Books like Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger
Set in 1940 Brooklyn, the novel follows twelve‑year‑old Joey Margolis, whose mother is left nearly penniless after a divorce and moves into an Italian‑dominated neighborhood. Joey, the only Jewish boy there, wrestles with ridicule and isolation. Determined to find a hero, he writes to the up‑and‑coming New York Giants star Charlie Banks, asking for a home run so he can boast it was for him. The story unfolds through their exchanged letters, postcards, telegrams, and other ephemera, revealing a bond that transforms both Joey and the baseball titan. The narrative is enriched by a cast of supportive characters and illustrates Joey’s growth as he navigates challenges in a changing community.
First publish date: 1999
Genre: Historical Fiction/20th Century Historical Fiction
Authors: Steve Kluger
★
★
★
★
★
4.0 (1 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to Last Days of Summer (20 similar books)
During World War II, a foster girl in Nazi Germany steals books to share with neighbors and a hidden Jewish man, proving literature’s power to nourish the soul amid darkness.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In the unforgettable Le Cirque des Rêves, two young magicians, Celia and Marco, are locked in a nocturnal duel of wonder and will—an impossible game where love and magic collide on a stage of breathtaking spectacle.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In Matt Haig’s Midnight Library, Nora Seed explores an infinite library in which every book records a life she could have lived, challenging her to confront regret, choice, and the meaning of a fulfilled existence.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Don Tillman, a genetics professor with Asperger’s, designs a scientific survey to find a wife, only to meet Rosie Jarman, a drinker and late arriver who challenges his controlled worldview and leads him to discover that love can’t be measured.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In January 1946, London novelist Juliet Ashton receives a mysterious letter from a Guernsey native, opening a lively epistolary journey that reveals the island’s quirky community, wartime struggles and a beloved book club born of curfew-breaking escapades.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A devoted dog reflects on life, love, and racing while watching his owner, a race car driver, navigate family trials and professional ambition.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A.J. Fikry, widowed bookstore owner on Alice Island, faces personal loss and a stolen prized Poe collection. When a mysterious package arrives, he gains a new perspective, rekindling hope, friendship, and the magic of books.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
After being adopted by a quirky Dublin couple who treat him only as a house‑guest, Cyril embarks on a life‑spanning quest to discover his origins, his place in Ireland, and the meaning of true belonging.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A sweeping saga linking a Jewish family’s peril in 16th‑century Portugal to a contemporary romance in New York, showing how one act of compassion by an Ottoman sultan echoes across centuries and shapes the lives of descendants in Istanbul and America.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A Student of Weather follows two Saskatchewan sisters over three decades, exploring sibling rivalry, first love, and the redemptive power of art amid prairie hardship and urban life.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A complex web of love, loss, and political intrigue unfolds in New York City during the 1930s, as a young woman navigates a chaotic and dangerous household dominated by a benefactor and his eccentric family.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In 1947 Brooklyn, 11‑year‑old American‑Irish Michael Devlin forms an unlikely friendship with war‑survivor Rabbi Judah Hirsch, drawing on forgotten mythical forces as they confront the everyday battles of their time.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Anna Friedman's bold tale of Jewish immigrants' struggle in New York City.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When sixteen-year-old Noa is forced to abandon her child after a forbidden pregnancy with a Nazi soldier, she discovers a boxcar of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp and steals one to escape.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
See https://openlibrary.org/works/OL19781733W/Eleanor_Oliphant_Is_Completely_Fine
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Have a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!