If you liked
Books like Rubyfruit Jungle
by Rita Mae Brown
Rita Mae Brown's Rubyfruit Jungle is one of the defining American coming-of-age novels, and it has aged better than most of its 1970s contemporaries. If Molly Bolt's voice is what you came for, the five reads below carry forward what she started.
The shortlist
What to read next
Alma Materby Rita Mae Brown
“Alma Mater by Rita Mae Brown 2001 review. A coming-of-age novel set at a small Virginia women’s college about a senior who falls in love with her best friend during her last spring semester.”
Venus Envyby Rita Mae Brown
“Venus Envy by Rita Mae Brown 1993 review. A Virginia gallery owner mistakenly told she has weeks to live writes the truth to every important person in her life. Then she does not die.”
The Sand Castleby Rita Mae Brown
“The Sand Castle by Rita Mae Brown 2008 review. A multigenerational Maryland family rents a beach cottage on Chincoteague for one last summer day before the matriarch dies.”
The Hoursby Michael Cunningham
“The Hours by Michael Cunningham review. The 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that triangulates Virginia Woolf, a 1949 LA housewife, and a contemporary NYC editor. One of the great American literary novels of its decade.”
Microserfsby Douglas Coupland
“Microserfs by Douglas Coupland review. The 1995 novel about Microsoft programmers starting a Bay Area startup. The defining Silicon Valley novel of its decade.”
FAQ
Common questions about Rubyfruit Jungle read-alikes
- Are these all queer-coded coming-of-age stories?
- Not all. Rubyfruit Jungle is foundational LGBT literature; Alma Mater carries that explicitly forward. Cunningham's The Hours is queer-author lit fic without being a coming-of-age novel. The Coupland pick is included for tonal kinship: smart young narrator getting her hands around an adult life.
- Are any of these in the same comic register?
- Venus Envy. Brown's comedy is the closest cousin to Molly Bolt's voice in her own catalog. The Sand Castle is quieter; Alma Mater is gentler. Venus Envy is the one we recommend to readers who specifically want the Rubyfruit comic spark.
- Should I read all the other Rita Mae Browns first?
- Read whichever appeals. Brown's standalones do not require sequence. If you want a clear path: Alma Mater, then Venus Envy, then The Sand Castle.
The original