Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine A. Sherbrooke
07 Monday Feb 2022
Posted in Biographical fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
Matrix by Lauren Groff
10 Monday Jan 2022
Posted in England, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tags
Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine, 17 year old Marie de France is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey. Marie, born the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders, is determined to chart a bold new course for the women she now leads and protects. Marie is defiant in this timely exploration of the raw power of female creativity in a corrupted world.
“Groff has created a labyrinth of jewel-like moments . . . and transformed it into a novel that is perfect for right now.”-BookPage, STARRED review
“A relentless exhibition of Groff’s freakish talent. In just over 250 pages, she gives us a character study to rival Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell .” – USA Today“
Just when it seems there are nothing but chronicles of decline and ruin comes Lauren Groff’s Matrix, about a self-sufficient abbey of 12th-century nuns—a shining, all-female utopian community… it is finally its spirit of celebration that gives this novel its many moments of beauty.” –Wall Street Journal“
Transcendent prose and vividly described settings bring to life historic events, from the Crusades to the papal interdict of 1208. Groff has outdone herself with an accomplishment as radiant as Marie’s visions.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
Our Darkest Night: a novel of Italy and the Second World War by Jennifer Robson
13 Monday Dec 2021
Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction
I have read many novels about World War II, but few that cover the Italian Resistance. In Our Darkest Night, a Jewish woman escapes Venice to live with a family in the countryside and hide from authorities by posing as the wife of a young farmer. This book is gripping historical fiction as well as a love story.
“Robson shines with this stellar WWII story. The brutal reality and atrocities of war are on full view with devastating clarity. Expert characterizations and perfect pacing are rounded out by lyrical prose … This will break readers’ hearts.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A powerful, emotional, and unflinching story of love, sacrifice, and resilience during one of history’s darkest moments, Jennifer Robson’s Our Darkest Night is historical fiction at its finest. Robson’s
beautiful prose evokes a visceral reaction as she creates memorable, extraordinary characters in a richly detailed setting that comes alive for the reader.” — Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author
“Jennifer Robson pens a tale of devastating simplicity and poignant sweetness, superbly grounded in the horrors of fascist Italy. A Jewish medical student escapes deportation by trading her native Venice for rural farm life, posing as the Catholic wife of a priest-in-training turned resistance fighter–but at what cost to her faith, her unwitting new family, and the man she is coming to love?” — Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Huntress
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
07 Tuesday Dec 2021
Posted in 20th century, action, adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States
“Welcome to the enormous pleasure that is The Lincoln Highway, a big book of camaraderie and adventure in which the miles fly by and the pages turn fast. Set over the course of ten riveting days, the story of these four boys unfolds, refolds, tears, and is taped back together. When you aren’t actually reading the book, you’ll be worrying about the characters, so you might as well stay in your chair and keep reading.” —Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House
“[A] real joyride . . . hitch onto this delightful tour de force and you’ll be pulled straight through to the end, helpless against the inventive exuberance of Towles’ storytelling . . . The Lincoln Highway is elegantly constructed and compulsively readable . . . action-packed . . . There’s so much to enjoy in this generous novel packed with fantastic characters […] and filled with digressions, magic tricks, sorry sagas, retributions, and the messy business of balancing accounts.” —NPR.org
“Towles’ third novel is even more entertaining than his much-acclaimed A Gentleman in Moscow . . .A remarkable blend of sweetness and doom, [The Lincoln Highway] is packed with revelations about the American myth, the art of storytelling, and the unrelenting pull of history. An exhilarating ride through Americana.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“[A] playfully thought-provoking novel . . . [Towles] juggles the pieces of his plot deftly, shifting from voice to voice, skirting sentimentality and quirkiness with a touch of wistful regret, and leading up to an ending that is bound to provoke discussion.” —Booklist (starred)
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
20 Wednesday Oct 2021
Posted in 20th century, adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Travel, United States
Tags
1933-1945, animal rescue, Depression, Dust Bowl, giraffes, human-animal relationships, interpersoal relationships, San Diego Zoo, zoo keepers
From the publisher: “Once in a great while, a book hits my desk that is so full of memorable characters and scenes that I can’t wait to see it publish! Such was the case with West with Giraffes, the historical novel based on the incredible true story of an unlikely pair transporting two giraffes across the country during the Depression. The author was inspired by the event, which she discovered while working on a nonfiction piece about the San Diego Zoo, and this book contains so many charming details, I felt like I was along for the ride.”
This book is pure joy – a rollicking cross-country adventure through young, 17 year old Woody Nickel’s eyes who is escaping his own harrowing loss and determined to survive no matter what. I loved every bump in their journey and celebrate the grace they experienced between man and wild animal. Excellent story-telling.
“[A] larger-than-life story about the power of both animal magnetism and human connection…witty, charming, and heartwarming.” —Booklist
“A perfect balance between history and fiction.” —POPSUGAR
“West with Giraffes is truly a fun read…I [can’t] imagine a reading list that would not contain Lynda Rutledge’s astonishing novel.” —Old Naples News
Miss Benson’s Beetle: A Novel by Rachel Joyce
24 Friday Sep 2021
Posted in 20th century, action, adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Rachel Joyce is the author of The Music Shop and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry among others. I loved this story about female friendship – the audio version is fabulous!
“Joyce’s sparkling latest pops with grit, resilience, and the power of friendship. . . . Joyce’s graceful touch and cutting humor . . . give the characters a rich complexity and depth. With a plucky protagonist and plenty of action, this is a winner.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Whatever you may look for in a novel—adventure, fully realized characters, humor, poignancy, a chance to learn something new—is all here in Miss Benson’s Beetle. What’s also here is the particular grace and humanity that Rachel Joyce brings to her work. She reminds us that we all are broken in one way or another, but that we are capable—oftentimes in unexpected ways—of helping to make ourselves and others whole. This beautifully written novel is an absolute delight.”—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Story of Arthur Truluv
“As ever, Rachel Joyce made me laugh out loud, then weep for the battered majesty of ordinary human beings. Two unlikely heroines, their strange love, a pitiful villain, and a life-affirming search for miraculous beauty . . . all combine in a wild, hopeful picaresque journey into the soul.”—Bel Mooney, Daily Mail“
The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian
17 Friday Sep 2021
Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tags
colonial period ca. 1600's, malicious accusation, marital violence, Massachusetts, New England, Puritans, suspense, thriller, Trials (Witchcraft)
Since I have a Salem witch relative, I was waiting anxiously for this book. Not Salem this time – Mary Deerfield’s trial all takes place in Boston. This was a riveting read. I was on the edge of my seat, gripping drama but reader take note – ** absolutely, no-matter what, read all the way to the very last page.
“Hour of the Witch is historical fiction at its best… Insightful and empathetic… Thick with details as chowder is with clams… handled with great skill and delicacy. The book is a thriller in structure, and a real page-turner, the ending both unexpected and satisfying.”—Diana Gabaldon, The Washington Post
“Classic Chris Bohjalian—moments of deep dread, extraordinary plot twists, and characters you love to root for paired with characters you love to hate.”
—Writer’s Digest
“Throughout Bohjalian’s prolific career, he has rewarded readers with indelibly drawn female protagonists, and the formidable yet vulnerable Mary Deerfield is a worthy addition to the canon. Conjuring up specters of #MeToo recriminations and social media shaming, there are twenty-first-century parallels to Bohjalian’s atmospheric Puritan milieu, and his trademark extensive research pays off in this authentic portrait of courage in the face of society’s worst impulses. Bohjalian is a perennial favorite, and this Salem Witch Hunt drama has a special magnetism.”—Booklist, starred review
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
23 Monday Aug 2021
Posted in action, adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Marian and Jamie are twins born in 1914 on a sinking ship, and their lives only get more exciting from there. Great Circle follows Marian, who dreams of being a pilot, and Jamie, a sensitive artist, as they travel the world and are eventually both caught up in World War II. I really felt like I knew Marian and Jamie, along with many of the other vivid characters, by the time I finished reading. This book is a saga, but worth the time!
“A breathtaking epic . . . This is a stunning feat.”—Publishers Weekly [starred review]
“A fat, juicy peach of a novel . . . A tremendously well-written book, epic in spirit and scope, swooping across continents and through time so effortlessly that it belies the seven years it apparently took to complete.”
—The Telegraph [UK]
“The destinies of [Shipstead’s] unforgettable characters intersect in ways that reverberate through a hundred years of story. Whether Shipstead is creating scenes in the Prohibition-era American West, in wartime London, or on a Hollywood movie set, her research is as invisible as it should be, allowing a fully immersive experience. Ingeniously structured and so damn entertaining; this novel is as ambitious as its heroines—but it never falls from the sky.”—Kirkus Reviews [starred review]
The Paris Library: a Novel by Janet Skeslien Charles
04 Wednesday Aug 2021
Posted in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tags
American Library in Paris, France history 1940-1944, German occupation, Montana, war stories, women librarians, World War I 1939-1945
Odile is excited about starting her new job at the American Library in Paris in 1939. Years later in 1983, Odile is a widow living in Montana. What happened in between? The Paris Library alternates between these two eras as it follows Odile’s experience living through the Nazi occupation, and the friendship she strikes up with a young woman who lives next door in Montana. The Paris Library is a great historical novel that also celebrates the power of libraries.
“A love letter to Paris, the power of books, and the beauty of intergenerational friendship.” (Booklist)
“As a Parisian, an ardent bookworm, and a longtime fan of the American Library in Paris, I devoured The Paris Library in one hungry gulp. It is charming and moving, with a perfect balance between history and fiction.” (Tatiana de Rosnay, New York Times bestselling author of Sarah’s Key )
“A fresh take on WWII France that will appeal to bibliophiles everywhere. I fell in love with Odile and Lily, with their struggles and triumphs, from the very first page. Meticulously researched, The Paris Library is an irresistible, compelling read.” (Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Chelsea Girls)
The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
07 Friday May 2021
Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tags
19th century, Australia, exile, female friendship, governesses, life changing events, midwives, penal colonies, punishment, women
Best-selling historical fiction author of The Orphan Train and A Piece of the World transports the reader to 1840’s Australia where England sent away her prisoners – for some punishment, for others opportunity and redemption.
“Celebrating the bonds between women, the novel explores how lives that seem destined for pain might persevere.” — Real Simple
“Both uplifting and heartbreaking, this beautifully written novel doesn’t flinch from the ugliness of the penal system but celebrates the courage and resilience of both the first peoples and the settlers who came after, voluntarily or not, to create a new home for themselves and their children.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Monumental…This episode in history gets a top-notch treatment by Kline, one of our foremost historical novelists. This fascinating 19th-century take on Orange Is the New Black is subtle, intelligent, and thrillingly melodramatic.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
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