| Delayed Rays of a Star by Amanda Lee KoeWhat it's about: In 1928, the lives of Hollywood icon Marlene Dietrich, Chinese American actress Anna May Wong, and German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl briefly intersect when Alfred Eisenstaedt photographs them together at a party.
Why you might like it: This debut traces the ripple effects of this chance encounter over a span of decades, following these ambitious women as well as several well-drawn supporting characters.
You might also like: Francine Prose's Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932, another character-driven historical novel inspired by a vintage photograph. |
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The Blue Rose
by Kate Forsyth
What it's about: Viviane de Faitaud has grown up alone at the Chateau de Belisama-sur-le-Lac in Brittany, for her father, the Marquis de Ravoisier, lives at the court of Louis XVI in Versailles. After a hailstorm destroys the chateau's orchards, gardens and fields an ambitious young Welshman, David Stronach, accepts the commission to plan the chateau's new gardens in the hope of making his name as a landscape designer. David and Viviane fall in love, but it is an impossible romance. Her father has betrothed her to a rich duke who she is forced to marry and David is hunted from the property. Viviane goes to court and becomes a maid-in-waiting to Marie-Antoinette and a member of the extended royal family. Angry and embittered, David sails away from England with Lord Macartney, the British ambassador, who hopes to open up trade with Imperial China. In Canton, the British embassy at last receives news from home, including their first reports of the French Revolution. David hears the story of 'The Blue Rose', a Chinese fable of impossible love, and discovers the blood-red rose growing in the wintry garden. He realises that he is still in love with Viviane and must find her ...
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The Hidden
by Mary Chamberlain
What it's about: Dora, Joe, and Geoffrey are living out their retirement comfortably when their worlds are shattered by the arrival of Barbara Hummel, a young German anxious to track down the identity of a mysterious woman whose photograph she finds amongst her mother’s possessions. As the truth of what happened under the occupation begins to be revealed, the lives of Dora, a Jewish refugee, and Joe, a Catholic priest, begin to unravel in shocking and surprising ways. The consequences of the lives they lived under the Germans and the lies that followed are as unexpected as they are devastating.
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The light over London
by Julia Kelly
What it's about: Unable to confront the challenges in her own life, Cara Hargraves immerses herself in work for her antiques-dealer boss, uncovering relics from the life of World War II British "Gunner Girl" Louise Keene and her complicated relationship with a man named Paul.
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The victory garden
by Rhys Bowen
What it's about: Marrying an Australian pilot during World War I, Emily volunteers to tend the neglected grounds of a Devonshire estate where she finds inspiration and support in a herbalist's long-forgotten journals.
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The Chocolate Maker's Wife
by Karen Brooks
What it's about: Australian bestselling novelist Karen Brooks rewrites women back into history with this breathtaking novel set in 17th century London—a lush, fascinating story of Rosamund Tommkins, the beautiful woman who is drawn into a world of riches, power, intrigue … and chocolate.
Why you might like it: Set against the decadent, chaotic backdrop of Restoration London, the plague, and the Great Fire, The Chocolate Maker’s Wife is a tale of revenge and redemption, love and hope—and the sweet, sinister temptation of chocolate.
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| The Last Ballad by Wiley CashWhy you might like it: Set in 1929 North Carolina, this novel follows millworker and single mother Ella May Wiggins as she risks everything to join a union.
About the author: CWA Gold Dagger Award-winning author Wiley Cash is best known for his rural noir, including A Land More Kind Than Home and This Dark Road to Mercy.
For fans of: Ron Rash, Daniel Woodrell, or Doug Marlette. |
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Seven stones to stand or fall : a collection of Outlander fiction
by Diana Gabaldon
What it is: Collects seven novellas set in the Outlander universe featuring the beloved character Jamie Fraser and includes the two previously unpublished stories: "Besieged," a tale about Lord John Grey; and "A Fugitive Green," centering on Lord John's brother, Hal.
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Wolf Hall : a novel
by Hilary Mantel
What it's about: Assuming the power recently lost by the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell counsels a mercurial Henry VIII on the latter's efforts to marry Anne Boleyn against the wishes of Rome, a successful endeavor that comes with a dangerous price.
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River god : a novel of ancient Egypt
by Wilbur A. Smith
What it is: A recreation of the grandeur of ancient Egypt follows the fortunes of the clever and scheming eunuch Taita; the beautiful Lostris, a lord's daughter; and Tanus, an ambitious soldier.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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