The Best Books Set in London
These are some unforgettable reads that brilliantly capture London’s unique essence as a multi-faceted metropolis made up of uniquely distinct neighbourhoods
By James Stokes | Updated Nov 8 2024
London is steeped in literary history from Chaucer, through Charles Dickens, to Virginia Woolf and Zadie Smith - to name just a very select few.
There’s also no denying its literary charm - from the quiet, winding lanes of Bloomsbury to the bustling markets of Brick Lane, London locations leap off the page in novels that take readers through the heart and soul of the city.
These are some of the best novels set in London:
‘Mrs Dalloway’ by Virginia Woolf
First published in 1925, Mrs. Dalloway is a classic of modernist literature from legendary Virginia Woof; set in 1920s London, the book follows Clarissa Dalloway through a single day as she prepares for a party, reflecting on her past and relationships.
Written as a stream-of-consciousness, the book takes readers on a tour of Clarissa’s thoughts and feelings and, through her eyes, we glimpse the atmosphere of post-war London in landmarks like Westminster, Harley Street, Bond Street and St. James's Park - fans can even follow her journey through London, as many do.
Mrs Dalloway is published by Penguin Classics.
‘Brick Lane’ by Monica Ali
In 1985 Nazneen, a newly-married immigrant from Bangladesh, arrives in London’s East End - in the busy borough of Tower Hamlets - and has to navigate her cultural displacement alongside all of her family challenges. Especially challenging is the obvious attraction between Nazneen and Karim, a local boy intent on radicalising the community.
Published in 2003 by Penguin Books, this brilliant debut novel (which was made into a film in 2007) explores themes of identity, resilience, and community within London’s vibrant immigrant neighbourhoods, bringing East London to life in the process.
‘Belgravia’ by Julian Fellowes
In 1841 in Victorian London, old passions rise up and secrets simmer beneath the surface when families from new and old money mingle in the affluent, newly-developed neighbourhood of Belgravia.
Writer Julian Fellowes (who is also the creator of TVs Downton Abbey) brilliantly depicts London's high society as it unravels, and the book was made into its own television series which first aired in 2020.
Belgravia is published by Penguin Random House.
‘London Belongs to Me’ by Norman Collins
A classic reissued by Penguin in 2012, London Belongs to Me defies a neat categorisation, but one thing we can say for sure is that it places its focus decidedly on South London - author Norman Collins famously remarked: 'Strange, isn’t it, how much of London still lies south of the river'...
It is 1938 and, although it has not yet begun, the spectre of the Second World War looms large over London. A group of ordinary Londoners, all residing in a South London boarding house, have their lives upended when a lodger is accused of murder…
London Belongs to Me was also adapted into a 1948 film starring Richard Attenborough and Alistair Sim.
‘A Week in December’ by Sebastian Faulks
Set over seven days in December 2007, this introspective novel weaves together the lives of diverse Londoners from all over the city: a hedge fund manager close to the biggest deal of his career; a professional footballer newly-arrived from Poland; a young lawyer with little to do but sit around and speculate; a student delving deep into Islamist theory; a schoolboy hooked on strong weed and reality TV; a hack book reviewer and the London Underground train driver whose Circle Line journey joins these stories together.
Faulks’ complex narrative weaves together the lives of these Londoners through memorable locations in modern London.
A Week in December is published by Penguin Books.