Jennifer Egan Reading Order

9 books (1989–2020)

Jennifer Egan's Anthologies series comprises eight literary collections published between 1989 and 2014, now complete. These anthologies span various themes and formats, including the Ploughshares Fall 1989 inaugural volume, The Good Parts, The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003, and The Best American Short Stories 2014, among others. The series should be read in publication order to experience how the collections evolved over this twenty-five-year span. This is a closed series with no additional volumes planned.

Start with Ploughshares Fall 1989, the first of 8 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Ploughshares Fall 1989 1989Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Good Parts 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The O. Henry Prize Stories 2003 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Believer Book of Writers Talking to Writers 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Going Hungry: Writers on Desire, Self-Denial, and Overcoming Anorexia 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Making the Trees Shiver: An Anthology of the First Six Years of the Fort Greene Park Summer Literary Festival 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	My Ideal Bookshelf 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Best American Short Stories 2014 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Fight of the Century 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2012–2012)

#	Title
1	Jack the Brave Conquers the Snow 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2010–2022)

Jennifer Egan's Goon Squad series consists of two literary fiction novels published over a twelve-year span. Begin with A Visit from the Goon Squad, followed by The Candy House, which was released in 2022. While the series appears to be complete, these interconnected novels can be read in publication order to fully appreciate their narrative development and thematic connections.

Start with A Visit from the Goon Squad and read in order.

#	Title
1	A Visit from the Goon Squad 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Candy House 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2016–2016)

1 book (1993–1993)

#	Title
1	Emerald City 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1994–2017)

Jennifer Egan's literary fiction works span from 1994 to 2017 and comprise four standalone novels that are best read in publication order: The Invisible Circus, Look at Me, The Keep, and Manhattan Beach. Each book stands alone as a complete story, though reading them chronologically by release date provides insight into the author's evolving narrative style and thematic concerns. This complete series showcases Egan's range across different settings, time periods, and character-driven narratives within the literary fiction tradition.

Start with The Invisible Circus, the first of 4 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Invisible Circus 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Look at Me 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Keep 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Manhattan Beach 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible