|
Historical Fiction June 2019
|
|
|
|
| A Bend in the Stars by Rachel BarenbaumRussia, 1914: When her physicist brother, Vanya, goes missing en route to observe a solar eclipse, Jewish surgeon Miri Abramov embarks on a desperate rescue mission accompanied by a charming army deserter.
What's at stake: Vanya believes that photographing the eclipse will verify or disprove Einstein's general theory of relativity while Miri fears that if the coming war doesn't kill them both, the Czar's pogroms will.
Reviewers say: "exhilarating" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
| The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs HoffmanWhat it's about: iconic abolitionist Harriet Tubman and her role in the 1863 Raid on Combahee Ferry in which black soldiers from the 2nd South Carolina Infantry raided lowcountry plantations, destroying Confederate supplies and liberating 750 enslaved men and women.
What sets it apart: This well-researched novel by the author of The Hamilton Affair focuses on Tubman's lesser-known deeds as a scout and spy for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Further reading: Catherine Clinton's biography Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom. |
|
| The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara CollinsIntroducing: Frannie Langton, a Jamaican servant languishing in Newgate Prison as she awaits trial for the murders of her employers.
Why you might like it: Framed as Frannie's confession, this debut offers Gothic atmosphere, vivid recreations of both West Indian sugar plantations and Georgian London, and a penetrating exploration of Enlightenment-era scientific racism.
Want a taste? "The cold seemed to carry its own smell, like raw meat, and came on me sudden as a cutpurse.” |
|
| The Flight Portfolio by Julie OrringerrWhat it's about: As a volunteer for the Emergency Rescue Committee, American journalist Varian Fry works to smuggle Jewish artists and intellectuals out of Vichy France.
Is it for you? Although it takes some liberties with the biographical details of Fry's life, The Flight Portfolio offers a well-researched depiction of the ERC's activities in assisting refugees during WWII.
About the author: Julie Orriger is the author of The Invisible Bridge. |
|
| The Spy of Venice by Benet Brandrethhat it's about: The "lost years" of William Shakespeare, in which he becomes a spy, undertaking a secret mission while in the guise of a traveling player.
Why you might like it: This brisk yet intricately plotted debut portrays the Bard as a kind of Elizabethan James Bond, dodging assassins and seducing beautiful women.
About the author: When he's not busy writing this series, author Benet Brandreth is the rhetoric coach for the Royal Shakespeare Company. |
|
|
A Certain Age
by Beatriz Williams
Complications: Though smitten with her much-younger paramour, aviator Octavian Rofrano, socialite Theresa Marshall can't divorce her wealthy, philandering husband: it's simply not the done thing in 1922.
More Complications: Further complications arise when Theresa's playboy brother "Ox" becomes engaged to Sophie Fortescue, an heiress whose family connections are suspect. Theresa sends Octavian to investigate the situation -- whereupon he falls for Sophie as well.
Inspired by: Richard Strauss' comic opera Der Rosenkavalier, this atmospheric novel infuses a timeless love story with sparkling Jazz Age glamour.
|
|
| The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata MasseyIntroducing: Perveen Mistry, Bombay's first woman solicitor. Despite her Oxford degree, she faces discrimination in a male-dominated profession.
What it's about: Could a strange proviso in the will of a wealthy Muslim mill owner be linked to a murder in the household of his three widows?
Why you might like it: This atmospheric series opener shifts between 1921, when Perveen conducts her investigation, and 1916 when young Perveen discovers her calling in the wake of tragic events. |
|
|
A Gentleman in Moscow
by Amor Towles
The sentence: "Should you ever set foot outside the Metropol again, you will be shot." With these words, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is placed under house arrest in Moscow's grand Hotel Metropol by the Bolsheviks in 1922.
The choice: Eschewing despair in favor of "the business of practicalities," Rostov explores his opulent prison and gets to know his fellow residents, particularly a little girl named Nina.
The result: Over time, Rostov becomes a fixture of the hotel, which overlooks Revolution Square and serves as a literal window to 20th-century Russian history. At once witty and poignant, this novel by the author of Rules of Civility offers a likable lead character and a strong sense of place.
|
|
| The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylorondon, 1666: In the aftermath of the Great Fire, a murder victim is discovered in the ashes of St. Paul's Cathedral; reluctant government informer James Marwood, son of a traitor, is tasked with finding the killer.
Why you might like it: Marwood's adventures unfold against a richly detailed 17th-century backdrop rife with political intrigue and religious unrest.
You might also like: Susanna Calkins' Lucy Campion mysteries, also set in Restoration London and featuring a working-class sleuth. |
|
|
1356: Go With God, But Fight Like the Devil
by Bernard Cornwell
Leading his ruthless band of mercenaries through the war-ravaged French countryside, Thomas of Hookton -- known to both friends and enemies as "Bâtard" -- searches for la Malice, the legendary sword of Saint Peter, an artifact supposedly imbued with the power to turn the tide of battle in the favor of whichever side possesses it. Of course, Thomas' primary loyalty is to himself, so it's anybody's guess as to which army will prevail when English, French, and Scottish troops converge on Poitiers for what will become a pivotal battle in the Hundred Years' War. Fans of the author's Grail Quest series will enjoy the hunt for a sacred relic as well as the meticulously researched and action-packed battle scenes that propel this novel.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Forsyth County Public Library 585 Dahlonega Street Cumming, Georgia 30040 770-781-9840www.forsythpl.org/ |
|
|
|