Discover the best Judith Krantz books in our guide with a penchant for scandal in Hollywood. Become intrigued with the down-to-Earth style of these novels.
Are you searching for the best romance authors? You’ll undoubtedly see Judith Krantz pop up in your search results time and again. Born Judith Tarcher in 1928, Krantz got her start as a magazine writer and editor, working at publications like Cosmopolitan and Ladies’ Home Journal. She switched to fiction writing around age 50, and there’s no doubt about it: she found her niche.
Krantz had an extraordinary ability to blend glamorous settings with compelling female characters who refuse to be defined by the men around them. Her novels sold over 85 million copies worldwide and were translated into more than 50 languages. Several of her books were adapted into television miniseries during the 1980s and 1990s, becoming cultural events in their own right. She passed away in 2019 at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy that helped define the blockbuster romance genre.
For more recommendations, you might also enjoy exploring best romance authors, authors like Danielle Steel, or authors like Nora Roberts.
Table of Contents
Open Table of Contents
- Here Are The Best Judith Krantz Books
- 1. Princess Daisy
- 2. I’ll Take Manhattan
- 3. Mistral’s Daughter
- 4. The Jewels of Tessa Kent
- 5. Till We Meet Again
- 6. Sex and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl
- 7. Scruples
- 8. Scruples Two
- FAQs About the Best Judith Krantz Books
- Final Word on the Best Judith Krantz Books
Here Are The Best Judith Krantz Books
1. Princess Daisy
Princess Daisy explores the life of Princess Marguerite Alexandrovna Valensy, the star of this sweeping novel, who prefers to go by the name Daisy. Envied by women and desired by men, Daisy’s life is a fairy tale — until it’s not. Daisy realizes that having everything she wants in life is not enough for happiness; instead, she needs something to work toward. Readers watch Daisy’s life unfold, one secret at a time.
Published in 1980, Princess Daisy became one of Krantz’s biggest commercial successes, spending months on bestseller lists and earning a reported $5 million advance — a record-breaking sum at the time. The novel was later adapted into a television miniseries starring Merete Van Kamp and Stacy Keach. What makes this book stand out is Krantz’s ability to balance the opulent lifestyle of European aristocracy with genuine emotional stakes, giving Daisy a resilience that readers find deeply satisfying.
“Not tears of happiness, but rather tears of that sudden sadness that comes at those rare moments of perfect joyfully realized at the exact instant at which they are being experienced. Such knowledge always carries in it a premonition of loss, a premonition which needs no reason or explanation.”
2. I’ll Take Manhattan
In I’ll Take Manhattan, Protagonist Maxi takes readers on a detailed journey of love and betrayal. The twenty-nine-year-old is already on her third husband and becomes power-hungry as she works her way up in the magazine industry. This novel is perfect for women working to balance their careers and love lives, all while figuring out what they really want.
“He had been independent for so many years, so driven by the need to take care of his family that he had an inner sense of authority that first-year college students rarely have. He inspired respect at first sight although he was, by nature, invariably rumpled, his black hair ruffled by his habit of running his hand through it and tugging on his white streak whenever he was temporarily puzzled by anything.”
3. Mistral’s Daughter
Mistral’s Daughter tells the story of three generations of fiery-haired women: Maggy, Teddy, and Fauve. Readers get to experience these women’s lives as they travel through the 20s in Paris, the 50s in New York, and the ins and outs of the modeling world in the ‘70s. The book shows how similar traits remain in the family despite vastly different environments and timing.
“In a time when all women had cut their hair, hers was long, straight fall of shiny stuff, the dark orange of apricot jam, and her thick, unfashionably unplucked eyebrows were only a few shades deeper over eyes that were set almost too far apart. They were frank and spangled and wide open, the whites fresh and bright, the irises the yellow-green of a glass of Pernod before it has been diluted by water.”
4. The Jewels of Tessa Kent
This novel tells the tale of a troubled mother-daughter relationship. This profoundly moving book shares how Tessa Kent gave birth at the incredibly young age of 14 and became a movie star at 19. Tessa’s parents raised her daughter as their own–but she’s devastated when she learns the truth about who her mother is. Tessa wants a relationship with her daughter, but her daughter is no longer so sure.
“There was never a time in which she could take a deep breath, feel a sense of contentment, and, most important of all, feel safe.”
5. Till We Meet Again
Readers get to know protagonist Eve as she traipses through Paris in the days before World War 1. After marrying a diplomat, she struggles to control her young daughter, who seems to have inherited her mother’s reckless ways. Eve struggles to decide whether to harness her daughter’s whims or allow her to run free. Till We Meet Again takes readers on a historical fiction journey, imagining what Europe was like nearly a century ago.
“Professor Dutour was in the habit of telling his wife that Eve Coudert had broken his heart. That a girl so gifted–a girl who could sing any aria written for the range of the contralto voice; an extraordinary voice, deep and rich, yet able to reach up into a mezzo-sporano without strain; a girl who could sight-read without a sign of effort–that such a girl should actually want to sing popular meoldies, songs written for the ordinary public, went beyond his understanding.”
6. Sex and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl
The saucy title of this book is straight from the mouth of Krantz: in this autobiography, readers get the chance to learn exactly how their favorite author rose to fame. Krantz shares her transformation from a young college graduate to fashion editor and journalist and, finally, how she switched to writing romance and historical fiction novels. You might be interested in exploring romance prompts, check out our round-up of top writing prompts for romance).
“Ah, that Nicole, how she dominated my time in France, I mused. I was still incredulously happy that we’d become friends. I hadn’t dared to imagine that such a thing could ever happen during those first miserable weeks in September when I’d arrived to live at her house once my family had returned to New York after our summer tour of Europe. For weeks she regarded me with unmistakable suspicion in her brilliantly dark and often frighteningly cold eyes. She’d been so unwelcoming that I realized only dire financial need had made her take me in.”
7. Scruples
Krantz fans know that Scruples made history as her debut novel, published in 1978, which became a sensation about the glitz and glamour of real life in Beverly Hills. Translated into more than twenty languages, the novel spent week after week at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, offering readers fascinating insight into the lives of the rich and famous. Scruples remains Krantz’s bestselling novel of her career and was adapted into a CBS television miniseries in 1980.
The novel follows Billy Ikehorn, a woman who transforms herself from an awkward, overweight teenager into a powerful Beverly Hills socialite. Along the way, she opens Scruples, the most glamorous boutique in the world. Krantz was 50 years old when she wrote this debut, and her decades of experience as a journalist covering fashion and celebrity culture gave the book an authenticity that readers immediately recognized.
“On that last morning when one of Ellis’s three male nurses had come to tell Billy that he had had a final stroke in his sleep, she felt relief mingled with sadness for that part of the past that had been so good. But she had grieved over the past for five years; she had had too long to prepare herself for his death to feel a fierce personal loss.”
8. Scruples Two
Fifteen years after the success of Scruples, Krantz released*Scruples Two**, much to the delight of fans. Self-made beauty Billy Ikehorn continues her grand-scale lifestyle, loving her Beverly Hills boutique business. Fans of the first novel will love meeting new characters, like Gigi Orsini, Billy’s husband’s daughter from his first marriage.
”She’d finished her sinful lunch without tasting it, Billy realized as she hurried back upstairs to the private part of the house, hoping to hear Vito busy in his own dressing room, expecting to find her sitting room empty. But both Vito and Sandy were exactly where she’d left them. “What the hell?” Billy wrote and shoved the paper under Sandy’s nose.”
FAQs About the Best Judith Krantz Books
What is the best Judith Krantz book to start with?
If you’re new to Judith Krantz, Scruples is the ideal starting point. It was her debut novel and the book that established her signature style: glamorous settings, strong female protagonists, and page-turning plots set in the worlds of fashion, media, and high society. It gives you the best sense of what made Krantz a bestselling phenomenon.
What order should I read Judith Krantz books?
Krantz’s novels are mostly standalone stories, so you can read them in any order. The one exception is Scruples and Scruples Two, which should be read in sequence. Beyond that, many readers enjoy starting with Scruples, then moving to Princess Daisy and I’ll Take Manhattan before exploring the rest of her catalog.
Are Judith Krantz books based on real people?
While Krantz’s characters are fictional, she drew heavily on her decades of experience as a fashion journalist and her connections in Hollywood and the magazine industry. Her autobiography, Sex and Shopping: The Confessions of a Nice Jewish Girl, reveals how many of her fictional scenarios were inspired by real events and personalities she encountered during her career.
How many books did Judith Krantz write?
Judith Krantz wrote ten novels and one autobiography over the course of her career. Her novels include Scruples (1978), Princess Daisy (1980), Mistral’s Daughter (1982), I’ll Take Manhattan (1986), Till We Meet Again (1988), Dazzle (1990), Scruples Two (1992), Lovers (1994), Spring Collection (1996), and The Jewels of Tessa Kent (1998).
Why was Judith Krantz so popular?
Krantz tapped into something readers craved: stories about powerful, ambitious women navigating glamorous worlds on their own terms. Her novels appeared during a period when women were entering the workforce in large numbers, and her heroines — who built businesses, ran magazines, and refused to be defined solely by their relationships — resonated deeply with readers. Her vivid writing style made readers feel as though they were living inside the worlds of fashion, Hollywood, and high society.
Final Word on the Best Judith Krantz Books
Judith Krantz helped define an entire genre of blockbuster fiction. Her novels gave readers permission to dream big while telling stories about women who shaped their own destinies in worlds of wealth, beauty, and power. If you enjoy Krantz’s style, you might also want to explore authors like Danielle Steel or our guide to the best romance authors for more page-turning reads.
