Frances Parkinson Keyes books

Frances Parkinson Keyes was a prolific American author of the early-to-mid 20th century, known for her richly detailed novels set in Louisiana, Washington D.C., and Europe.

Blue Camellia Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Blue Camellia 1957 Buy
Gold Slippers / Victorine 1974 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Letters From a Senator’s Wife 1924 Buy
Silver Seas & Golden Cities 1931 Buy
Pioneering people in northern New England 1937 Buy
Written in heaven 1937 Buy
Bernadette of Lourdes 1940 Buy
The sublime shepherdess 1940 Buy
All this is Louisiana 1950 Buy
The cost of a best seller 1950 Buy
The Frances Parkinson Keyes Cookbook 1955 Buy
St. Anne 1955 Buy
Christmas gift 1960 Buy
The Rose and the Lily 1961 Buy
Therese Saint Of A Little Way 1962 Buy
Three ways of love 1963 Buy
Christmas is everywhere 1964 Buy
Christmas at home 1965 Buy
All Flags Flying 1972 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Queen Anne’s Lace 1930 Buy
Lady Blanche Farm 1931 Buy
Capital Kaleidoscope 1937 Buy
Parts Unknown 1938 Buy
The Great Tradition 1939 Buy
All That Glitters 1940 Buy
Crescent Carnival 1942 Buy
Fielding’s Folly 1943 Buy
The Old Gray Homestead 1943 Buy
Also the Hills 1943 Buy
Came a Cavalier 1947 Buy
Once on Esplanade 1947 Buy
Along a Little Way 1948 Buy
Dinner at Antoine’s 1948 Buy
The Safe Bridge 1950 Buy
St. Teresa of Lisieux 1950 Buy
The Grace of Guadalupe 1951 Buy
Joy Street 1951 Buy
Steamboat Gothic 1952 Buy
Larry Vincent 1953 Buy
The Royal Box 1954 Buy
The Land of Stones and Saints 1958 Buy
Mother Cabrini 1959 Buy
Station Wagon in Spain / The Letter from Spain 1959 Buy
Roses in December 1960 Buy
The Ambassadress 1961 Buy
The Chess Players 1961 Buy
The Career Of David Noble 1962 Buy
If Ever I Cease to Love 1962 Buy
Sylvia Cary 1962 Buy
Madame Castel’s Lodger 1963 Buy
The Explorer 1965 Buy
I, The King 1966 Buy
Tongues of Fire 1966 Buy
The Heritage 1968 Buy
Senator Marlowe’s Daughter 1969 Buy
The River Road 1970 Buy
Vail D’Alvery 1970 Buy
The Summer My Sister Was Cleopatra Moon 2023 Buy

Frances Parkinson Keyes was one of the bestselling American novelists of the mid-20th century, producing nearly 60 books of fiction and non-fiction between 1924 and the early 1970s. Her novels are known for their detailed settings, often drawing on the specific cultures and landscapes of Louisiana, Washington D.C., and various European locations. Dinner at Antoine’s, set in the famous New Orleans restaurant, became one of her signature works and captured the social world of the city with precision.

Her fiction career spanned four decades and covered a wide range of settings and historical periods. She wrote about American political life in Senator Marlowe’s Daughter and The Ambassadress, the antebellum South in Steamboat Gothic and The River Road, and European settings in Station Wagon in Spain and I, The King. Her non-fiction includes religious biographies, travel writing, and Letters From a Senator’s Wife, drawn from her years as the spouse of a New Hampshire senator.

Keyes brought a journalist’s attention to detail and a genuine curiosity about other cultures to her fiction. Her books were popular with readers who enjoyed immersive, place-driven storytelling, and several of her Louisiana novels remain in print today.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Frances Parkinson Keyes written?

Frances Parkinson Keyes has written 58 books across three series.

What was Frances Parkinson Keyes's first book?

Frances Parkinson Keyes’s first book is Letters From a Senator’s Wife, published in 1924.

Why is Frances Parkinson Keyes associated with New Orleans and Louisiana?

Keyes lived in New Orleans for many years and set several of her most popular novels there, including Dinner at Antoine’s and Crescent Carnival. She wrote about Louisiana’s culture, food, and society with the detail of someone deeply embedded in the community, and her former home on Chartres Street in the French Quarter is now a museum.

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