A Book of Common Prayer

By Joan Didion,

Book cover of A Book of Common Prayer

Book description

A shimmering novel of innocence and evil: the gripping story of two American women in a failing Central American nation, from the bestselling, award-winning author of The Year of Magical Thinking and Let Me Tell You What I Mean

"[Didion's] most ambitious project in fiction, and her most successful ...…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked A Book of Common Prayer as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

As a military spouse who has lived abroad and is always a bit wary about my surroundings, so much about this uncomfortable novel resonated with me. Two American women become unlikely friends while waiting for an inevitable military coup in an unnamed Central American country. The older woman narrator, Grace, who has married into the ruling family, takes naïve Charlotte under her wing. Both women seem to connect over their background, dislocation, and fractured family life, but nothing is as it seems. The unreliable narrator, the political ugliness, and the encroaching war all make this a thrilling read. The reader…

From Siobhan's list on war (that are not actually about war).

If you love A Book of Common Prayer...

Ad

Book cover of Rooted in Sunrise

Rooted in Sunrise By Beth Dotson Brown,

Ava Winston likes her life of routine in Lexington, Kentucky. Then a tornado blows it away. Ava is safe in the basement, but when she emerges, only one corner of her home stands. Rather than crumbling under the loss, she feels a load lifted. Maybe something beyond the familiar is…

Want books like A Book of Common Prayer?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 91 books like A Book of Common Prayer.

Browse books like A Book of Common Prayer

Book cover of The End of the Affair
Book cover of Redeployment
Book cover of The Explosive Expert's Wife

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,579

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like A Book of Common Prayer, you might also like...

Book cover of At What Cost, Silence?

At What Cost, Silence? By Karen Lynne Klink,

Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.

It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosm…

Book cover of Christmas Actually

Christmas Actually By Lisa Darcy,

Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect or remember. Christmas Actually is a festive drama about family and forgiveness and a snapshot of modern family life, addressing Instagram to motherhood and everything in between.

Why Christmas? My publisher wanted my new novel to have…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Central America, missing persons, and women?

Central America 33 books
Missing Persons 312 books
Women 656 books