Recommendations based on This Must Be the Placeby Maggie O'Farrell

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Instructions for a Heatwave

    by Maggie O'Farrell
    A family's struggles with secrets and lies amidst a summer of record-breaking heat.

    Sophisticated, intelligent, impossible to put down, Maggie O'Farrell's beguiling novels - After You'd Gone, winner of a Betty Trask Award; The Distance Between Us, winner of a Somerset Maugham Award; ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

    by Maggie O'Farrell
    Story of two women's struggle to uncover a dark family secret and reclaim their freedom.

    In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  3. The Hand That First Held Mine

    by Maggie O'Farrell
    An interweaving of two stories, exploring the complexities of love, friendship, and family.

    The story progresses in two different timelines. It tells the story of Lexie Sinclair, a young English woman who falls in love with magazine editor Innes Kent, after escaping from her stifling family ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Commonwealth

    by Ann Patchett
    Intertwining story of two families across multiple generations, and how their lives become intertwined.

    It started at Franny Keating’s christening party. Bert Cousins wasn’t even invited, but looking for an excuse to get out of the house, away from his three noisy children and pregnant wife for a few ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Funny Girl

    by Nick Hornby
    A young woman's comedic journey to success, navigating the pitfalls of fame.

    Make them laugh, and they're yours forever . . . Barbara Parker is Miss Blackpool of 1964, but she doesn't want to be a beauty queen. She wants to make people laugh. So she leaves her hometown ... (Goodreads)

  6. The Muse

    by Jessie Burton
    A young woman's exploration of identity and artistry, set in the 1960s England and Spain.

    From the #1 internationally bestselling author of, The Miniaturist, comes a captivating and brilliantly realized story of two young women—a Caribbean immigrant in 1960s London, and a bohemian woman ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. Americanah

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    An exploration of race, identity, and belonging as two Nigerian immigrants experience life in America and beyond.

    Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to ... (Goodreads)

  8. Black Swan Green

    by David Mitchell
    A young boy confronts personal and social challenges as he navigates adolescence.

    Jason Taylor is a 13-year-old with a stammer in the small village of Black Swan Green in Worcestershire . The first chapter starts with a rule Jason's father has: "Do not set foot in my office" and ... (Wikipedia)

  9. The Essex Serpent

    by Sarah Perry
    A woman's spiritual journey of faith and doubt, set against the backdrop of a mysterious sea-serpent.

    After being widowed when her wealthy, abusive husband dies of throat cancer, Cora Seaborne decides to ignore the trappings of her London society life and take up amateur palaeontology. Vacationing in ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Standard Deviation

    by Katherine Heiny
    A witty and charming novel about a couple's marriage, their quirks, and the challenges they face.

    A rueful, funny examination of love, marriage, infidelity, and origami. Simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, this sensational debut will appeal to fans of David Nicholls, Nick Hornby, Nora ... (Goodreads)

  11. A God in Ruins

    by Kate Atkinson
    An exploration of the life of a World War II pilot and the effects of trauma on his family.

    The novel is about the life of Teddy Todd (younger brother of Ursula Todd, the protagonist of the companion work,, Life After Life, ). Events in his life are not revealed in chronological order. The ... (Wikipedia)

  12. And the Mountains Echoed

    by Khaled Hosseini
    Interconnected stories of family and love, tracing the consequences of decisions made throughout life.

    The novel opens in the year 1952. Saboor, an impoverished farmer from the fictional village of Shadbagh, decides to sell his three-year-old daughter Pari to a wealthy, childless couple in Kabul. ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Behind the Scenes at the Museum

    by Kate Atkinson
    A young girl's exploration of her family's history, unravelling their secrets and lies.

    Ruby Lennox begins narrating her life at the moment of conception, and from there takes us on a whirlwind tour of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of an English girl determined to learn ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Lowland

    by Jhumpa Lahiri
    Two brothers in Calcutta take different paths in life, leading to tragedy and a search for redemption.

    Raised in Tollygunge in Calcutta , brothers Subhash and Udayan are inseparable; they find joy in fixing and listening to radios, learning Morse Code , and looking out for each other at school. When ... (Wikipedia)

  15. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

    by Karen Joy Fowler
    A family's secrets and a girl's quest for the truth about her own identity.

    The, New York Times, bestselling author of, The Jane Austen Book Club, introduces a middle-class American family that is ordinary in every way but one in this novel that won the PEN/Faulkner Award ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. Burial Rites

    by Hannah Kent
    A woman awaits her execution in 19th-century Iceland, reliving her story of hardship, loss and faith.

    Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer, and became the last woman put ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Golden Hill

    by Francis Spufford
    A stranger arrives in colonial New York with a bill worth a thousand pounds, causing a stir and raising suspicions.

    In early November 1746 a traveller called Mr Smith arrives in New York, bringing with him a bill for £1000, which he takes to Mr Lovell, a local businessman, who reluctantly agrees to honour it ... (Wikipedia)

  18. The Green Road

    by Anne Enright
    A family's journey through life, with each member reflecting on their individual paths.

    The first half of the novel concerns each family member individually and goes chronologically from 1980 to 2005. Each of the four Madigan children and their mother Rosaleen receive a chapter of their ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Gathering

    by Anne Enright
    A family reunites for the funeral of the patriarch, and secrets are revealed.

    Anne Enright is a dazzling writer of international stature and one of Ireland’s most singular voices. Now she delivers The Gathering , a moving, evocative portrait of a large Irish family and a shot ... (Goodreads)

  20. Some Luck

    by Jane Smiley
    A saga tracing five generations of a farming family in midwestern America.

    On their farm in Denby, Iowa, Rosanna and Walter Langdon abide by time-honored values that they pass on to their five wildly different yet equally remarkable children: Frank, the brilliant, stubborn ... (Goodreads)

  21. 44 Scotland Street

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    Humorous tale of life in Edinburgh, featuring a cast of quirky characters.

    44 SCOTLAND STREET - Book 1, The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial novels, featuring ... (Goodreads)

  22. Small Great Things

    by Jodi Picoult
    A gripping story of racism and justice, exploring the intersections of power and privilege.

    #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race,, Small Great ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. How to Be Both

    by Ali Smith
    Exploring duality and interconnectedness through the life of a girl and a Renaissance artist.

    Passionate, compassionate, vitally inventive and scrupulously playful, Ali Smith’s novels are like nothing else. A true original, she is a one-of-a-kind literary sensation. Her novels consistently ... (Goodreads)

  24. Winter of the World

    by Ken Follett
    Epic saga of war, family, and love during the tumultuous times of the 20th century.

    The story follows characters from Germany , Britain , the United States and the Soviet Union , who become linked by events leading to World War II , and continues through the war and its immediate ... (Wikipedia)

  25. In the Unlikely Event

    by Judy Blume
    A small town is shaken by a series of plane crashes, forcing its inhabitants to confront painful truths.

    In her highly anticipated new novel, Judy Blume, the New York Times # 1 best-selling author of Summer Sisters and of young adult classics such as Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, creates a ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

    by Phaedra Patrick
    An elderly man embarks on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing.

    Look for Phaedra Patrick’s newest perfectly charming read, The Secrets of Love Story Bridge . “An endearing celebration of life.” -RealSimple.com Perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove , this curiously ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Necessary Lies

    by Diane Chamberlain
    A young social worker in 1960s rural North Carolina uncovers a dark secret that threatens to upend the lives of those around her.

    It is 1960 in North Carolina and the lives of Ivy Hart and Jane Forrester couldn't be more different. Fifteen-year-old Ivy lives with her family as tenants on a small tobacco farm, but when her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  28. A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold

    by George R.R. Martin
    Epic fantasy adventure of an intense struggle for power and survival.

    A Storm of Swords picks up the story slightly before the end of its predecessor, A Clash of Kings . The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros are still in the grip of the War of the Five Kings , , wherein ... (Wikipedia)

  29. LaRose

    by Louise Erdrich
    A family's tragedy brings them together, pushing them to confront the past and embrace their future.

    LaRose is set in North Dakota , on an Ojibwa reservation in the "era of George W. Bush and 9/11." , The novel's protagonist is LaRose Iron, a young Native American boy. , His father, Landreaux Iron, ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Shock of the Fall

    by Nathan Filer
    A young man's struggle with mental illness and his journey to find understanding and acceptance.

    What begins as the story of a lost boy turns into a story of a brave man yearning to understand what happened that night, in the years since, and to his very person. While on vacation with their ... (Goodreads)