Missouri books

Here's a place to talk about fiction/nonfiction set in Missouri.

Missouri is a state I visit at least 2 or 3 times a year so I'm certain to enjoy reading a novel set there.

Probably my favorite one, so far, is This is Graceanne's Book by P.L. Whitney, which was set in 1960s Missouri. Polly, the author, is an old friend so I'm not exactly a disinterested observer but this has gotten great reviews.

I may be a Kansas girl at heart, but I've lived in Missouri for more than 15 years now, so I guess it's home. There is a Missouri Readers group here on LT and so far we've read these books:

Finn by Jon Clinch. This tells the story of Huckleberry Finn's father. It is set on the Mississippi River, and the action is divided between Missouri on the west bank and Illinois on the east.

Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles. This is set in the boot heel region of the state (the SE corner) and in St Louis and tells the story of a confederate woman who was taken prisoner by the union during the civil war.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn. This book is set in the present, but still takes place on the Eastern side of the state. The story of a woman reporter who is sent back to her hometown to cover a story. She had good reasons for leaving in the first place.

The River Wife by Jonis Agee. Also set in the boot heel - near the epicenter of the New Madris earthquake in 1812. The story of a young woman trapped by the quake, but rescued by a passing fur trader. The book follows her life, and the lives of her family to the 1920's.

Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell. This is another contemporary novel - set in the Ozarks region in southern Missouri. It is the story of a young girl struggling to support her family and save their home in the wake of her father's drug arrests. A cold, hard look at poverty and drug use in rural America.

This summer, we're reading Dark Places, also by Gillian Flynn. This is the story of a young woman living in Kansas City, MO who survived the mass murder of her mother and sisters when she was a young girl. There are flash backs to the family farm in Kansas, and it's too soon to tell whether the book will be more closely tied to one state or the other.

The Torie O'Shea mysteries by Rett McPherson are set in Missouri.

Enemy Women sounds like it will fit in really well with next year's reading - Civil War era. 2010 I'm really concentrating on history with a Lincoln category, Civil War category, background for the presidents category, and a bio category. That's 40 history books right there but Enemy Women sounds like, though it's fiction, it would be absorbing and a good fit.

#5 Cheli, I think you'll like Enemy Women. I've got a civil war category in my 999 challenge, and I've done almost all fiction. There are lots of great novels set in that period.

The 27th City by Jonathan Franzen takes place in St Louis. This is a city I visit often so I'm thinking about this one.

I read The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton earlier this summer to get in the mood for a 10-day trip to Missouri. It was one of the best books I've read so far this year. It was a NYT bestseller in the 1960s and has recently been reissued.

#8 I second your recommendation of The Moonflower Vine - the Missouri Readers group will be discussing this book beginning Feb 1, if you'd like to join in. It is a great Missouri place book.

>9 sjmccreary: I heard about it from another group member and I've got the discussion thread starred. Thanks for the heads up!

An Iowan, once a well known author, Makinlay Kantor wrote a non-fiction, Missouri Bittersweet-- expanded anecdotes about the state -- mostly omitting KC and St L, which he says are "not echt Mizzou".

Just discovered the cozy mystery series by Elaine Viets set in St. Louis featuring Josie Marcus, a single mom and mystery shopper. I really enjoyed the one I read, An Uplifting Murder. It's right in the middle of the series, but I plan to look for the first one.

Stoner,
(John Williams) takes place in Missouri, I believe --