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Historical Fiction June 2021
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| Ariadne by Jennifer SaintWhat it is: an atmospheric, feminist retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur, which imagines what motivated Cretan princess Ariadne to defy her father and the gods and help Theseus escape the labyrinth alive.
Why you might like it: The well-rendered characters are sympathetic but also believably flawed.
You might also like: Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin; Kerry Greenwood's Medea. |
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| The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk WalshA moving story of the bonds between animals and humans, inspired by the true story of a zookeeper and her charges during the Blitz. Reviewers say: "Walsh offers a unique perspective of a country at war and the lengths people will go for those they love" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Everyone knows your mother is a witch
by Rivka Galchen
An illiterate widow in 1618 Germany is accused of being a witch by a nasty neighbor and turns to her scientist son for help in the new novel from the author of Atmospheric Disturbances.
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The German Nurse
by M. J. Hollows
A powerful and heartbreaking WWII historical novel for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and Beneath a Scarlet Sky. A secret past. A forbidden love. A terrifying choice.
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| Half Life by Jillian CantorWhat it is: a lyrical and thought-provoking reimagining of Marie Curie's life, told in Sliding Doors-esque parallel narratives -- the life she lived in our world, and another where she decides to stay in Poland for love rather than attend the Sorbonne.
Did you know? Young Maria Sklodowska was involved with mathematician Kazimierz Zorawski, a key figure in the development of Polish mathematics, but the social divide between their families kept them from marrying before she left for Paris in 1891. |
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The metal heart : a novel of love and valor in World War II
by Caroline Lea
During World War II, on a remote Scottish Coast, Dorothy, while caring for sick and wounded Italian soldiers, is drawn to Cesare, a young man broken by the horrors of battle, until the tensions between the islanders and outsiders deepen, testing their loyalty and desire.
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Our woman in Moscow : a novel
by Beatriz Williams
To save her sister, who, along with her American diplomat husband and children, is trapped behind the Iron Curtain, Ruth Macallister embarks on a dangerous mission, and as the sisters race toward safety, a dogged Soviet agent forces them to make a heartbreaking choice.
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Ridgeline : a novel
by Michael Punke
In 1866, a new war breaks out on the western frontier between a young ambitious nation and the Native tribes who have lived on the land for centuries, in this fascinating saga, based on real people and events, that grapples with essential questions of conquest and justice that still echo today.
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The Sister's Tale
by Beth Powning
With murder dominating the news, the respected wife of a New Brunswick sea captain is drawn into the case of a British home child whose bad luck has turned worse. Mortified that she must purchase the girl in a pauper auction to save her from the lechery of wealthy townsmen, Josephine Galloway finds herself suddenly the proprietor of a boarding house kept afloat by the sweat and tears of a curious and not completely compatible collection of women, including this English teenager, Flora Salford. Flora's place in her new "family" cannot be complete until she rescues the missing person in her life, the only one who understands the trials she has come through and fresh horrors met since they were separated years before.
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Songs in Ursa Major
by Emma Brodie
In 1969, Jane Quinn, an aspiring singer, gets the chance of a lifetime when she goes on tour with Jesse Reid, a folk music superstar, and as their partnership turns into a passionate love affair, Jane discovers too late the dark secret beneath his music.
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The sweetness of water
by Nathan Harris
"In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry, freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys. Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. The young men, recently returned from the war to the town of Old Ox, hold their trysts in the woods. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos, including a murder, unleashes convulsive repercussions on the entire community. In the aftermath of so much turmoil, it is Isabelle who emerges as an unlikely leader, proffering a healing vision for the land and for the newly free citizens of Old Ox"
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The Warsaw orphan
by Kelly Rimmer
Set during World War II in Poland, this novel, based on real-life heroes, follows Emilia over the course of the war, her involvement with the Resistance, and her love for a young man imprisoned in the Jewish ghetto who’s passion leads him to fight in the Warsaw Uprising.
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613-687-2227 | 16 Civic Centre Road, Petawawa, ON, K8H 3H5
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