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Historical Fiction May 2019
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The seven or eight deaths of Stella Fortuna : a novel by Juliet GramesBelieved cursed in her rugged Italian village, a tough, intelligent teen protects her younger sister during World War II, enduring challenges that transform her views about survival and independence. Audiobook on RB Digital and Hoopla eBook on Overdrive
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| The Parisian by Isabella HammadIntroducing: Midhat Kamal, the Sorbonne-educated son of a wealthy Palestinian textile merchant who finds himself caught between cultures.
What happens: Known as "the Parisian" in his hometown of Nablus, a small village "north of Jerusalem, south of Damascus," Midhat has a front-row seat to history as colonial powers squabble over his homeland.
Reviewers say: a "dazzling debut novel" (The New York Times). eBook on Hoopla |
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The warrior maiden by Melanie DickersonA reimagining of the classic Mulan tale follows the adventures of a girl soldier in disguise who protects her liege lord from a besieging army before a rival discovers her true gender. By the award-winning author of The Healer's Apprentice. Available in the library Audiobook on RB Digital Audiobook and eBook on Hoopla
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| The Quintland Sisters: A Novel by Shelley WoodWhat it's about: In 1934, quintuplets are born to a poor family in rural Ontario. Teenage midwife Emma Trimpany, who helps deliver all five girls, tells their story.
Inspired by: the real-life Dionne sisters of Canada, the first known quintuplets to survive infancy and reach adulthood.
You might also like: Ami McKay's The Birth House, another engaging, well-researched historical novel about rural Canadian midwives. Audiobook on Hoopla |
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| I Always Loved You: A Story of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas by Robin OliveiraStarring: artists Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas.
What it's about: their complicated relationship, which begins when Edgar invites Mary -- rejected by the Paris Salon -- to exhibit her paintings with the Impressionists.
Try this next: Harriet Scott Chessman's Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper, about Cassatt's relationship with her sister; Cathy Marie Buchanan's The Painted Girls or Kathryn Wagner's Dancing for Degas, which focus on Degas and his dancer-models. Audiobook on Hoopla |
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| The Collector's Apprentice: A Novel by B.A. ShapiroStarring: 19-year-old Paulien Mertens, who becomes Vivienne Gregsby and finds a job with an American art collector who shares her passion for post-Impressionist art. Little does he know she's got an ulterior motive.
Why you might like it: Cameos by famous artists and evocative details of Paris in the 1920s add atmosphere to a slow-burning tale of passion, murder, and revenge.
Did you know? Although this novel's characters are fictitious, its featured works of art form the core of the collection at the real-life Barnes Foundation museum in Philadelphia. Audiobook and eBook on Hoopla |
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| The Last Painting of Sara de Vos by Dominic SmithWhat it's about: A 17th-century Dutch masterpiece is stolen from a Manhattan residence in 1957 and replaced with a skillfully executed forgery. The switch remains a secret for decades -- until the museum curator who created the fake is confronted by both versions.
Why you might like it: Parallel narratives unfold and eventually converge in this atmospheric novel, which reveals surprising connections among individuals separated by time and geography. Audiobook on RB Digital |
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| The Girl Between by Lisa StrømmeInspired by: the life of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch and the creation of his iconic painting, The Scream.
What happens: Hired as a housemaid by the wealthy Ihlen family, 16-year-old Johanne becomes the confidante of youngest daughter Tullik and reluctantly helps the girl pursue an ill-fated love affair with Munch.
For fans of: Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring, Nellie Hermann's The Season of Migration. Audiobook and eBook on Hoopla |
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