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Historical FictionMay 2015
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"My father was both a scientist and a magician, but he declared that it was in literature wherein we discovered our truest natures." ~ from Alice Hoffman's The Museum of Extraordinary Things
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New and Recently Released!
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| Viper Wine: A Novel by Hermione EyreThough immortalized in verse, Lady Venetia Digby's legendary beauty is not immune to the passage of time. While her brilliant and eccentric husband, Sir Kenelm, studies alchemy and other esoteric subjects, Venetia seeks to restore her fading looks through the use of Viper Wine, a dangerous and addictive concoction containing (among other questionable ingredients) snake venom and the urine of pregnant mares. Viper Wine becomes a sensation among the fashionable members of King Charles I's court, a realm too insular and self-obsessed to notice the nation's slide into civil war. With cameos from modern-day celebrities in addition to its period detail, this nonlinear, stylistically complex novel explores society's enduring obsessions with beauty, wealth, power, and fame. |
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| The Fair Fight: A Novel by Anna FreemanBorn in a Bristol whorehouse, scrappy Ruth stumbles into a career as a pugilist after a brawl with her half-sister attracts a betting audience. As Ruth enters the gritty, brutal world of professional prize-fighters, she encounters other enthusiasts of the sport: aspiring boxer Charlotte Sinclair, for whom the ring serves as an escape from her abusive marriage and a place where her smallpox scars do not attract notice; and gambler George Bowden, who hopes that backing the right fighter will make him a wealthy man. Bouncing between brothel and boxing ring, this debut skillfully depicts the seamy underbelly of Georgian England. |
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| Sisters of Shiloh: A Novel by Kathy and Becky HepinstallWhen Libby's husband Arden dies on the battlefield at Antietam, she vows vengeance on the Yankees who killed him and joins the Confederate Army, accompanied by her devoted sister, Josephine, who fears that Libby won't survive without her protection (and nursing skills). Disguised as "Thomas" and "Joseph," the sisters join Arden's former unit, the famed Stonewall Brigade, and experience the American Civil War firsthand. As grief-stricken Libby drifts into madness, Josephine endeavors to keep her sister alive without revealing their secret, while simultaneously concealing her love for a fellow soldier. |
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| Too Bad to Die: A Novel by Francine MathewsIt's 1943, and British Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming has just received reliable information that one of Hitler's operatives is planning to infiltrate the Tehran Conference and assassinate Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Josef Stalin as they discuss strategy for the upcoming D-Day invasion. Since his superiors are skeptical, it's up to Fleming to track down the agent, known only by his codename: "the Fencer." Drawing on James Bond creator Fleming's real-life World War II service, this fast-paced and richly detailed historical spy novel should appeal to fans of Alan Furst's equally dramatic Night Soldiers series. |
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| The Architect's Apprentice: A Novel by Elif ShafakIn 1540, 12-year-old animal trainer Jahan arrives in the city of Istanbul from Hindustan, bringing a gift for the Sultan: a white baby elephant named Chota. Jahan and Chota's bond attracts the attention of chief engineer Sinan, who recruits the boy as his apprentice and makes use of the elephant's dexterity and strength to build mosques that are architectural masterpieces. That is, until political intrigue threatens to destroy everything they've created. Don't miss this sweeping historical saga set in the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. For other historical novels about orphaned boys who befriend elephants, try Jose Saramago's The Elephant's Journey or Christopher Nicholson's The Elephant Keeper. |
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| The Typewriter Girl by Alison AtleeAlthough "type-writer girl" Betsey Dobson ranks among the most skilled employees in the secretarial pool at the London firm of Baumston & Smythe, Insurers, she's far less adept at navigating office politics. After a junior clerk gets Betsey dismissed from her position without a character reference, she forges one and flees to the seaside town of Idensea, where Welsh engineer and entrepreneur John Jones hires her as the excursions manager for his Idensea Pier and Seaside Pleasure Building Company. As Betsey tries to reconcile her increasing attraction to John with her dreams of self-sufficiency, John remains torn between his desire for Betsey and his ambition to marry into Edwardian high society. |
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| Wickett's Remedy: A Novel by Myla GoldbergWith the Great War on the horizon, South Boston shopgirl Lydia Kilkenny marries Henry Wickett, a medical student from a wealthy family. The child of Irish immigrants, Lydia is looking to better her lot in life. But when Henry quits medical school in order to peddle patent medicine, Lydia's dreams are deferred -- and then derailed entirely after the Spanish Flu claims Henry's life. But Lydia has never been one to lie down and die, not even during a worldwide pandemic. Fans of E.L. Doctorow will enjoy this meticulously researched slice of American history. And for readers especially interested in the 1918 flu epidemic, Reina James' This Time of Dying is a more somber depiction of the event, set in London. |
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| The Museum of Extraordinary Things: A Novel by Alice HoffmanThe daughter of Coney Island impresario Professor Sardie, web-fingered Coralie grows up in The Museum of Extraordinary Things, which exhibits the "living wonders" that her father collects. Eventually (and reluctantly), she joins their ranks as a "mermaid," performing dangerous aquatic feats for crowds of novelty-seekers. Meanwhile, Russian immigrant Ezekiel "Eddie" Cohen flees his strict Orthodox Jewish community on the Lower East Side to pursue his dream of becoming a photographer. Coralie and Eddie's chance meeting on the banks of the Hudson river leads to romance and rebellion as the lovers decide to forge their own paths in life. |
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| Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven MillhauserSet in late 19th-century New York City, Martin Dressler depicts the rise of its titular protagonist from cigar shop assistant to hotel magnate, permanently altering Manhattan's landscape in the process. With each ambitious building project, the entrepreneurial Dressler endeavors to create "a world within the world, rivaling the world." Alas, achieving his dreams comes at a high personal cost. Packed with rich period detail, this lyrical, character-driven novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Steven Millhauser captures the spirit of America during the Gilded Age. |
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| De Potter's Grand Tour: A Novel by Joanna ScottAfter tourism industry tycoon Armand de Potter disappears during one of his "voyages de luxe," his widow Aimée discovers that the charming Belgian aristocrat with whom she shared her life is mostly a clever fiction. Moving back and forth between the 1870s and the early 1900s, the parallel structure of narrative introduces Armand, an enterprising immigrant who transforms himself into a successful businessman, and follows Aimée's attempts to solve the mystery of her husband's origins and, perhaps, his disappearance. This meticulously researched novel, based on author Joanna Scott's family history, incorporates letters, legal documents, diary entries, and photographs to tell a compelling story of identity and invention. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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