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Historical FictionJune 2015 |
"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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People of the Songtrail : A Novel of North America's Forgotten Past
by W. Michael Gear
Bestselling authors Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear have penned another epic story, this time the saga of the first European settlers to land on the shores of the New World, 500 years prior to the arrival of Columbus. These members of a Viking settlement left narrow-minded religious beliefs and political and civil unrest to face the unknown in a new world, long before the Pilgrims.
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| The Book of Aron by Jim ShepardA born troublemaker, nine-year-old Aron's propensity for mischief earns him a bad reputation in his small Polish village. However, it serves him in good stead when he's packed off to the Warsaw Ghetto, where he leads a gang of thieves and smugglers as, all around him, others succumb to deprivation, disease, and forced labor. After Aron becomes the ward of kindly doctor Janusz Korczak, who runs an orphanage in the Ghetto, he finds a purpose in life beyond mere survival. But with the looming specter of the Nazi death camps on the horizon, can Aron survive long enough to become someone Korczak could be proud of? Don't miss this heartwrenching novel by National Book Award nominee Jim Shepard. |
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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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| Hild: A Novel by Nicola GriffithSet in a richly detailed seventh-century Anglo-Saxon England, this lush, sweeping novel envisions the life of St. Hilda of Whitby, whose wyrd (fate) is to become "the Light of the World." When her father, an exiled ætheling, is murdered, Hild joins the household of her uncle, King Edwin "Snakebeard" of Northumbria. Bright, curious, and highly observant, Hild soon gains a reputation for being able to predict the future, becoming her uncle's trusted seer -- a position as precarious as it is prestigious. Navigating courtly intrigue, as well as a multicultural society prone to violence and unrest, Hild also challenges the gender roles of her era by becoming an influential religious leader and patron of the arts. |
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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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| The Persian Boy: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Mary RenaultAbducted, castrated, and sold in the Susa slave market after witnessing the slaughter of his aristocratic family, ten-year-old eunuch Bagoas serves King Darius of Persia until, several years later, Alexander of Macedon invades his homeland. Bagoas soon becomes Alexander's lover and confidant as the warrior-king leads his armies eastward to conquer the known world. Originally published in 1972, The Persian Boy is the stand-alone middle volume of Mary Renault's Alexander the Great trilogy, which begins with Fire from Heaven and ends with Funeral Games (in which Bagoas plays a minor role). |
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| The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov: A Novel by Paul Elliott RussellA homosexual Russian émigré with a tendency to (st)utter subversive statements, Sergey Nabokov knows that his time is running out. While his estranged brother, novelist Vladimir, escapes to the United States, Sergey remains stranded in Berlin, precariously employed by the Third Reich's Propaganda Ministry. As he waits for the authorities to close in, Sergey records his life story, describing his childhood in pre-revolutionary St. Petersburg, his studies at Cambridge University, and his Bohemian lifestyle in 1920s Paris, where for the first -- and last -- time in his life, he found love and acceptance. With its introspective tone and thoughtful meditations on art and identity, this melancholy, character-driven novel may appeal to fans of Colm Toibin's The Master, about Henry James. |
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| She Rises: A Novel by Kate WorsleyLouise Fletcher is content with her life as a dairymaid in 1740 Essex -- or at least, she thinks she is, until her employer, Captain Handley, chooses her to serve as a lady's maid to his daughter Rebecca. Louise's story alternates with that of 15-year-old Luke Fletcher, who finds himself aboard a ship bound for the West Indies after being press-ganged into the Royal Navy. Louise, who falls in love with her mistress, risks her life to save Rebecca when both women fall ill with smallpox, while Luke experiences the many dangers and privations of a life at sea. Despite the very different trajectories of these intricately plotted parallel narratives, both unfold in vivid, descriptive language that artfully evokes life in 18th-century England. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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