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I’ve been in the car a lot recently — three trips to Lexington in two weeks — so I’ve had a lot of time to listen to audiobooks on Audible. I listened to Rules of Civility and The Masterpiece and, while I didn’t intentionally choose a “theme” for these days of listening to fiction, I started to realize that the two books have several similarities. Both are romantic and impeccably researched stories of money and manners in Manhattan of the 1920s and ‘30s, and both are strongly influenced by modern art —each making direct reference to the work of Stuart Davis — and the NYC jazz club scene. (When I type it all out like that, in fact, it seems hard to believe that I didn’t see the similarities immediately.)

I chose Rules of Civility first. Y’all, I just love this book. In fact, I listened to it for a second time last week, having first listened to it audiobook back in the spring, when I discovered author Amor Towles through his stunning novel A Gentleman in Moscow and immediately had to read his earlier work.) Rules of Civility is a smart, sophisticated, fast-paced novel of manners and social status in 1930s New York; it reads like The Great Gatsby if Nick Carraway had actually been one of the bright young things, rather than a judgmental and detached observer. It’s delightful and tragic and it’s one of the few novels I’ve ever read in which a male author successfully writes through the lens of a female narrator. Rules of Civility tells the story of Katey Kontent, the orphaned daughter of Russian immigrant parents. As a young legal secretary in 1937 New York, Katey finds herself in a dramatic romantic triangle alongside her roommate, Indiana-born beauty Evelyn Ross, and a mysterious, WASPy young banker named Tinker Gray. Towles’ work is delicate and complex — a world of wealth and beauty hanging by the thinnest of threads — and nobody is quite who they seem. After listening twice on Audible, I still find myself wanting more.

The Masterpiece, the most recent work by Fiona Davis, tells the story of Virginia Clay, a 1970s divorcee and breast cancer survivor who finds herself working at the information booth in Grand Central Station to support herself and her recent-college-dropout daughter. As Virginia learns to rely on herself, she also uncovers the secret world of the Grand Central Art School, which was housed in the train station nearly fifty years earlier and finds herself at the heart of the fight to retain Grand Central Station as a historical landmark. It’s a fascinating story for anyone who loves the history of New York, modern art (especially abstract expressionism), or vintage fashion illustration. Characters are based on Arshile Gorky and Helen Dryden, if you want to research those artists before reading or listening.

Both Rules of Civility and The Masterpiece are compelling stories of Jazz Age New York, filled with engaging and unique characters. I loved listening to both of these in Audible audiobook format.