Set in the 1940s

Summer of 42

Classic, Set in Massachusettts, Set in the 1940s | April 1, 2026 | Leave a Comment

This is a memorable story that can, at times, be dirty, sappy, and heavily nostalgic. It also paints a fascinating picture of the New England home-front in the war-ravaged year 1942. One could also argue about whether this quasi-novel belongs on our list of New England based novels, because it’s based on the semi-autobiographical screenplay […]

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A Separate Peace

Set in New Hampshire, Set in the 1940s | March 30, 2026 | Leave a Comment

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is a great example of a New England prep school story. It’s a coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the early 1940s at the Devon School, an all-boys boarding school in New England, while World War II rages abroad. The story is narrated by Gene Forrester, who returns

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