A Spot of Britain: 10 Books Set In Britain Recommended for Book Clubs

Dear BookBrowsers,

We hear you: We miss Downton Abbey too. We miss the tightly knit story, the characters, the costumes, the accents and most of all -- the setting. Fret not. At BookBrowse, we have compiled our own special list of books that take you back to Britain, to the land of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. After all armchair travel, especially with a great book, is as close to the real thing as it can get. Even better, it's much less expensive. These cherry-picked recommendations will pair perfectly with a spot of tea or even the house's best curry (curry usually tops surveys of Britain's favorite dishes) to give you or your book club that extra dash of British panache.

Each recommendation is backed by an excerpt, a reading guide, a range of media reviews and, for a limited time access to BookBrowse's full reviews and beyond the book articles.

Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey Hardcover May 2015. 384 pages. Published by Thomas Dunne Books. The best love stories will warm your heart without a drop of melodrama. Starting with the backdrop of World War II, this novel unites a young British woman with an American B-52 bomber pilot and tests their enduring affection by separating them across time and continents. A series of letters keeps the flames simmering in this finely wrought novel of love's capacity to conquer all. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

The Girl Next Door: A Novel by Ruth Rendell Paperback Jul 2015. 304 pages. Published by Scribner. Sure, Agatha Christie might be the Grand Dame of intricately plotted whodunnits but the now deceased Ruth Rendell, a fellow Brit, was a genius in the crime and mystery genres. Readers new to her rich body of work are advised to pick up this one where not just the setting is exploited to full effect, but where the traditional British stiff upper lip and cultural mores have intriguing effects on the chilling story that plays out. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

The Lost Child by Caryl Phillips Hardcover Mar 2015. 272 pages. Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Britain's literary past is the stuff of dreams and this magnificent novel seamlessly stitches together Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights onto a more contemporary canvas. The result is a story that mines themes of identity, creativity and adversity while paying homage to one of the heavyweights from the country's esteemed literary roll call. The brooding Yorkshire moors are an inviting presence in a plot that's saturated with atmosphere. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

Vanessa and Her Sister by Priya Parmar Paperback Oct 2015. 368 pages. Published by Ballantine. A refreshing take on sibling relationships that is set against the larger backdrop of British intelligentsia, this debut novel scores high marks for spotlighting the dynamics between Vanessa Bell and her sister, Virginia Woolf. Pre World War I London and the loosely knit group of intellectuals, the Bloomsbury Group, to which the sisters belonged, shine through to remarkable effect in a story that is as universal in its exploration of human foibles as it is specific to one place and time. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

Longbourn by Jo Baker Paperback Jun 2014. 352 pages. Published by Vintage. In a book list devoted to Britain, you just know it's not going to be too long before Jane Austen's name comes up. The dashing Mr. Darcy and high society go hand in hand but what was life like for the retinue of servants who kept those glittering balls going? A brilliant exploration of class and what goes down "downstairs," this novel is a must-read for every Pride and Prejudice fan. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag Paperback Mar 2014. 304 pages. Published by Penguin Books. Talk about ghosts of the literary past -- quite literally. The "house" in this whimsical novel was once used by British heavyweights such as Virginia Woolf and Dorothy Parker to turn their lives around and their voices can still be heard here urging newer residents to do the same. With touches of Harry Potter's "talking portraits" and an unforgettable cast of literary figures, this novel is a winner. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel by Rachel Joyce Paperback Mar 2013. 368 pages. Published by Random House. Sometimes life's best surprises come in small packages. When Harold Fry, an old man plodding along in a stalled out marriage, receives a letter from an old friend, he decides he must say goodbye to her in person. So begins an improbable journey -- a literal one through the gorgeous British countryside -- but also a metaphorical stroll down memory lane. A BookBrowse favorite. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

Wish You Were Here by Graham Swift Paperback Jan 2013. 336 pages. Published by Vintage. The global "war on terror" as seen through the British lens, this contemporary novel explores the effects of the death of a young man in combat on his family, which is already frayed at the edges. Anna Karenina's famous "happy families are all alike, every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way" could not be more relevant here in a story that is rooted in place by dint of its characters as much as setting. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

Oxford Messed Up by Andrea Kayne Kaufman Paperback Nov 2011. 336 pages. Published by Grant Place Press. Oxford is synonymous with high learning and this moving story of two characters struggling with the weight of their emotional burdens even as they try to find love -- and a way forward -- is sure to delight book club members. The novel deals with weighty issues such as mental disease and parental expectations in a surefooted yet light-handed way, making it also a great recommendation for young adults. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst Paperback Aug 2012. 448 pages. Published by Vintage. Class etiquette is weaved subtly into the milieu of some of the greatest novels in English. The Stranger's Child, which opens pre-World War I, is one such example. A love triangle involving two Cambridge classmates, George and Cecil, and George's sister, Daphne, this compelling novel plays brilliantly with turns of phrase and language and is likely to become an enduring British classic by a Man Booker prize-winning author who is known for his wit and sensitive exploration of sensuality. Excerpt, review, reading guide & article

Curated by Davina Morgan-Witts. Written by Poornima Apte.