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Historical Fiction July 2020
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Book of the Little Axe by Lauren Francis-Sharma What it's about: The past and secrets of Rosa Rendon, a black woman who began life in 1790s Trinidad but now lives in the Crow Nation (in what is now Montana), where she and her husband, a chief, must help their mixed-race son Victor complete an important rite of passage.
For fans of: classic Jane Eyre "prequel" Wide Sargasso Sea and Esmerelda Santiago's Conquistadora, both of which also follow unconventional young women with deep ties to the Caribbean. | |
The Children's Block: A Novel Based on the True Story of an Auschwitz Survivor by Otto Kraus What it is: A literary event that tells story of five hundred children who lived in the Czech Family Camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau between September 1943 and June 1944. What it's about: Alex Ehren is poet, a prisoner, and a teacher in block 31 in Auschwitz-Birkenau, also known as the Children's Block. He spends his days trying to survive and illegally giving lessons to his young charges, all while shielding them as best he can from the impossible horrors of the camp. But trying to teach the children is not the only illicit activity that Alex is involved in. Alex is keeping a diary... About the author: Otto Kraus was born in Prague. He and his family were deported in May 1942 to Ghetto Terezin and from there to Auschwitz, where he became one of the children's counselors on the Kinderblock.
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Westering Women by Sandra Dallas What it is: From the bestselling author of Prayers for Sale, an inspiring celebration of sisterhood on the perilous Overland Trail. What it's about: Joining other mail-order brides on a dangerous wagon journey to the gold mines of 1852 Chicago, a seamstress with painful secrets discovers strengths she did not know she possessed among a growing sisterhood of fellow women pioneers. Reviewers say: Female bonding in the nineteenth century had dangers unique to the era. Maggie's 'unsuitable' friendships, forged over shared hardships and the impossibility of returning home, make this exciting novel difficult to put down. -- Jeanne Greene, Booklist
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The First Actress: A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt by C. W. Gortner What it is: A historical tale inspired by the life of French actress Sarah Bernhardt traces the rise of a courtesan's daughter whose rebellious style and refusal to give up her child lead her to become the most acclaimed performer of her time. Who might enjoy it: fans of Melanie Benjamin and Allison Pataki. Reviewers say: "Gortner's fluid first-person prose paints a vivid portrait in an immersive, hard-to-put-down drama. . . . Highly recommended." --Historical Novels Review
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Katheryn Howard: The Scandalous Queen by Alison Weir What it's about: the rise and fall of Katheryn Howard, the notorious fifth wife of Henry VIII who led a more complex, relatable, and tragic life than most historians have given her credit for.
Read it for: the engaging characterization, which underlines just how unprepared the naive (and very young) Katheryn was for how precarious life could be at the venomous Tudor Court.
Series alert: This is the 5th in a six-volume series of novels by historian Alison Weir about each of Henry VIII's legendary queens. | |
In Our Midst by Nancy Jensen What it's about: Nina and Otto Aust, along with their teenage sons, feel the foundation of their American lives crumbling when, in the middle of the annual St. Nikolas Day celebration in the Aust Family Restaurant, their most loyal customers, one after another, turn their faces away and leave without a word. The next morning, two FBI agents seize Nina by order of the president, and the restaurant is ransacked in a search for evidence of German collusion. What happens: Ripped from their sons and from each other, Nina and Otto are forced to weigh increasingly bitter choices to stay together and stay alive. Recalling a forgotten chapter in history, In Our Midst illuminates a nation gripped by suspicion, fear, and hatred strong enough to threaten all bonds of love--for friends, family, community, and country.
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What it's about: Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their small farm from the creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other puertorriquenos, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii-another US territory-where they are confronted by the hollowness of America's promises of prosperity. Why you should read it: The Taste of Sugar is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance, and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.
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Lost Autumn by Mary-Rose MacColl What it's about: A young woman's coming-of-age in 1920, the royal tour of Edward, Prince of Wales, and the secrets that surface more than seventy years later. What happens: When a London journalist begins asking her about her past relationship with a famous and reclusive author, Maddie Bright relives her coming-of-age in 1920 during which she served on the cross-continent tour of His Royal Highness and discovered that glamour often hides all manner of sins. Peer praise: "A perfectly heartbreaking tale of royalty, lies, and friendship."--Kristin Harmel, author of The Room on Rue Amélie
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The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey What it's about: In August 1939, thirty-year-old Hetty Cartwright arrives at Lockwood Manor to oversee a natural history museum collection, whose contents have been taken out of London for safekeeping. She is unprepared for the scale of protecting her charges from party guests, wild animals, the elements, the tyrannical Major Lockwood and Luftwaffe bombs. Most of all, she is unprepared for the beautiful and haunted Lucy Lockwood. What happens: When the animals appear to move of their own accord, and exhibits go missing, they begin to wonder what exactly it is that they might need protection from. And as the disasters mount up, it is not only Hetty's future employment that is in danger, but her own sanity too. Who might enjoy it: fans of Sarah Perry and Kate Morton.
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We Came Heere to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall What it's about: While performing at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, Vivi, who dreams of being a Hollywood actress, forges an enduring friendship with Maxine, a journalist, and together they realize just how daring and bold they really are during the most meaningful summer of their lives. What other authors are saying: "Set at the wondrous 1939 World's Fair, Orman Schnall's latest bursts like a technicolor movie right off the page, as her two heroines battle for their rights in what's very much a man's world, forging a remarkable bond in the process. An ode to female friendship that pulses with momentum and left me breathless." -Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Chelsea Girls
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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