1957 Novels
Explore the best 1957 novels with our curated list of classic and influential books from that year. Discover must-read fiction, acclaimed authors, and timeless stories that defined literature in 1957.
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On the Road
by Jack Kerouac
Chronicles the way of life of the beat generation as Dean Moriarty speeds across America.
Book
The Wapshot Chronicle
by John Cheever
When The Wapshot Chronicle was published in 1957, John Cheever was already recognized as a writer of superb short stories. But The Wapshot Chronicle, which won the 1958 National Book Award, established him as a major novelist. Based in part on Cheever’s adolescence in New England, the novel follows the destinies of the impecunious and wildly eccentric Wapshots of St. Botolphs, a quintessential Massachusetts fishing village. Here are the stories of Captain Leander Wapshot, venerable sea dog and would-be suicide; of his licentious older son, Moses; and of Moses’ adoring and errant younger brother, Coverly. Tragic and funny, ribald and splendidly picaresque, The Wapshot Chronicle is a family narrative in the tradition of Trollope, Dickens, and Henry James.
Book
From Russia with Love
by Ian Fleming
Name: Bond, James. Height: 183 cm; weight: 76 kg; slim build; eyes: blue; hair: black; scar down right cheek and on left shoulder; all-around athlete; expert pistol shot, boxer, knife-thrower; does not use disguises; languages: French and German; smokes heavily (Nb: special cigarettes with three gold bands); vices: drink, but not to excess, and women. Every major foreign government organization has a file on British secret agent James Bond. Now, Russia's lethal Smersh organization has targeted him for elimination. Smersh has the perfect bait in the irresistible Tatiana Romanova, who lures 007 to Istanbul promising the top-secret Spektor cipher machine. But when Bond walks willingly into the trap, a game of cross and double-cross ensues, with Bond both the stakes and the prize...
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Cape Fear
by John Dann MacDonald
An insane criminal threatens to destroy a family, and the police are powerless to protect them. For fourteen years convicted rapist Max Cady nursed his hatred for Sam Bowden into an insane passion for revenge. He lived only for the day he would be free -- free to track down and destroy the man who had put him behind bars. Murder was merciful compared to what Cady had in mind -- and what Cady had in mind was Bowden's innocent and lovely teenaged daughter . . . . "A powerful and frightening story." -- The New York Times
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The Midwich Cuckoos
by John Wyndham
Classic science fiction. Midwich is a quiet English village. After a strange night, all the women find themselves pregnant. 10 yrs+