Books like 'West Side Story'
Readers who enjoyed West Side Story by Irving Shulman also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance 20th century classics drama historical-fiction high-school realistic retellings crime
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Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsAvailable in English for the first time, this best-selling Turkish classic of love and alienation in a changing world captures the vibrancy of interwar Berlin. A shy young man leaves his home in rural Turkey to learn a trade and discover life in 1920s Berlin...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
![The Devil to Pay in the Backlands by João Guimarães Rosa]()
The Devil to Pay in the Backlands by João Guimarães Rosa
Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsLively reminiscences of bandit warfare in the sertao, the still primitive Brazilian back country, told by a wise, retired outlaw chief. ~Worldcat.orgGrande Sertão: Veredas (Portuguese for "Great Backlands: Tracks"; English translation: The Devil to Pay in the Backlands) is a novel published in 1956 by the Brazilian writer João Guimarães Rosa...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction historical -
![O Continente - Volume I by Erico Verissimo]()
O Continente - Volume I by Erico Verissimo
Rated: 4.57 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsA vast sprawling period novel of the minor wars that wracked Brazil from the days when its European masters gambled with their colonists' affairs to the Civil Wars which turned family against family and set Republicans and Federalists at each others throats. Backgrounded by these wars, the story follows the history of the Terra-Cambaras, during 150 years, in the southern part of Brazil. The men . -
![Gone with the Wind Volume 1 by Margaret Mitchell]()
Gone with the Wind Volume 1 by Margaret Mitchell
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsGone With The Wind Volume 1: Special Edition By Margaret Mitchell Tomorrow is another day ... Set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Civil War, Margaret Mitchell's magnificent historical epic is an unforgettable tale of love and loss, of a nation mortally divided and a people forever changed...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book -
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![The Girls in the Attic by Marius Gabriel]()
The Girls in the Attic by Marius Gabriel
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe bestselling author of The Designer presents a sweeping story of blind faith, family allegiance and how love makes one man question everything he thought he knew.Max Wolff is a committed soldier of the Reich. So when he is sent home wounded, only to discover that his mother is sheltering two young Jewish women in their home, he is outraged... -
![A Man by Oriana Fallaci]()
A Man by Oriana Fallaci
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"What's the point anyway — Of suffering, dying? It teaches us to live, boy. A man who does not struggle does not live, he survives." (quote from the book)The book is a pseudo-biography about Alexandros Panagoulis written in the form of a novel. Fallaci had an intense romantic relationship with Panagoulis...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction historical -
![Dreams of the Island by Kate Hewitt]()
Dreams of the Island by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHenry McAvoy leaned forward. “I have been looking for an artist just like you—a diamond in the rough, so to speak. And really, Miss Copley,” he said gently, “what do you have to lose?”1911, Amherst Island, Canada: When a chance encounter takes Ellen Copley away from the beautiful island she has called home since she was orphaned as a child—she believes it is the new start she has been waiting for...Categorized as:
historical-fiction high-school literary-fiction romance historical ww1 fiction 20th-century -
![Child of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer]()
Child of All Nations by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn Child of All Nations, the reader is immediately swept up by a story that is profoundly feminist, devastatingly anticolonialist—and full of heartbreak, suspense, love, and fury. Pramoedya immerses the reader in a world that is astonishing in its vividness: the cultural whirlpool that was the Dutch East Indies of the 1890s...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin]()
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsIn this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned...Categorized as:
classics crime drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic urban 20th-century -
![The Orphan's Island by Katharine Swartz, Kate Hewitt]()
The Orphan's Island by Katharine Swartz, Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings1904: Ellen Copley is still a child when she leaves behind the sooty rail yards of Glasgow, and crosses the Atlantic Ocean with a heart full of dreams. Yet within weeks of their arrival in America, her father has disappeared—leaving Ellen with resentful relatives, feeling alone and scared for her future...Categorized as:
historical-fiction high-school literary-fiction historical christian family ww2 fiction -
![Pygmalion / My Fair Lady by George Bernard Shaw, Alan Jay Lerner]()
Pygmalion / My Fair Lady by George Bernard Shaw, Alan Jay Lerner
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe ancient Greeks tell the legend of the sculptor Pygmalion, who created a statue of a woman of such surpassing beauty that he fell in love with his own creation. Then, Aphrodite, taking pity on this man whose love could not reach beyond the barrier of stone, brought the statue to life and gave her to Pygmalion as his bride...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult anthologies audiobook -
![Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Richard Harris]()
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Richard Harris
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThis collection brings together music played by Captain Corelli himself and original pieces evoking the sounds and events of the book and of 3 earlier novels, the Latin Trilogy', by Louis de Bernieres...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction historical -
![Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig]()
Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe great Austrian writer Stefan Zweig was a master anatomist of the deceitful heart, and Beware of Pity, the only novel he published during his lifetime, uncovers the seed of selfishness within even the finest of feelings... -
![The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley]()
The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe six D’Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister? They only have one clue – an image of a star-shaped emerald ring...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic 20th-century audiobook book family -
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![Gora by Rabindranath Tagore, Marguerite Glotz]()
Gora by Rabindranath Tagore, Marguerite Glotz
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsVast in its scope and rich in thought Gora has been acclaimed as a monumental work in the history of Bengali fiction. The story reflects the social, political and religious scene in Bengal at the turn of the century. The forces that were operating in Bengal at that time were one of the intense nationalism and revival of ancient spiritual values and also that of liberal western thought...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book -
![Farewell Song by Rabindranath Tagore]()
Farewell Song by Rabindranath Tagore
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsRabindranath Tagore reinvented the Bengali novel with Farewell Song; blurring the lines between prose and poetry and creating an effervescent blend of romance and satire... -
![Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw]()
Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsRich Man, Poor Man is the story of two brothers whose contrasting natures reflect the turmoil of post-war America. Rudy is the rich man - a romantic who would let no one stand between him and success. Tom is the poor man - the black sheep of the family on the run from his violent past...Categorized as:
classics crime drama historical-fiction literary-fiction urban 20th-century audiobook -
![Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea]()
Watching Over Her by Jean-Baptiste Andrea
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom French literary talent and Prix Goncourt winner Jean-Baptiste Andrea, a “sprawling fresco and star-crossed love story” (The New York Times) following a dwarf and skilled sculptor as he recounts the moments in his life that inspired his mysteriously powerful masterpiece—perfect for readers of Martyr! and The Covenant of Water.In an Italian monastery, a sculptor named Mimo lays on his deathbed... -
![The Last Convertible by Anton Myrer]()
The Last Convertible by Anton Myrer
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAnton Myrer's beloved, bestselling novel of America's World War II generation is as powerful now as it was upon its publication. An immediate classic, it tells the story of five Harvard men, the women they loved -- and the elegant car that came to symbolize their romantic youth... -
![Women & Children First by Gill Paul]()
Women & Children First by Gill Paul
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsShe was the most magnificent ship ever built, yet on the eve of 14th April the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, leaving the lucky ones floating in wooden rowing boats, and the rest struggling for their lives in the icy water...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult alternate-history book family -
![My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe]()
My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe ancient Greeks tell the legend of the sculptor Pygmalion, who created a statue of a woman of such surpassing beauty that he fell in love with his own creation. Then, Aphrodite, taking pity on this man whose love could not reach beyond the barrier of stone, brought the statue to life and gave her to Pygmalion as his bride... -
![A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood]()
A Sky Painted Gold by Laura Wood
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe Great Gatsby meets I Capture the Castle in this gorgeously dreamy coming-of-age romance perfect for fans of A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.It is the summer of 1929. Lou Trevelyan is a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a writer. Then she meets the Cardew siblings: the bubbly Caitlin and her handsome, enigmatic brother, Robert... -
![The Immigrants by Howard Fast]()
The Immigrants by Howard Fast
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn a passionate, multigenerational novel set against the backdrop of San Francisco, the son of an Italian fisherman struggles from the rubble of the great earthquake to build a shipping empire. Reprint... -
![Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie]()
Absent in the Spring by Mary Westmacott, Agatha Christie
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsReturning from a visit to her daughter in Iraq, Joan Scudamore finds herself unexpectedly alone and stranded in an isolated rest house by flooding of the railway tracks. This sudden solitude compels Joan to assess her life for the first time ever and face up to many of the truths about herself...Categorized as:
classics crime drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook -
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![Battles in the Desert by José Emilio Pacheco]()
Battles in the Desert by José Emilio Pacheco
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThis landmark novella—one of the central texts of Mexican literature, is eerily relevant to our current dark times—offers a child’s-eye view of a society beset by dictators, disease, and natural disasters, set in “the year of polio, foot-and-mouth disease, floods...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction drama literary-fiction urban romance fiction 20th-century -
![Love and Honor by Leslie Arlen]()
Love and Honor by Leslie Arlen
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSaga of the Borodins, one of the families who for centuries steered the golden destiny of Russia, amid the fabled Court of the Tsars. The dynasty that rode high to the crest of power-only to reach the brink of a rebel-torn New Age. Prince Peter: the unbending heir to the tempest of change. Ilona: the heartstrong Princess, slave to a renegade passion... -
![Bless This House by Norah Lofts]()
Bless This House by Norah Lofts
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe fortunes of a beautiful Elizabethan house called Merravay, Built in Suffolk for a queen to sleep in then loved and hated through four centuries. Told in eight episodic narratives by a fascinating pageant of characters including -- a pirate, witch, bawd, rake, recluse, and lovers all of whom play a vital part in the house's history...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book early-modern fiction -
![The Valley Of Decision by Marcia Davenport]()
The Valley Of Decision by Marcia Davenport
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsOn the eve of World War II writer Marcia Davenport, best known for her biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, spent several years in Pittsburgh, her imagination caught by the drama of American industry. In 1942, Charles Scribner’s sons published her Pittsburgh novel, The Valley of Decision... -
![Precious Bane by Mary Webb]()
Precious Bane by Mary Webb
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsThis scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic 20th-century adult audiobook book -
![Love is Just a Word by Johannes Mario Simmel, Йоханес Марио Зимел]()
Love is Just a Word by Johannes Mario Simmel, Йоханес Марио Зимел
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis is the story of Oliver and Verena, who fall in love and risk everything to keep each other.He is the son of a notorious German industrialist. She is the voluptuous, indiscreet wife of a wealthy and ruthless businessman.Apart they have been two lonely people. Half alive. Together, they are radiant... -
![The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge]()
The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMary Lindsay met her little niece and namesake only once, but she saw in the quiet, imaginative child a kindred spirit to inherit her ancient house. Fifty years later her niece inherited the house with no knowledge of it beyond her indelible childhood memories, and no experience at all of living in the country...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic 20th-century adult book -
![The Girl in the Photograph by Lygia Fagundes Telles]()
The Girl in the Photograph by Lygia Fagundes Telles
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsComplex and hauntingly beautiful, Lygia Fagundes Telles's most acclaimed novel is a journey into the inner lives of three young women, each revealing her secrets and loves, each awaiting a destiny tied to the colorful and violent world of modern Brazil. Sensual and wealthy Lorena dreams of a tryst with a married man. Unhappy Lia burns with a frantic desire to free her imprisoned fiancé...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book female-author feminism -
![Sunday In The Park With George: A Musical by Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine]()
Sunday In The Park With George: A Musical by Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsInspired by Georges Seurat's pointillist masterpiece Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte Sondheim and Lapine's musical celebrates the art of creation and the creation of art... -
![Climates by André Maurois]()
Climates by André Maurois
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWritten in 1928 by French biographer and novelist Andre Maurois, Climates became a best seller in France and all over Europe. The first 100,000 copies printed of its Russian translation sold out the day they appeared in Moscow bookstores... -
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![Battles in the Desert & Other Stories by José Emilio Pacheco]()
Battles in the Desert & Other Stories by José Emilio Pacheco
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSeven stories depict harsh realities of life in urban Mexico and the tragedies of childhood innocence betrayed...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult anthologies audiobook -
![The Covenant by Beverly Lewis]()
The Covenant by Beverly Lewis
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe powerful family saga of four Amish sisters whose way of life and faith in God are as enduring as Lancaster's signature horse and buggy. Or so it seems...The Plain community of Gobbler's Knob holds everything courting-age Leah Ebersol has ever desired, including handsome young Jonas Mast...Categorized as:
drama high-school historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century audiobook book christian -
![Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George]()
Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsSix teenagers’ lives intertwine during one thrilling summer full of romantic misunderstandings and dangerous deals in this sparkling retelling of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. After she gets kicked out of boarding school, seventeen-year-old Beatrice goes to her uncle’s estate on Long Island. But Hey Nonny Nonny is more than just a rundown old mansion...Categorized as:
historical-fiction retellings drama literary-fiction classics romance young-adult historical -
![In Love by Alfred Hayes]()
In Love by Alfred Hayes
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsNew York in the 1950s. A man on a barstool is telling a story about a woman he met in a bar, early married and soon divorced, her child farmed out to her parents, good-looking, if a little past her prime. They’d gone out, they’d grown close, but as far as he was concerned it didn’t add up to much. He was a busy man. Then one day, out dancing, she runs into a rich awkward lovelorn businessman... -
![Jennie Gerhardt by Theodore Dreiser]()
Jennie Gerhardt by Theodore Dreiser
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJennie Gerhardt was Theodore Dreiser's second novel and his first true commercial success. Today it is generally regarded as one of his three best novels, along with Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy. But the text of Jennie Gerhardt heretofore known to readers is quite different from the text as Dreiser originally wrote it...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book female-mc -
![Lovesick by Ángeles Mastretta]()
Lovesick by Ángeles Mastretta
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsPublisher: Vintage Date of Publication: 1998 Binding: soft cover Edition: Condition: Fine Description:... -
![Next of Kin by John Boyne]()
Next of Kin by John Boyne
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsJohn Boyne has been heralded as "one of the most imaginative and adventurous of the young Irish novelists working today" by the Irish Independent. He achieved bestseller status and won numerous awards worldwide for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas... -
![Roses by Leila Meacham]()
Roses by Leila Meacham
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsSpanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic urban 20th-century adult audiobook -
![Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison]()
Legends of the Fall by Jim Harrison
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratings'Legends of the Fall, an epic tale of three brothers and their lives of passion, madness, exploration and danger at the beginning of the Great War, confirms Jim Harrison's reputation as one of the finest American writers of his generation. This magnificent trilogy also contains two other superb short novels. In Revenge, love causes the course of a man's life to be savagely and irrevocably altered...Categorized as:
classics crime drama high-school historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure -
![Tear This Heart Out by Ángeles Mastretta]()
Tear This Heart Out by Ángeles Mastretta
Rated: 4.04 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsExcellent, highly colloquial translation of Arr ancame la vida (see HLAS 48:5193), set in post-revolutionary Mexico...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book -
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![The Wedding by Dorothy West]()
The Wedding by Dorothy West
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn her first novel in forty-seven years, Dorothy West, the last surviving member of the Harlem Renaissance, offers an intimate glimpse into African American middle class. Set on bucolic Martha's Vineyard in the 1950s, The Wedding tells the story of life in the Oval, a proud, insular community made up of the best and brightest of the East Coast's black bourgeoisie...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic 20th-century adult audiobook -
![Raised from the Ground by José Saramago]()
Raised from the Ground by José Saramago
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA multigenerational family saga that paints a sweeping portrait of twentieth-century PortugalFirst published in 1980, the City of Lisbon Prize–winning Raised from the Ground follows the changing fortunes of the Mau Tempo family—poor landless peasants not unlike Saramago’s own grandparents...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century action-adventure adult book -
![The Betrayal by Kate Furnivall]()
The Betrayal by Kate Furnivall
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings'A real page-turner which puts you in France on the cusp of war from the very first page. Gripping. Tense. Mysterious...Categorized as:
crime drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook betrayal -
![A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Sondheim, Larry Gelbart]()
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Sondheim, Larry Gelbart
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe book and lyrics of the first musical for which Sondheim composed the score as well. Forum opened in 1962 and is Sondheim's longest running play. Other plays for which he has written both the music and lyrics are A Little Night Music, Into the Woods and Assassins... -
![Canção para ninar menino grande by Conceição Evaristo]()
Canção para ninar menino grande by Conceição Evaristo
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsTrata-se de um mosaico afetuoso de experiências negras, um canto amoroso e dolorido. Na figura do personagem Fio Jasmim, Conceição discute com maestria as contradições e complexidades em torno da masculinidade de homens negros e os efeitos nas relações com as mulheres negras... -
![Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis]()
Dodsworth by Sinclair Lewis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsFirst published in 1929, Dodsworth tells the story of a young American couple who moves to Europe. When the woman becomes involved with another man, her husband must choose between forgiving his wife or abandoning the relationship, & Europe, forever...Categorized as:
classics drama historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book
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