this list of books set in north carolina will transport you to the diverse landscapes of the state; From the miles of Atlantic coastline to the forests that stretch along the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains of the Appalachian Mountains.
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You are reading: Books about north carolina
books set in north carolina: introduction
The following list ranges from classics to contemporary fiction and includes works by many prominent North Carolina authors. There are titles by local novelist kaye gibbons (including ellen foster and charms for the easy life) and several titles from jan karon’s mitford years series of fourteen books (including at home in mitford, a light in the window and these high hills and green).
It would be impossible to talk about books set in North Carolina without mentioning Nicholas Sparks, who is a new resident of Bern and has set many of his best-selling romance titles in the state. The list below includes The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, Nights at Rodanthe, Dear John, and Every Breath; all of which (with the exception of the last title) have been adapted to film.
charles frazier was born in asheville and won the national book award in 1997 for his historical novel cold mountain, which was followed by the publication of thirteen moons. David Sedaris grew up in Raleigh, and explores his upbringing in some of the stories in Me Talk Pretty One Day. Lee Smith lives in Hillsborough and wrote about Agate Hill and Guests on Earth, the latter based on the life of Zelda Fitzgerald.
sarah addison allen lives in asheville and combines magical realism and romance in small-town settings in her novels, such as garden spells, sugar queen, the girl who chased the moon, and the peach keeper. Ron Rash grew up in Bolling Springs and Ella’s novels, Ella Serena, The Cove, and Risen have appeared on the New York Times bestseller lists. And finally, Delia Owens’ debut novel Where the Crabs Sing is set around the fictional Barkley Cove and has sold over 4.5 million copies, topping numerous bestseller lists.
books set in north carolina: the short list
If you’re short on time and want to skip the longer list below, here are my picks for books set in North Carolina:
- the notebook of nicholas sparks
- cold mountain by charles frazier
- the last american man by elizabeth gilbert
- garden spells by sarah addison allen
- necessary lies by diane chamberlain
- where the locusts sing by delia owens
books set in north carolina
1. incidents in the life of a slave by harriet ann jacobs, 1861
A haunting and evocative account of her life as a slave in North Carolina, and her final escape and emancipation, Jacobs’s narrative, written between 1853 and 1858 and published in 1861, is one of the most important books ever written that They document the traumas and horrors of slavery in the antebellum South. See reviews
2. look home, angel by thomas wolfe, 1929
Look Home, Angel is Wolfe’s first novel, and is considered a highly autobiographical American Bildungsroman. Eugene Gant’s character is generally believed to be a representation of Wolfe himself. The novel covers the time span from Gant’s birth to the age of 19. The setting is the fictional city and state of Altamont, Catawba, a fictionalized version of his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. see reviews
3. if morning comes by anne tyler, 1964
note: this is set in sandhill, north carolina. ben joe is the only boy in a family of six sisters, mother and grandmother. he is studying for a law degree in new york when he hears that her older sister joanne has left her husband and returned home with her baby. Through a mixture of longing and duty, Ben Joe returns to the home where he has always felt like an outsider. See Reviews
4. christy by catherine marshall, 1967
note: this is set between north carolina and tennessee. The train that takes nineteen-year-old teacher Christy Huddleston from her home in Asheville, North Carolina, may well be transporting her to another world. The Smoky Mountain community of Cutter Gap feels suspended in time, trapped by poverty, superstitions and centuries-old traditions. But as Christy struggles to find acceptance in her new home, some of her see her, and her one-room school, as a threat to her way of life. Her faith is challenged and her heart is torn between two strong men with conflicting views on how to care for the families of the cove. See reviews
5. ellen foster by kaye gibbons, 1987
note: gibbons bred in rocky mount, north carolina, which inspired this environment. “When I was little, I thought of ways to kill my dad. I would figure out this or that and go over it in my head until it was easy.” Thus begins the story of Ellen Foster, the brave and sympathetic heroine of Kay Gibbons’ first novel. An eleven-year-old heroine tells her unforgettable story with honesty, insight, humor, and natural heroism. See Reviews
6. ferry beach by jill mccorkle, 1990 (already)
katie tennyson burns is stuck in the stage of life where everything is both wonderful and terrible. she, too, is caught up in a struggle for her spirit, in a competition between a prissy, no-nonsense mother and a beautiful, reckless cousin. a fascinating novel about the conflict between manners and freedom, between those who live by the rules and those who bend and twist them.see reviews
7. miss julia speaks her mind by ann b. ross, 1990
note: this is the first title in the series of 20 miss julia books. Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly surprised when a certain Hazel Marie Puckett shows up on her doorstep with a young man in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia’s late husband. . Suddenly, she’s a longtime church member and pillar of her small southern community finds herself at the center of an unseemly scandal, and she’s the guardian of a pale nine-year-old girl whose mere presence turns her life upside down. see reviews
8. charms for the easy life by kaye gibbons, 1993
A family without men, the Birches live a gloriously unconventional life in the lush, green forests of North Carolina. The radiant, headstrong Sophia and her shy, brilliant daughter, Margaret, possess powerful charms to ward off the loneliness, despair, and human misery that often knocks at their door. And they’re protected by the eccentric wisdom and brawny love of remarkable matriarch Charlie Kate, a solid, uncompromising, self-taught healer who treats everything from boils to broken bones to broken hearts. See reviews
9. Patricia Cornwell’s Body Farm, 1994
Please note: This is the fifth novel in the Kay Scarpetta series. the body farm – a research institute that tests the decomposition of corpses. black mountain, north carolina: a sleepy little town where the local police deal with one homicide a year, if you’re unlucky, and where people are still getting used to the idea of locking doors at night. But violent death is no respecter of places, and the discovery of the body of an 11-year-old girl shocks the community. the dr. Kay Scarpetta, chief medical examiner on a similar case in Virginia, is called in to apply her forensic skills to this latest atrocity, but the apparent simplicity of the case proves something akin to a poisoned chalice, until Scarpetta finds enlightenment through onlookers. pathologists. playground known as the body farm. see reviews
10. at home in mitford (mitford years #1) by jan karon, 1994
Note: This 14-book series is set in Mitford, North Carolina. it’s easy to feel at home in mitford. In these high, green hills, the air is clean, the town charming, and the people generally friendly. However, Father Tim, the single rector, wants something more. a dog the size of a couch walks in and sheds and doesn’t leave. add an attractive neighbor who starts using a path through the hedge. now, he adds a lovable but unloved boy, a puzzling jewel theft, and a secret that he’s sixty years old. Suddenly, Father Tim gets more than he bargained for. and readers get a rich comedy about ordinary people and their ordinary lives. See reviews
11. a light in the window (mitford years #2) by jan karon, 1995
A Light in the Window is the second installment in this hugely popular series about small town rector Father Tim and the heartwarming cast of characters that surround him. This time Father Tim, a lifelong bachelor, finds his heart distracted by his free-spirited neighbor Cynthia, but his stomach and rectory cash box are distracted by Edith, a wealthy widow who is courting the rector with love potion stews. At all times, including when a brooding Irish cousin decides to move in, Father Tim must decide if he will practice what he preaches. See Reviews
12. these high green hills (mitford years #3) by jan karon, 1996
For years, the sixty-something rector of mitford has been happily married to his parish. he is now married to cynthia, his lively next door neighbor. For father tim, life in mitford has never been so full of surprises. his wife is “aging” her already old kitchen walls, not to mention that she is burning her curtains. the mountain boy who has learned to love as himself makes a heartbreaking decision. and the agony of mastering the church’s computer system is as overwhelming as the chaos that ensues when his quiet rectory is turned into a nursery. All of this, however, is small potato compared to what happens on a wilderness camping trip that sends you home a different man. See reviews
13. nicholas sparks notebook, 1996
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Set amidst the stark beauty of the North Carolina coast, the notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural southerner recently returned from World War II. Noah is restoring a plantation home to his former glory, and he’s haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, but not wanting to forget their summer together, Noah is content to live with memories alone, until he unexpectedly returns to his town to see him one more time.
14. charles frazier cold mountain, 1997
note: this is set in cold mountain, north carolina, which is part of the blue ridge mountains. based on local history & Family stories passed down from Frazier’s great-great-grandfather, Cold Mountain is the story of a wounded Confederate soldier, Inman, who walks away from the ravages of war and returns home with his pre-war girlfriend, Ada. His odyssey across the devastated landscape of the soon-to-be-defeated South intertwines with Ada’s fight to revive her father’s farm, with the help of an intrepid young drifter named Ruby. As their long-separated lives begin to converge at the end of the war, Inman and Ada confront the vastly transformed world that has befallen them. see reviews
15. message in a bottle by nicholas sparks, 1998
Thrown into the waves, and fate, the bottle could have gone anywhere. instead, he finds himself only three weeks after his journey begins. Theresa Osborne, a divorcee and mother of a twelve-year-old boy, picks him up during a seaside vacation from his job as a columnist for a Boston newspaper. Inside is a letter that begins with: “My dearest Catherine, I miss you my love, as I always do, but today is particularly difficult because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together.” see reviews
16. a walk to remember by nicholas sparks, 1999
There was a time when the world was sweeter, when women in Beaufort, North Carolina wore dresses and men wore hats, when something happened to a seventeen-year-old boy that would change his life forever. Every April, when the wind blows in from the sea and mixes with the scent of lilacs, Landon Carter looks back on his senior year at Beaufort High. It was 1958 and Landon had already dated a girl or two. he even swore that he was once in love. Indeed, the last person in town he thought he would fall in love with was Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the town’s Baptist minister. see reviews
17. gap creek by robert morgan, 1999
note: this is set in the blue ridge mountains, along the north carolina and south carolina border. Young Julie Harmon works “as hard as a man,” she says, so hard that she’s sometimes not sure she can stop. people depend on her to slaughter pigs and care for the dying. people are weak and there is much to do. she is only seventeen, she marries and moves to gap creek valley, where perhaps life is better. see reviews
18. look back across the green valley by fred chappell, 1999
Jess Kirkman returns to the North Carolina mountain town of her childhood to tend to her ailing mother and clean out her late father’s shop. What he discovers there takes him, and the reader, on an unforgettable journey through the secret life of Jess’s father, Joe Robert, culminating in a moment of deep mystery and comedy. see reviews
19. talk nice one day by david sedaris, 2000
note: only some of these short stories are partially set in north carolina. David Sedaris’s move to Paris from New York inspired these hilarious pieces, including the title essay, about his attempts to learn French from a sadistic professor who declares that every day he spends with you is like having a C-section. his family is another inspiration. ‘you can’t kill the rooster’ is a portrait of his brother, who talks incessantly in hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no one hones finer fury in response to such modern annoyances as restaurant meals presented in ridiculous food towers and cashiers with six-inch fingernails. See reviews
20. the cross of fire (outlander #5) by diana gabaldon, 2001
note: the first books in the outlander series are set primarily in scotland, while books 5 & 6 are largely set in North Carolina. The year is 1771 and war is coming. Jamie Fraser’s wife tells him. however little he wants from her, he must believe it, because hers is a frightening gift of prophecy: the sure knowledge of a time traveler. Claire’s unique vision of the future has brought her both danger and release in the past; His knowledge of the coming revolution is a flickering torch that can light his way through the perilous years ahead, or ignite a conflagration that will burn their lives to ashes.
21. nights in rodanthe by nicholas sparks, 2002
At forty-five, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband leaves her for a younger woman. Reeling from her anguish and seeking respite, she flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina, to attend a friend’s inn for the weekend. But when a major storm begins, it seems that Adrienne’s perfect getaway is going to be ruined, until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. At fifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and comes to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. Now, with the storm closing in, two injured people will seek solace and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate for the rest of their lives. See reviews
22. the last american man by elizabeth gilbert, 2002
note: set in boone, north carolina, part of appalachia.in this gripping examination of contemporary american male identity, acclaimed author and journalist elizabeth gilbert explores the fascinating true story of eustace conway. In 1977, at the age of seventeen, Conway left her family’s comfortable suburban home to move to the Appalachian Mountains. For more than two decades she has lived there, building fires with sticks, wearing the skins of animals she has caught and trying to convince Americans to abandon her materialistic lifestyle and return with him to nature. For Gilbert, Conway’s mythical character challenges all of our assumptions about what it is to be a modern man in America; he’s symbolic of much of what we feel our men should be like, but rarely are.see reviews
23. bare bones by kathy reichs, 2003
note: this is the sixth book in the temperance brennan series. it’s a scorching hot summer in charlotte where dr. Temperance Brennan, a forensic anthropologist at the North Carolina Medical Examiner, is looking forward to her first vacation in years. a romantic vacation. she almost walks out the door when the bones start to appear. the charred remains of a newborn are found in a wood stove. A small plane crashes in a North Carolina cornfield on a sunny afternoon. both pilot and passenger are burned beyond recognition. And what is the mysterious black substance that covers the bodies? Most puzzling of all are the bones discovered on a remote farm outside Charlotte. The remains appear to be of animal origin, but Tempe is shocked when she brings them back to her lab. See Reviews
24. a breath of snow and ashes (outlander #6) by diana gabaldon, 2005
A Breath of Snow and Ash continues the remarkable story of 18th century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th century wife Claire. The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead on the streets of Boston, and in the woods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the woods. With chaos brewing, the Governor calls on Jamie Fraser to unite the hinterland and safeguard the colony for the king and crown. but his wife jamie knows that in three years the shot heard around the world will be fired and the result will be independence, with those loyal to the king dead or in exile. see reviews
25. I & emma from elizabeth flock, 2005
note: set in the small town of toast, north carolina. the title characters in me & emma are almost photographic opposites: 8-year-old carrie, the raven-haired narrator, is shy and introverted, while her little sister emma is a blonde powerhouse with no sense of fear. The girls live in a terrible situation: they depend on an unstable mother who has never recovered from the murder of her husband, they are regularly beaten by her stepfather and they must look for food on her own. stop here and you have a story told many times before, stories in which a girl reveals the horrors of her childhood. I & emma sets herself apart with a spectacular ending, shocking the reader and turning the whole story upside down.see reviews
26. special topics in calamity physics by marisha pessl, 2006 (already)
Special Topics in the Physics of Calamities is a darkly hilarious coming-of-age novel and richly plotted suspense story told through the distinctive voice of its heroine, Blue Van Meer. After a childhood moving from one advanced academic post to another with her father (a man prone to aphorisms and meteoric adventures), Blue is intelligent, expressionless, and possesses a vast lexicon of literary, political, philosophical, and scientific knowledge, and is quite the filmmaker to boot. in his senior year of high school at the elite (and unusual) st. Gallway School in Stockton, North Carolina, Blue falls for a charismatic group of friends and her captivating teacher, Hannah Schneider. See Reviews
27. dear john by nicholas sparks, 2006
note: this is partially set in wilmington, north carolina. An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and joined the army, not knowing what else to do with his life, until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly turns into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. but on September 11 he changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation makes Savannah fall in love with someone else. See reviews
28. the king of lies by john hart, 2006
jackson workman pickens, known to most as work, keeps his thoughtless life together: a failed law practice left behind when his father, ezra, mysteriously disappeared, a distant wife, and a frail sister, jean, damaged by the marriage. past they have endured. and then ezra’s body is discovered. willing to inherit his father’s fortune from him, work becomes the prime suspect. but also jeans. Fearing the worst, the job launches its own investigation and crosses paths with a power-hungry detective, a series of damning pieces of evidence, and the horrible rumors circulating within their wealthy little southern town. See Reviews
29. on agate hill by lee smith, 2006
A dusty box discovered in the rubble of a once-thriving plantation on North Carolina’s Agate Hill contains the remains of an extraordinary life: diaries, letters, poems, songs, newspaper clippings, court records, marbles, rocks, dolls. and bones. It is through these precious memories that we meet Molly Petree. Raised in these ruins and orphaned by civil war, Molly is a refugee with no interest in self-pity. When a mysterious benefactor appears in her father’s past to rescue her from her, she never looks back.
30. thirteen moons by charles frazier, 2006
note: this is set in the cherokee nation, in present day north carolina. At the age of twelve, an orphan named Will Cooper is given a horse, a key, and a map and is sent on a journey through the uncharted wilderness of the Cherokee Nation. Will is a bound boy, forced to manage a remote Indian trading post. While on his solitary duty, Will finds a father in Bear, a Cherokee chief, and is adopted by him and his people, developing relationships that ultimately forge Will’s character. Meanwhile, his love for Claire, the enigmatic and captivating charge of the volatile and powerful Feather Stone, will rule Will’s heart forever. see reviews
31. garden spells by sarah addison allen, 2007
The women of the Waverley family, whether they like it or not, are heirs to an unusual legacy, one that grows on a fenced-in lot behind their Queen Anne-style home on Pendland Street in Bascom, North Carolina. there, an apple tree bearing magical fruit looms over a garden filled with edible herbs and flowers that possess the power to curiously affect anyone who eats them. For nearly a decade, Claire Waverley, 34, at peace with her family’s heritage, has lived alone in the house, embracing the spirit of the grandmother who raised her, mourning her mother’s unfortunate fate and seemingly unconcerned about the fate of her. rebellious sister, sydney, who long ago broke free from the constraints of her small town. see reviews
32. let it snow by john green, maureen johnson and lauren myracle, 2008 (already)
A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms a small town into a romantic paradise, the kind you only see in the movies. so a little. after all, a cold, wet walk from a stranded train in the middle of nowhere wouldn’t normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. and no one would think that a trip to the waffle house through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the path back to true love begins with a painful morning shift at Starbucks. Holiday magic shines through in these fun and charming interconnected stories of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses. See reviews
33. the sugar queen by sarah addison allen, 2008
josey, twenty-seven, is sure of three things: winter in her north carolina hometown is her favorite season; she’s a sorry excuse for a southern belle; and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden cupboard. Because although Josey has settled into a quiet life in her mother’s house, her only solace is the stash of sugary treats and paperback novels that she escapes to every night. Until she finds in her closet none other than local waitress Della Lee Baker, a sweet, tough-talking woman who is part nemesis and part fairy godmother. See Reviews
34. serena de ron rash, 2008
The year is 1929 and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the mountains of North Carolina where they plan to create a logging empire. Though George has already lived in camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains, but she soon proves to be just like any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattlesnakes, and even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness. nature. together, this lord and lady of the woods mercilessly kill or defeat all who fall from grace. However, when Serena learns that she will never have a child, she sets out to murder the child George had without her. see reviews
35. the girl who chased the moon by sarah addison allen, 2010
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Emily Benedict arrived in Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the puzzles surrounding her mother’s life. like, why did dulcie shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she swear she’d never come back? But the moment Emily walks into the house where her mother grew up and meets the Grandpa she never knew, a real-life gentle and lonely giant, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved by mulaby, they’re a mystery. way of life: here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. unexplained lights cross the courtyard at midnight. and a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.see reviews
36. murder glazed by jessica beck, 2010
note: this is the first of 45 titles in the donut shop mystery series. meet suzanne hart, owner and operator of donut hearts coffee shop in april springs, north carolina. After divorcing Max, an out-of-work actor she dubbed “The Great Impersonator,” Suzanne decided to pursue her true passion in life: donuts. so she cashed in her settlement and opened a store in the heart of her beloved hometown. But when a dead body is dumped on her doorstep like a sack of flour, Suzanne’s cozy little shop becomes a total crime scene. now, everyone in town is going through glazed donuts and gruesome details. see reviews
37. crossing oceans by gina holmes, 2010
jenny lucas swore she’d never come home. but being told you’re dying has a way of turning things around. Years after Ella’s departure, she and Ella’s five-year-old daughter, Isabella, must return to their sleepy North Carolina town to confront the ghosts she left behind. They greet her in the form of her oxygen-charged grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and Isabella’s father David, who still doesn’t know he has a daughter. As Jenny navigates the rough and uncharted waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love and her ability to change everything.
38. the keeper of peaches by sarah addison allen, 2011
walls of water, north carolina, where secrets are thicker than the mist from the city’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is as real as you want it to be. Thirty-year-old Willa Jackson has the dubious distinction of coming from a fine, well-to-do Southern family that was financially ruined generations ago. Built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during the heyday of Walls of Water and once the grandest house in town, the Madame of Blue Ridge has stood for years as a lonely monument to disgrace and scandal. And Willa herself has long struggled to build a life beyond the haunting shadow of the Jackson family. See reviews
39. a land kinder than home by wiley cash, 2012
for a curious kid like jess hall, who grew up in marshall, north carolina, it spells trouble when your mom catches you spying on adults. Adventurous and precocious, Jess is enormously protective of his older brother, Christopher, a mute everyone calls a stump. Though his mother has warned them not to snoop, Stump can’t help but catch a glimpse of something he’s not supposed to do, an act that will have catastrophic repercussions, shattering both his world and Jess’s. It’s a harrowing event that thrusts Jess into an adulthood he’s not ready for. see reviews
40. the cove of rum rash, 2012
This heartrending, lyrical tale, as captivating as its serene, award-winning predecessor, once again shows this masterful novelist at the height of his powers. Deep in the rugged Appalachian mountains of North Carolina lies The Cove, a dark and inhospitable place where spirits and beasts roam, and even light fears to travel. Or so the people of Mars Hill believe, just as they know that Laurel Shelton, the lonely young woman who lives in their shadows, is a witch. Alone except for her brother Hank, fresh back from the trenches of France, she longs for her life to begin. See Reviews
41. necessary lies by diane chamberlain, 2013
note: this is set in grace county, north carolina. After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left in the care of her grandmother, her older sister, and her nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm. As he struggles with his grandmother’s aging, his sister’s mental illness, and his own epilepsy, he realizes they may need more than he can give. When Jane Forrester takes over as Grace County’s new social worker, she doesn’t realize how much her help is needed. she quickly becomes emotionally involved in the lives of her clients, causing tension with her boss and her new husband. But as Jane finds herself drawn to the deer women, she begins to uncover the secrets of the little farm, secrets much darker than she ever imagined.
42. joyland by stephen king, 2013
Set in a small North Carolina town amusement park in 1973. College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland in hopes of forgetting the girl who broke his heart. but he ended up facing something much more terrible: the legacy of a cruel murder, the fate of a dying child and dark truths about life, and what comes after, that would change his world forever. A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old, and about those who can’t do either because death comes before their time: Joyland is Stephen King at the height of his storytelling powers. View Reviews
43. flora by gail godwin, 2013
Ten-year-old Helen and her summer tutor, Flora, are isolated together in Helen’s family’s dilapidated home while her father does secret war work in Oak Ridge during the final months of World War II. at three, helen lost her mother and her beloved grandmother who raised her has just died. A fiercely imaginative girl, Helen is desperate to keep her house intact with all her ghosts and stories. Flora, her late mother’s instantly crying twenty-two-year-old first cousin, is fervently determined to do whatever she can for Helen. Their relationship and its aftermath, in the context of a lost America, will haunt Helen for the rest of her life. see reviews
44. guests on earth by lee smith, 2013
It’s 1936 when thirteen-year-old orphan Evalina Toussaint is admitted to Highland Hospital, a mental institution in Asheville, North Carolina known for its innovative treatments for nervous disorders and addictions. Under the wing of the hospital’s most notable patient, Zelda Fitzgerald, Evalina witnesses cascading events leading up to the tragic 1948 fire that killed nine women in a locked ward, Zelda among them. see reviews
45. life after life by jill mccorkle, 2013
note: not to be confused with kate atkinson’s novel of the same name. Jill McCorkle’s novel is alive with the daily triumphs and challenges of the residents and staff of Pine Haven Estates, a retirement center now home to many of Fulton, North Carolina’s senior citizens. Among them, third grade teacher Sadie Randolph, who has taught every child in the city and believes we all have eights in our hearts; Stanley Stone, once Fulton’s most prominent attorney, now feigns insanity to escape life with his son; Marge Walker, the town’s self-proclaimed status transmitter who keeps a scrapbook of every local murder and heinous crime; and recently widowed Rachel Silverman, whose decision to leave her Massachusetts home and settle in Fulton is a mystery to everyone except her.
46. losing streak by sandra brown, 2014
dr. Emory Charbonneau, a pediatrician and marathon runner, disappears on a mountain road in North Carolina. When Ella’s husband Jeff Ella, upset over a recent argument, reports Ella missing, track of Ella has gone cold. literally. fog and ice encapsulate the mountainous desert and paralyze the search for her. While police suspect Jeff of “instant divorce,” Emory, suffering from an unexplained head injury, regains consciousness and finds herself held captive by a man whose violent past is so dark she doesn’t even tell him her name. . She is determined to escape from him and willing to take whatever risks are necessary to survive. See Reviews
47. the resurrected by ron rash, 2016
While swimming in a secluded creek on a hot Sunday in 1969, sixteen-year-old Eugene and his older brother, Bill, meet the fascinating Ligeia. A free-spirited, sexy redhead from Daytona Beach banished to her small North Carolina town until the fall, Ligeia will not only cast a spell on the two brothers, but draw them into a fight that will reveal the hidden differences in their natures.
48. birds in the air by frances o’roark dowell, 2016
birds in the air introduces us to emma byrd, who has just moved into her dream home in the small mountain community of sweet anne’s gap, north carolina, where she knows that making friends can be her biggest challenge. her husband loves her new job and her children are finding their way in school. But Emma, who’s not a natural when it comes to talking to strangers, will have to try a little harder, especially after the sweet, white-haired neighbor she visits for the first time slams the door in her face. See Reviews
49. the last castle by denise kiernan, 2017
note: based on the biltmore estate in asheville, north carolina. The Biltmore story spans the World Wars, the Jazz Age, the Depression, and generations of the famous Vanderbilt family, and features an engaging cast of real-life characters, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Teddy Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, James Whistler, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. See reviews
50. where the locusts sing by delia owens, 2018
For years, “swamp girl” rumors have haunted barkley cove, a sleepy town on the north carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Swamp Girl. but kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the swamp she calls home, finding friends in the seagulls and lessons in the sand. then comes the moment when she longs to be touched and loved. When two young men from the city become intrigued by her wild beauty, Ella Kya opens herself up to a new life – until the unthinkable happens. See Reviews
51. every breath by nicholas sparks, 2018
I hope Anderson is at a crossroads. at thirty-six, she has been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with it, she decides to use a week at her family’s country house in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to prepare the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about Her future. Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina, but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be her father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recover memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable. See reviews
52. kimmery martin’s queen of hearts, 2018
zadie anson and emma colley have been best friends since their early twenties, when they began having serious romantic relationships amidst the intensity of med school. They are now happily married wives and mothers with successful careers: Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, North Carolina are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of an old colleague uncovers a secret one of them has been hiding for years. See reviews
53. the book charmer by karen hawkins, 2019
note: this is set in a pigeon pond, north carolina. sarah dove is no ordinary bookworm. For her, books have always been more than just objects: they live, breathe and sometimes even speak. When Sarah grows up to become a librarian in her quaint southern town of Dove Pond, her gift helps put each book in the hands of the perfect reader. Recently, however, the books have been whispering about something out of the ordinary: the arrival of a displaced city girl named Grace Wheeler. See Reviews
54. big small town lies by diane chamberlain, 2020
north carolina, 2018: morgan christopher’s life has gone off the rails. Taking the blame for a crime she didn’t commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint at the North Carolina Women’s Correctional Facility. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold, until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will set her free on the spot. her mission: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to get out of prison, she agrees. What she finds beneath the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of insanity, violence, and a conspiracy of small-town secrets. See Reviews
what do you think of these books set in north carolina?
have you been to north carolina before? Do you know of a must-visit bookstore, library, or place of literary interest? Have you read any of these books set in North Carolina? Do you know some great books that I’ve missed? Let me know your thoughts and tips on books set in North Carolina in the comments below!
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