Allegra Goodman books

Allegra Goodman is an American literary fiction author known for novels about Jewish-American life, family, and community. Her works include the National Book Award finalist Kaaterskill Falls and the Reese's Book Club pick Isola.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Listening For God, Vol. 4 2002 Buy

Collections

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Total Immersion 1989 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Speaking of Writing 2019 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
The Family Markowitz 1996 Buy
Kaaterskill Falls 1998 Buy
Paradise Park 2001 Buy
Intuition 2006 Buy
The Other Side of the Island 2008 Buy
The Cookbook Collector 2010 Buy
The Chalk Artist 2017 Buy
Sam 2023 Buy
Isola 2025 Buy
This Is Not About Us 2026 Buy

Allegra Goodman began publishing fiction while still in her teens and released her first collection, Total Immersion, in 1989 at age 22. She received a Whiting Award in Fiction in 1991, a Salon Award for Fiction, and a fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Her 1998 novel Kaaterskill Falls, set in a strict Orthodox Jewish community in upstate New York, was a National Book Award finalist.

Her novels range widely in subject matter while keeping a consistent focus on how people form and hold communities. Intuition examines scientific fraud in a cancer research lab. The Cookbook Collector follows two sisters during the dot-com bubble. Sam is a coming-of-age story about a working-class girl who finds purpose in rock climbing. Her most recent novel, Isola (2025), is a historical epic about Marguerite de la Rocque, a French noblewoman marooned on a Canadian island in the 1540s. It became a Reese’s Book Club pick and a national bestseller.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Allegra Goodman written?

Allegra Goodman has written 17 books across 5 series.

What was Allegra Goodman's first book?

Allegra Goodman’s first book is Total Immersion, published in 1989.

What is Allegra Goodman known for?

Goodman is known for her sharp, compassionate portrayals of Jewish-American families and communities. She received a Whiting Award in 1991, and her novel Kaaterskill Falls was a National Book Award finalist in 1998. Her 2025 novel Isola, about a French noblewoman marooned on a Canadian island in the 1500s, became a Reese’s Book Club pick and national bestseller.

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