If you liked
Books like Venus Envy
by Rita Mae Brown
Rita Mae Brown's Venus Envy is one of the best comic-revelation novels of the late twentieth century: a gallery owner told she has weeks to live writes the truth to everyone, then does not die. If that premise hit, these five next.
The shortlist
What to read next
Rubyfruit Jungleby Rita Mae Brown
“Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown 1973 review. The landmark coming-of-age novel about Molly Bolt, a smart, queer Florida kid who refuses every social script she is handed.”
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.”
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.”
Mourning Gloryby Warren Adler
“Mourning Glory by Warren Adler 1996 review. A broke single mother in Palm Beach starts trolling funerals for wealthy grieving widowers. Then she actually falls for one.”
The Casanova Embraceby Warren Adler
“The Casanova Embrace by Warren Adler 1978 review. A Chilean dissident in Washington beds a string of women for political intelligence. An FBI handler tries to piece it together after his death.”
FAQ
Common questions about Venus Envy read-alikes
- Are these all comedies?
- Mostly. Cunningham's The Hours is the literary outlier; everything else has at least a comic undercurrent. Warren Adler's Mourning Glory is a comic novel about a serial widow-hunter and earns the Venus Envy comparison.
- Why three Rita Mae Browns?
- Because if Venus Envy worked, the most likely next thing you will love is more Rita Mae Brown. Rubyfruit Jungle and Alma Mater are her two strongest non-Venus standalones.
- I want more comic revelation premises. What else?
- Anne Tyler's Saint Maybe, Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me, and Maria Semple's Where'd You Go Bernadette are the closest contemporary cousins outside our review catalog.
The original