Although historical fiction is my favorite genre, I haven't read much of it lately. Really, I haven't read much fiction at all this summer (not very convenient when you are a regular contributor for a book blog). We've been busy, but I've also been reading a lot more nonfiction titles because of health issues (I do have some great titles related to nutrition to review). A few weeks ago, I was craving a good story. I picked up Diamond Ruby, and I am so glad I did. This debut novel from nonfiction writer Joseph Wallace is a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it. Diamond Ruby is based on the true story of Jackie Mitchell, a young woman ...
Category Archives: Historical
A Good Confession
Whenever I read British literature, I find myself transported. It seems so foreign to me, even more so than reading the South Asian authors and Middle Eastern authors who I love, perhaps because I always feel like it should feel more similar to my own experience, since they speak the same language. So I’m surprised when I read a story just how different it is. A Good Confession is set in 1950’s England and Ireland, and the setting is lush and rich and a very real part of the story. Cathleen Brogan is a young widow. Her husband has just died at less than 30 years old, and her life is suddenly changed. This is not a grief-stricken novel, although Cathleen often wonders – and echoes the fears that most of us ...
Dark in the City of Light
Paul Robertson certainly could not be accused of exploiting one particular genre. No niche for him. His previous novels (linked to my review) centered around a DC bookseller in According to Their Deeds, a city council making a decision on a municipal project in Road to Nowhere, and a wealthy beneficiary embroiled in politics and murder in The Heir. His newest novel, Dark in the City of Light, takes place in Paris in 1870s at the brink of the Franco-Prussian War. From the publisher’s description: What Evil Haunts the Shadows of 1870s Paris? Baron Ferdinand Harsanyi — After his wife's mysterious death, this Austrian attaché holds control over mines whose coveted ore could turn the tide of war. Therese Harsanyi — Swept up in new romance and the spectacle of Paris, the Baron's daughter is blind to the dangers stalking her family and ...
This Fine Life
This Fine Life, a novel by Eva Marie Everson, opens in the summer of 1959 with young socialite Mariette Puttnam returning home upon graduation from boarding school. Mariette is torn between her mother’s desire that she take her rightful place among the privileged society in which they move in order (and thus find a husband) and her father’s wish that she go to college to prepare to take over the family business. Neither option appeals to Mariette and when she meets a handsome mail clerk she feels as if she has found the answer, never mind that her falling in love with someone of so little means doesn’t exactly fit her parents’ expectations. Mariette marries the young clerk, Thayne, and the novel explores her struggle to understand his faith and his call to be a minister as well as her struggle to ...
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott
Several months ago, I read Little Women for the first time. I don't know how I made it 36 years without reading this novel (or watching the movie), but I did. When selecting titles for this year's Classics Bookclub, I knew Little Women needed to be at the top of the list. By the time I finished this beloved story, I felt like the March sisters were my friends, and I was sad to see them go. Most people know that Louisa May Alcott used her own family as a model for the Marches, and many people see similarities between Jo and the author. Louisa May Alcott, however, differed from Jo in ...
The Blue Orchard
Jackson Taylor conducted research over a two year period in preparation for his debut novel, The Blue Orchard, reading old newspapers and speaking with people familiar with the real-life characters who would eventually be featured in his book, including, most importantly, his grandmother Verna Krone, whose life story is portrayed. This mixture of factual information, events, and experiences with some dramatization and conceived emotional expression makes for an interesting read. Life is by no means a light-hearted affair for Verna Krone. Mistreated by adults in positions of power at a young age, and sent off to work to support her family instead of receiving the education that she longed for, discontent becomes the default emotion for her. As her life takes many different turns, she eventually finds herself settled in an unhappy marriage and employed as a ...
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Jennifer Donovan
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