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Historical FictionJune 2015
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"Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life." ~ George Sand (1804-1876), French novelist and feminist
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New and Recently Released!
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| The Dream Lover: A Novel by Elizabeth BergIn 1831, Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin leaves her estranged husband, two young children, and stately home in the French countryside for Paris, where she reinvents herself as novelist George Sand. While building her literary reputation, she also scandalizes society by smoking cigars, dressing in men's clothing, and enjoying passionate love affairs with fellow luminaries, including writer Alfred de Musset and composer Frédéric Chopin. For a nonfictional account of Sand's unconventional life and career, check out Benita Eisler's Naked in the Marketplace. |
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| Balm: A Novel by Dolen Perkins-ValdezWhen the Civil War ends, three people journey to Chicago to start new lives: Madge, a free black woman from Tennessee who practices the healing arts; Sadie, a white widow and spirit medium from Pennsylvania; and Hemp, an emancipated slave from Kentucky searching for his wife, who's been sold. Although none has experienced combat, all bear the wounds of their wartime experiences; their interactions will help them heal and recover from the devastating losses they've sustained. This atmospheric, moving novel by the author of Wench vividly depicts the struggle of a nation rebuilding itself after war. |
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| Diamond Head: A Novel by Cecily WongIn the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion, shipping magnate Frank Leong moves his wife, Lin, and young son from mainland China to Hawaii. Following several generations of the Leong family, this novel unfolds from the perspectives of the women, particularly Lin, her daughter-in-law Amy, and Amy's daughter Theresa. Fans of Amy Tan's The Valley of Amazement should appreciate the strong mother-daughter relationships in this family saga set in China and the United States in the early 20th century. Readers seeking stories about Asian immigrants set against a lush, vividly rendered Hawaiian backdrop may also be interested in Alan Brennert's Honolulu, about a Korean woman's journey to America. |
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| The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell: A Novel by William KlaberAbandoned by her husband after a brief, disastrous marriage, impoverished single mother Lucy Ann Lobdell supports her family financially by donning men's clothing and becoming Joseph Israel Lobdell, itinerant music teacher. Although she misses the young daughter she's forced to leave behind, she enjoys the freedom afforded by her new identity. Complications arise when "Joseph's" brightest pupil falls in love with her teacher, igniting first mild controversy and then full-blown scandal. As Lucy travels from town to town, remaining only as long as her secret stays hidden, she searches for a safe haven -- mostly in vain, since 19th-century America has never seen anyone quite like Lucy Ann Lobdell. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Death and Mr. Pickwick : a novel
by Stephen Jarvis
A novel based on the life of the artist Robert Seymour—the caricaturist behind The Pickwick Papers, and the extraordinary events surrounding the birth of Charles Dickens' first novel—departs from the accepted origin of Pickwick put forward by Dickens and his publisher, Edward Chapman; and it does so for good reason—the accepted origin is a lie.
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The Fair Fight: A Novel
by Anna Freeman
Born 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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The Disappearance Boy
by Neil Bartlett
Reggie Rainbow has always lived on the margins of society. His mother died in childbirth, a childhood bout with polio left him physically disabled, and his homosexuality -- a criminal offense in 1953 England -- isolates him. Even his job as the "disappearance boy" of magician Edward "Teddy" Brookes renders him invisible as he labors behind the scenes to ensure that his employer's illusions work seamlessly. However, a last-minute booking in the seaside town of Brighton and the hiring of new assistant Pamela set in motion a series of events that will finally allow Reggie to stand up and seize a starring role in his own life. Addressed directly to the reader in friendly, avuncular style, The Disappearance Boy presents an in-depth character study enlivened by details of stage magic and the mid-20th-century decline of English Music Hall culture.
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Blackmail, my love : a murder mystery
by Katie Gilmartin
"Josie O'Conner travels to San Francisco in 1951 to locate her gay brother, a private dick investigating a blackmail ring targeting lesbians and gay men. Jimmy's friends claim that just before he disappeared he became a rat, informing the cops on the barcommunity's nascent resistance to raids, graft, and brutality. Josie adopts Jimmy's trousers and wingtips as well as his investigation, battling to clear his name, halt the blackmailers, and exact justice for the mounting number of Queer corpses. Along the way she rubs shoulders with a sultry chanteuse running a dyke tavern called Pandora's Box; gets intimate with a red-headed madame operating a brothel from the Police Personnel Department; and conspires with the star of Finocchio's a dive so disreputable it's off limits to servicemen--so every man in uniform pays a visit. Blackmail, My Love is an illustrated murder mystery deeply steeped in San Francisco's Queer history. Established academic and first-time novelist Katie Gilmartin's diverse set of characters negotiate the risks of same-sex desire in what can arguably be called the Dark Ages of Queerdom. Humor leavens the grave subject matter. The novel's action is fueled by a little-known 1951 California Supreme Court ruling that homosexuals have a right to congregate: the decision incited tavern owner resistance to customary payoffs in exchange for police protection, but also provoked new surveillance tactics to justify raids and extortion. Set in such legendary locations as the Black Cat Cafe, the Fillmore during its heyday as jazz capitol of the west, the Beat movement's North Beach, and the sexually complex Tenderloin, Blackmail, My Love is neo-noir novel that distills history and fiction into a singular, visually stunning experience"
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Prince George's County Memorial Library System 6532 Adelphi Rd. Hyattsville, Maryland 20782 301-699-3500http://www.pgcmls.info/ |
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