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Historical Fiction April 2023 |
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The stolen book of Evelyn Aubrey
by Serena Burdick
"What if you could write a new ending for yourself? England, 1898. When Evelyn first married the famous novelist William Aubrey, she was dazzled by his brilliance. But their newlywed bliss is brief when William is gripped by writer's block, and he becomes jealous of Evelyn's writing talent. When he commits the ultimate betrayal--stealing a draft of her novel and passing it off as his own--Evelyn decides to write her way out of their unhappy marriage. California, 2006. Abigail always wondered about her father, his identity forever lost when her mother unexpectedly died. Or so Abigail thought, until she stumbled upon his photo and a message that her great-great-grandmother was the author Evelyn Aubrey, leading Abigail on a journey to England in search for answers. There, she learns of Evelyn's shocking disappearance and how London society believed she was murdered. But from what she uncovers about Evelyn, Abigail believes her brilliant great-great-grandmother had another plot up her sleeve. Rich in atmosphere and emotion, The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey tells the story of literary secrets, a family curse and the lengths women will go to take charge of their future"
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Prize women by Caroline LeaIToronto, 1926. Knowing that he will die without an heir, childless millionaire Charles Millar leaves behind a controversial will: the recipient of his fortune will be decided in a contest that will become a media sensation and be known as the Great Stork Derby. His money will go to the winner: the woman who bears the most children in the ten years after his death. It is a bequest that will have dramatic consequences for the lives of two women-allies and close friends. Lily di Marco is young, pregnant, and terrified of her alcoholic, violent husband. When her town is damaged by an earthquake, she flees to Toronto, arriving, by chance, on the doorstep of the glamourous Mae Thebault. While Mae presents an elegant, confident face to the world, she secretly struggles with her own tortured past and a present consumed with the never-ending burdens of motherhood. Lily enters her life at a breaking point, and soon a fierce friendship blossoms between the women. That is until the Great Depression and the contest, with its alluring prize, threatens to tear their friendship-and their lives-apart.
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The porcelain moon : a novel of France, the Great War, and forbidden love by Janie ChangFrance, 1918. In the final days of the First World War, a young Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, runs away from her uncle's home in Paris to evade a marriage being arranged for her in Shanghai. To prevent the union, she needs the help of her cousin Theo, who is working as a translator for the Chinese Labour Corps in the French countryside. In the town of Noyelles-sur-Mer, Camille Roussel is planning her escape from an abusive marriage, and to end a love affair that can no longer continue. When Camille offers Pauline a room for her stay, the two women become friends. But it's not long before Pauline uncovers a perilous secret that Camille has been hiding from her. As their dangerous situation escalates, the two women are forced to make a terrible decision that will bind them together for the rest of their lives.
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A Lesson Learned by Rosie GoodwinNuneaton, 1869. When Saffie's parents fell in love, her mother was cast out by her well-to-do family. Choosing love over money, they eloped, deciding to raise their daughter on the canals. For as long as she can remember, Saffie has loved learning, and she desires to become a teacher. But what use is an education to a canal girl? Will Saffie step out of the shadow of the past into the light of her dreams?
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| My Father's House by Joseph O'ConnorInspired by: the real-life work of Irish Catholic priest Hugh O'Flaherty and other Vatican officials to save and shelter thousands of Jews and Allied POW camp escapees during and after the 1943 German Invasion of Italy.
Why you might like it:: This richly detailed story of Father O’Flaherty and the motley crew of allies he worked with features well-developed characters and dramatic moments of suspense. |
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A match in the making
by Jen Turano
"When Gwendolyn Brinley accepted a paid companion position for the Newport season, she never imagined she'd be expected to take over responsibilities as an assistant matchmaker. Tasked with finding the season's catch, Walter Townsend, a wife, her assignment becomes increasingly difficult when she realizes his perfect match might be . . . her"
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| Daughters of Victory by Gabriella SaabWhat it's about: three generations of women in a Russian family, who each saw her youth and young adulthood upended by political revolution and war.
Starring: aristocratic Svetlana, who embraced the Revolution of 1905 and spent 10 years in prison; her daughter Tatiana, who resents her mother's absence during her childhood; Mila, Tatiana’s daughter, who is brought to stay in a remote village with her grandmother in 1941 in hopes she'll be safe from Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. |
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Paris requiem
by Chris Lloyd
"Paris, 1940. As the city adjusts to life under Nazi occupation, Detective Eddie Giral struggles to reconcile his job as a policeman with his new role enforcing a regime he cannot believe in, but must work under. When an old friend--and an old flame--reappear, begging for his help, Eddie must decide how far he will go to help those he loves. The notion of justice itself quickly becomes as dangerous, blurred, and confused as the war itself. And Eddie's morale compass, ever on unreliable foundations, will be questioned again and again as the ravages of the German occupation steadily attempt to grind him--and the city he loves--into submission"
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| River Sing Me Home by Eleanor ShearerHow it starts: on a Barbados sugar plantation in 1834, where the master has refused to let anyone go despite the recent abolition of slavery in parts of the British Empire.
How it gets going: A woman named Rachel, fed up with the circumstances and missing the children who were stolen from her and sold, sets off on a harrowing journey to reunite her family.
Read it for: the varied and occasionally surprising fates of Rachel's children and the found family she gathers along her journey to find them. |
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The book spy by Alan Hlad1942: With the war's outcome hanging in the balance, President Roosevelt sends an unlikely new taskforce on a unique mission. They are librarians and microfilm specialists trained in espionage, working with a special branch of the Office of Strategic Services. By acquiring and scouring Axis newspapers, books, technical manuals, and periodicals, the librarians can gather information about troop location, weaponry, and military plans. Maria Alves, a microfilm expert working at the New York Public Library, is dispatched to Lisbon, where she meticulously photographs publications and sends the film to London to be analyzed. Working in tandem with Tiago Soares, a Portuguese bookstore owner on a precarious mission of his own--providing Jewish refugees with forged passports and visas--Maria acquires vital information, including a directory of arms factories in Germany.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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