|
Historical FictionJuly 2015
|
"There are crimes of passion and crimes of logic. The boundary between them is not clearly defined." ~ Albert Camus (1913-1960), French-Algerian writer
|
|
| Saint Mazie: A Novel by Jami AttenbergAfter a childhood spent running wild on the sidewalks of New York, Mazie Phillips becomes the proprietress of 1920s Manhattan's popular Venice movie theater. However, Mazie finds her true calling in life once the Great Depression hits and she opens her doors to the homeless. Fans of the popular blog Humans of New York will appreciate the tough-talking, big-hearted "Saint Mazie, Queen of the Bowery," a real person first introduced to the reading public in a 1940 New Yorker profile by Joseph Mitchell. This novel builds on that foundation by interweaving the facts of Mazie's life with well-researched fictional elements, including diary entries and interviews with friends and neighbors. |
|
| The Anchoress: A Novel by Robyn Cadwallader"Here I will stay forever; this is the home I have chosen," vows 17-year-old Sarah when she becomes an anchoress of the Church of St. Juliana in 1255. Mourning her beloved sister, who died in childbirth, and desperate to avoid an arranged marriage to a cruel man, Sarah submits to a life of religious contemplation. Confined to a tiny chamber measuring nine by seven paces, Sarah prays that her cell will protect her from life's sorrows. Alas, even stone walls can't keep the world at bay. For another lyrical, reflective novel about the life of a medieval anchoress, try Mary Sharratt's Illuminations, about Hildegard of Bingen. |
|
| People of the Songtrail: A Novel of North America's Forgotten Past by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal GearThis latest novel by the Gears, the popular husband-and-wife team of archaeologist-authors, focuses on the Norse colonization of the Americas. In the year 1000 CE, Vikings arrive in what is now Northeastern Canada and establish a settlement, setting the stage for violent clashes with the "skrælings," the newcomers' term for the indigenous people of the region. Although People of the Songtrail is the 10th book in the First North Americans series, this novel easily stands on its own with its strong sense of place, well-researched historical details, and vivid rendering of cross-cultural conflict. |
|
| Wars of the Roses: Margaret of Anjou by Conn IgguldenWith her husband, King Henry VI, incapacitated by illness, Margaret of Anjou presides over the House of Lancaster and struggles to hold the realm together. Meanwhile, the Duke of York, appointed Lord Protector of England in the king's absence, rallies his supporters and makes a bid for the throne. This dramatic 2nd installment of Conn Iggulden's Wars of the Roses series, after Stormbird, features a sprawling cast of characters and an intricate, multilayered narrative full of warfare and political intrigue. |
|
| The House of Hawthorne: A Novel by Erika RobuckBy all accounts, the 22-year union between painter Sophia Peabody and writer Nathaniel Hawthorne was a marriage of true minds. Narrated by Sophia, this novel describes the couple's initial meeting, a five-year courtship sustained by passionate love letters, and their long and (mostly) happy marriage. In addition to recounting joys and sorrows of their shared life, Sophia also reflects on her own internal struggle. Torn between her desire for artistic fulfillment and her domestic responsibilities, she must ultimately sacrifice one for the sake of the other -- and wonders if she made the right choice. If you enjoy reading about the relationships of creative couples, you might also like Nancy Horan's Under the Wide and Starry Sky or Therese Fowler's Z. |
|
| The Luminaries: A Novel by Eleanor CattonUpon his arrival in the mining town of Hokatika, New Zealand, during the 1866 gold rush, Walter Moody enters the nearest hotel, where he encounters a group of 12 prominent locals with an unusual hobby: discussing the unsolved crimes that have rocked their small frontier community. Among other dirty deeds, they include the murder of one man, the disappearance of another, the attempted suicide of a local prostitute, and the appearance of a cache of gold in the residence of the town drunk. However, the group's interest in the crimes may not be entirely recreational. Twists and turns abound in this intricately plotted neo-Victorian novel, which won the Man Booker Prize in 2011. |
|
| Worthy Brown's Daughter: A Novel by Phillip MargolinTo rescue Roxanne, his 15-year-old daughter, freed slave Worthy Brown hires Portland attorney Matthew Penny to represent him in a lawsuit against his former master, Caleb Barbour. Barbour, despite Oregon's anti-slavery laws, refuses to release Roxanne. At the same time, Penny pursues a civil case against Portland's wealthiest man, Benjamin Gillette, whose lawyer is...Caleb Barbour. Conflict of interest? Absolutely. This fast-paced and suspenseful novel, set in 1850s Oregon, is based on real historical events. |
|
| Quiet Dell: A Novel by Jayne Anne PhillipsIn 1931 Chicago, widow Asta Eicher becomes involved with Cornelius Pierson, a charming gentleman in want of a wife. Or so she believes. Shortly after accepting his offer of marriage (and financial security), Asta and her three young children are abducted and murdered, their bodies discovered in Quiet Dell, West Virginia. Assigned to the story, Chicago Tribune reporter Emily Thornhill becomes obsessed with the case, determined to discover exactly what happened in Quiet Dell and, if possible, why. Incorporating photographs, court transcripts, and other official documents, Quiet Dell offers a both a compelling family drama and a riveting historical true crime story. |
|
| The Other Typist: A Novel by Suzanne RindellFor Rose Baker, an alumna of the Astoria Stenographers College for Ladies, the typewriter is more than a means of making a living; it allows her to access a world normally forbidden to women. Rose works for the New York City Police Department, recording criminal confessions at a precinct on the Lower East Side. With the onset of Prohibition, crime rates climb and the department hires another typist, the glamorous Odalie Lazare. Initially wary of Odalie, prim-and-proper Rose soon falls under her mysterious coworker's spell, accompanying Odalie on outings to jazz clubs and speakeasies. But Odalie has secrets, which can't stay hidden. Don't miss this fast-paced suspense novel, which is being currently adapted into a film. |
|
| Will Starling: A Novel by Ian WeirIn 1816, 19-year-old Will Starling returns to London from the Napoleonic Wars, having spent five years as an assistant to military surgeon Alec Comrie. Will, a foundling, assists Comrie in setting up a civilian surgical practice in Cripplegate, where he discovers some of the more unsavory aspects of the medical profession. By far the most dangerous of these is the resurrection trade, which involves robbing graves to obtain cadavers for dissection. However, it turns out that some of the bodies might not have been completely dead when they were acquired and that Comrie's colleague and rival, Dionysus Atherton, may be taking corpses and reanimating them. With overtones of 19th-century literary masterpieces such as Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this atmospheric novel may appeal to fans of Alasdair Grey's Poor Things. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|