Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Family Markowitz | 1996 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 2 | Kaaterskill Falls | 1998 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 3 | Paradise Park | 2001 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 4 | Intuition | 2006 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 5 | The Other Side of the Island | 2008 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 6 | The Cookbook Collector | 2010 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 7 | The Chalk Artist | 2017 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 8 | Sam | 2023 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 9 | Isola | 2025 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
| 10 | This Is Not About Us | 2026 | Allegra Goodman | Buy |
Allegra Goodman’s standalone novels cover a wide range of subjects and time periods, connected by her interest in how people build meaning within families and communities. The Family Markowitz (1996) is a collection of linked stories about three generations of a Jewish-American family. Kaaterskill Falls (1998), her National Book Award finalist, follows members of a strict Orthodox community who summer in upstate New York. Paradise Park (2001) is a comic novel about a woman’s 19-year spiritual quest across Hawaii.
Her later novels branch out further. Intuition (2006) digs into a cancer research lab where a potential breakthrough triggers accusations of fraud. The Cookbook Collector (2010) follows two very different sisters during the dot-com bubble. The Chalk Artist (2017) contrasts the worlds of street art and virtual reality gaming. Sam (2023) traces a working-class girl from age seven through her teens as she discovers rock climbing. Isola (2025), a Reese’s Book Club selection, reimagines the true story of Marguerite de la Rocque, marooned on a Canadian island in the 1540s. Her newest, This Is Not About Us (2026), follows a family torn apart by a fight between two grandmothers about apple cake.