powerful sense of right and wrong and instinct to defend those who can't defend themselves. Despite his strong moral compass, Ty has trouble seeing his greatest weakness...Categorized as:
christian drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction spirituality abuse -
![What the Heart Remembers by Bette Lee Crosby]()
What the Heart Remembers by Bette Lee Crosby
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOverview TWO LOVERS. ONE CHANCE AT HAPPINESS....When Max Martinelli returns to Paris in search of her lost love, what she finds will change her life forever. For three years the memory of Julien Marceau has haunted Max. Her life is stuck on hold simply because she can't stop wondering what would have happened if she had gone back... -
![A Summer of Secrets by Kay Correll]()
A Summer of Secrets by Kay Correll
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA woman with a secret. A man who will never forgive her. Cece Stuart hadn’t planned on ever finding love and she’s made her peace with that. Really, she has… Zach is over women and their secrets. Really, he is… But fate laughed at them, as it often does, and threw them together finishing up a new wedding venue at Sweet River Lodge... -
![To Live by C.G. Cooper]()
To Live by C.G. Cooper
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsElmore Thadeus Nix, it's retirement time. You're sixty-five and ready. Take that final physical and then it's adios to your old life and hello to the new. Not so fast. Sorry, Elmore. Your plan's about to change. It's Elmore's last day of work. As part of his retirement, he heads to the family doctor for the follow-up to a routine physical. That's when the universe shifts on its axis. Cancer...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction religion spirituality adult -
![Life After by Katie Ganshert]()
Life After by Katie Ganshert
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIt could have been me. Snow whirls around an elevated train platform in Chicago. A distracted woman boards the train, takes her seat, and moments later a fiery explosion rips through the frigid air, tearing the car apart in a horrific attack on the city’s transit system. One life is spared. Twenty-two are lost... -
![Where Women Are Kings by Christie Watson]()
Where Women Are Kings by Christie Watson
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsElijah, seven years old, has a history of disruptive behaviour. His adoptive mother Nikki believes that she and her husband Obi are strong enough to accept his difficulties – and that her being white will not affect her ability to raise a black son... -
![Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabó]()
Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabó
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen Ettie's husband dies, her daughter Iza insists that her mother give up the family house in the countryside and move to Budapest. Displaced from her community and her home, Ettie tries to find her place in this new life, but can't seem to get it right...Categorized as:
family female-mc grief historical-fiction journey literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure -
![The Other Son by Nick Alexander, Imogen Church]()
The Other Son by Nick Alexander, Imogen Church
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the outside, Alice’s marriage looks successful. It’s true that Ken was never her first choice, but four decades in, she’s learned to tolerate him. Their two sons have chosen their own paths, Tim as a successful banker and Matt a carefree globetrotter she can’t keep up with... -
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![The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna]()
The Eye of the Sheep by Sofie Laguna
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAn alternative cover edition for the ISBN can be found here."Ned was beside me, his messages running easily through him, with space between each one, coming through him like water. He was the go-between, going between the animal kingdom and this one. I watched the waves as they rolled and crashed towards us, one after another, never stopping, always changing... -
![Cracks in the Sidewalk by Bette Lee Crosby]()
Cracks in the Sidewalk by Bette Lee Crosby
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFrom the Bestselling Author of Spare Change, comes a powerful story that is a heart-wrenching reminder of how fragile relationships can be. Cracks in the Sidewalk is based on a true story. Claire McDermott is a Wife, a Mother, a Grandmother... Her only daughter is gravely ill...Her son-in-law is resentful and angry...Her grandchildren are missing..Categorized as:
christian drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction spirituality book -
![The Passing Storm by Christine Nolfi]()
The Passing Storm by Christine Nolfi
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA gripping, openhearted novel about family, reconciliation, and bringing closure to the secrets of the past.Early into the tempestuous decade of her thirties, Rae Langdon struggles to work through a grief she never anticipated. With her father, Connor, she tends to their Ohio farm, a forty-acre spread that itself has enjoyed better days... -
![The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse]()
The Art of Hiding by Amanda Prowse
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsWhat would you do if you learned that the life you lived was a lie? Nina McCarrick lives the perfect life, until her husband, Finn, is killed in a car accident and everything Nina thought she could rely on unravels.Alone, bereft and faced with a mountain of debt, Nina quickly loses her life of luxury and she begins to question whether she ever really knew the man she married... -
![How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow]()
How to Make Friends with the Dark by Kathleen Glasgow
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsHere is what happens when your mother dies.It’s the brightest day of summer and it’s dark outside. It’s dark in your house, dark in your room, and dark in your heart. You feel like the darkness is going to split you apart.That’s how it feels for Tiger. It’s always been Tiger and her mother against the world. Then, on a day like any other, Tiger’s mother dies. And now it’s Tiger, alone... -
![Love & Ruin by J.A. Owenby]()
Love & Ruin by J.A. Owenby
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe shadows have always been my safe place. I prefer to hide, stay under the radar.In a rare burst of bravery,I decide to go to college far away.But people are cruel everywhere, and even though I’m far from home, I still want to hide.Until Hendrix.He sees me. Defends me.At first he seems too good to be true, but he wins my trust, makes me feel safe in his presence...Categorized as:
university female-mc coming-of-age literary-fiction family romance contemporary new-adult -
![Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John]()
Born on a Tuesday by Elnathan John
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFrom two-time Caine Prize finalist Elnathan John, a dynamic young voice from Nigeria, Born on a Tuesday is a stirring, starkly rendered first novel about a young boy struggling to find his place in a society that is fracturing along religious and political lines.In far northwestern Nigeria, Dantala lives among a gang of street boys who sleep under a kuka tree...Categorized as:
literary-fiction religion coming-of-age journey poc-mc drama historical-fiction university -
![Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove]()
Five Steps to Happy by Ella Dove
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratings'An up-lit treasure' Red magazine Life can change in a heartbeat... When struggling actress Heidi has a life-changing accident aged 32, her world falls apart. Stuck in hospital and unable to walk, her only companion is Maud, the elderly lady in the bed next to hers... -
![The Knot of Vipers by François Mauriac, David Lodge]()
The Knot of Vipers by François Mauriac, David Lodge
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe masterpiece of one of the greatest modern Catholic writersthe divine grace that remains available to each of us until the very moment of our deaths. It is the unforgettable tale of the battle for one man's soul...Categorized as:
christian family historical-fiction literary-fiction religion spirituality 20th-century adult -
![We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt]()
We Own the Sky by Luke Allnutt
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratings“We looked down at the cliff jutting into the sea, a rubber boat full of kids going under the arch, and then you started running and jumping through the grass, dodging the rabbit holes, shouting at the top of your voice, so I started chasing you, trying to catch you, and we were laughing so hard as we ran and ran, kicking up rainbow showers in the leaves... -
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![Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi]()
Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsFrom her prison cell, Firdaus, sentenced to die for having killed a pimp in a Cairo street, tells of her life from village childhood to city prostitute. Society's retribution for her act of defiance - death - she welcomes as the only way she can finally be free...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction poc-mc realistic religion social-commentary -
![Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult]()
Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsThe small town of Paradise, Pennsylvania, is a jewel in Lancaster County - known for its picture-postcard landscapes and bucolic lifestyle. But that peace is shattered by the discovery of a dead infant in the barn of an Amish farmer. A police investigation quickly leads to two startling disclosures: the newborn's mother is an unmarried Amish woman, eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher...Categorized as:
christian coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic religion -
![Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult]()
Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Storyteller and My Sister’s Keeper, comes a gripping and beautifully written novella, now available exclusively as an eBook. Set in the wilds of Africa, Larger Than Life introduces Alice, the unforgettable character at the center of Picoult’s anticipated new novel, Leaving Time...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction journey literary-fiction realistic action-adventure -
![Thursdays at Eight: A Romance Novel by Debbie Macomber]()
Thursdays at Eight: A Romance Novel by Debbie Macomber
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA time to think about lives lived, choices made. A time for friends… Every week, four women have an unmissable appointment in their calendars: they meet for breakfast. Clare has just been through a devastating divorce. She’s driven by anger and revenge—until she learns something that forces her to question her own actions and to look deep inside for the person she used to be... -
![The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore]()
The Lonely Passion Of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings'The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne' launched Brian Moore's distinguished literary career and also – because of his sensitive portrayal of her – enshrined Judith Hearne in the gallery of literature's unforgettable women. A penetrating, comic, tragic tale of a plain woman, it is a novel that occasionally sings with the lilt of the Irish greats...Categorized as:
drama female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic religion spirituality 20th-century -
![What We Owe by Golnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde]()
What We Owe by Golnaz Hashemzadeh Bonde
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNahid has six months left to live. Or so the doctors say. But Nahid is not the type to trust anyone. She resents the cancer diagnosis she has been given and the doctor who has given it to her. Bubbling inside her is also resentment toward life as it turned out, and the fact that it will go on without her. She feels alone, alone with her illness and alone with her thoughts...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc grief historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc 21st-century -
![Finding Alice by Melody Carlson]()
Finding Alice by Melody Carlson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSliding into the Rabbit Hole… Would She Ever Return? On the surface, Alice Laxton seems no different from any other college girl: bright, inquisitive, excited about the life ahead of her. But for years, a genetic time bomb has been ticking away. Because of Alice’s near-genius intelligence, teachers and counselors have always made excuses for her “little idiosyncrasies... -
![She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert]()
She Wore Red Trainers by Na'ima B. Robert
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Ali first meets Amirah, he notices everything about her—her hijab, her long eyelashes and her red trainers—in the time it takes to have one look, before lowering his gaze. And, although Ali is still coming to terms with the loss of his mother and exploring his identity as a Muslim, and although Amirah has sworn never to get married, they can't stop thinking about each other... -
![Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters by Anita Kushwaha]()
Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters by Anita Kushwaha
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFor readers of Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s "Secret Daughter" and Nancy Richler’s "The Imposter Bride", a breathtaking novel from Anita Kushwaha about the ties that bind mothers and daughters together and the secrets that tear them apartVeena, Mala and Nandini are three very different women with something in common...Categorized as:
literary-fiction realistic family coming-of-age female-mc fiction contemporary audiobook -
![Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser]()
Words Unspoken by Elizabeth Musser
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsLissa Randall's future was bright with academic promise until the tragic accident that took her mother's life--and brought her own plans to a screeching halt. Eighteen months later Lissa is still unable to get back behind the wheel.Ev McAllistair's driving school looks like Lissa's best hope for getting her life back on the road again...Categorized as:
christian historical-fiction religion spirituality romance fiction contemporary psychological -
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![A Sliver of Hope by Karla J. Nellenbach]()
A Sliver of Hope by Karla J. Nellenbach
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMy twin sister was the only person in the world I thought I’d known inside and out. Apparently, I was wrong. Twin sisters share a unique bond, one that can't be broken by miles, time, or even death. Hannah and Hope Morton are no exception. When Hope takes her own life, Hannah loses a sister and a best friend, a catastrophe she isn't sure she'll survive herself... -
![All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews]()
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsMiriam Toews is beloved for her irresistible voice, for mingling laughter and heartwrenching poignancy like no other writer. In her most passionate novel yet, she brings us the riveting story of two sisters, and a love that illuminates life.You won’t forget Elf and Yoli, two smart and loving sisters. Elfrieda, a world-renowned pianist, glamorous, wealthy, happily married: she wants to die...Categorized as:
christian drama family female-mc grief historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic -
![The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes]()
The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes
Rated: 3.96 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, a novel about a lost girl and her horse, the enduring strength of friendship, and how even the smallest choices can change everythingWhen Sarah's grandfather gives her a beautiful horse named Boo--hoping that one day she'll follow in his footsteps to join an elite French riding school, away from their gritty London...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic action-adventure -
![The Women's Room by Marilyn French]()
The Women's Room by Marilyn French
Rated: 3.95 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe bestselling feminist novel that awakened both women and men, The Women's Room follows the transformation of Mira Ward and her circle as the women's movement begins to have an impact on their lives...Categorized as:
drama female-mc historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction realistic social-commentary university -
![Father of the Rain by Lily King]()
Father of the Rain by Lily King
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn her most ambitious novel to date, critically acclaimed author Lily King sets her sharply insightful family drama in an upper-middle-class East Coast suburb where she traces a complex and volatile father-daughter relationship from the 1970s to the present day...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic audiobook book -
![The Secrets Mothers Keep by Jacquie Underdown]()
The Secrets Mothers Keep by Jacquie Underdown
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn the enchanting landscapes of Tasmania, "The Secrets Mothers Keep" unravels a captivating tale of three generations bound by a shared purpose—to restore the family manor into a charming bed and breakfast. But beneath the surface lies a lifetime of concealed truths that threaten to tear them apart...Categorized as:
family literary-fiction historical-fiction drama female-mc fiction contemporary mystery -
![The Fifth Floor by Julie Oleszek]()
The Fifth Floor by Julie Oleszek
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsOne secret. A decade of silence.Seven-year-old Anna loves the constant commotion of her big family. Most of all, Anna adores her ten-year-old sister Liz. They build forts, climb trees, and stick together, no matter what. One moment the two girls are dangling from their backyard swing set; the next, everything changes… Anna will never be the same...Categorized as:
drama literary-fiction family coming-of-age grief fiction young-adult mental-illness -
![A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale]()
A Perfectly Good Man by Patrick Gale
Rated: 3.94 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWhen 20-year-old Lenny Barnes, paralysed in a rugby accident, commits suicide in the presence of Barnaby Johnson, the much-loved priest of a West Cornwall parish, the tragedy's reverberations open up the fault-lines between Barnaby and his nearest and dearest... -
![Saving Grace by Lee Smith]()
Saving Grace by Lee Smith
Rated: 3.93 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsSurrounded all of her life by zealous religious figures, Florida Grace Shepherd recounts a story that begins with her father's revival meetings and ends at Uncle Slidell's Christian Fun Golf course...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic spirituality audiobook -
![On Little Wings by Regina Sirois]()
On Little Wings by Regina Sirois
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis is a story of the countless ways we get love wrong. And why, despite every disappointment, we keep fighting to get it right. Jennifer must do the impossible – bring her mother home. When a family is torn apart by death, two sisters take violently divergent paths and the story of their family appears to end terribly and abruptly... -
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![Beach Plum Island by Holly Robinson]()
Beach Plum Island by Holly Robinson
Rated: 3.90 of 5 stars · 10 ratings“Your brother should know the truth.” These are the last cryptic words that Ava Barrett’s father says before he dies. But Ava doesn’t have a brother, as far as she knows, so how can she tell him the truth? She dismisses the conversation and dedicates herself to bringing her family together for her father’s funeral... -
![Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro]()
Signal Fires by Dani Shapiro
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA GRIPPING NEW NOVEL FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF INHERITANCEOne Night. One Fateful Choice. A Constellation of Lives Changed Forever.SIGNAL FIRES opens on a summer night in 1985. Three teenagers have been drinking. One of them gets behind the wheel of a car, and, in an instant, everything on Division Street changes...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family grief coming-of-age drama fiction audiobook -
![Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee]()
Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
Rated: 3.92 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA dazzling novel of two sisters and their emotional journey through love, loyalty, and heartbreakTwo Chinese-American sisters--Miranda, the older, responsible one, always her younger sister's protector; Lucia, the headstrong, unpredictable one, whose impulses are huge and, often, life changing. When Lucia starts hearing voices, it is Miranda who must find a way to reach her sister... -
![Tortuga by Rudolfo Anaya]()
Tortuga by Rudolfo Anaya
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRudolfo Anaya's personal journey to Tortuga began one desert-hot day when, as an adolescent, he and some friends were swimming in irrigation ditches. He dove in, sustaining an injury that put him in the hospital for an arduous period of time.Tortuga is set in a hospital for crippled children and is based on Anaya's swimming accident...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction religion spirituality book contemporary fiction -
![The Clouds by Juan José Saer]()
The Clouds by Juan José Saer
Rated: 3.88 of 5 stars · 8 ratings"Saer is one of the best writers of today in any language."—Ricardo Piglia"What Saer presents marvelously is the experience of reality, and the characters' attempts to write their own narratives within its excess... -
![October Snow by Jenna Brooks]()
October Snow by Jenna Brooks
Rated: 3.83 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWINNER: 2014 READERS FAVORITE AWARDS - DRAMAJosie Kane is a “difficult” woman, a pure enigma - one who survives her abusive husband by honing her unnerving talent for playing mind games: she knows exactly how to manipulate a bully. Finally divorced, she thinks the abuse is over, and she’s free. She’s wrong. And her cynicism is building...
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