[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Historical Fiction February 2010
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:05:29 -0500
Historical Fiction February 2010
"There is a history in all men's lives."
~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and playwright, 2 Henry IV
New and Recently Released!
Alice I Have Been - by Melanie Benjamin
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/12/2010
ISBN-13: 9780385344135
ISBN-10: 0385344139
As a young girl, Alice Liddell befriends shy mathematician Charles Lutwidge
Dodgson, better known by his pen name, Lewis Carroll. Their unconventional
friendship
inspires his classic book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but also damages
her reputation after the sudden rift in their relationship in 1863. Her attempts
to distance herself from her fictional counterpart range from a youthful
romance with Queen Victoria's youngest son, the dashing Prince Leopold, to her
staid marriage to wealthy Reginald Hargreaves--yet Alice can never quite escape
her past. A thematically similar blend of Alice-based fact and fiction
(but darker in tone) is Katie Roiphe's Still She Haunts Me.
First Chapter
The Book of Fires: A Novel - by Jane Borodale
Publisher: Viking
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/21/2010
ISBN-13: 9780670021062
ISBN-10: 0670021067
In 1752, pregnant 17-year-old Agnes Trussel steals a handful of coins and flees
to London, where she becomes the apprentice of brooding pyrotechnician J.
Blacklock. Since the death of his wife, Blacklock has been channeling all his
energy into creating the colorful fireworks he hopes will be his legacy.
Agnes quickly settles into her new life, gaining her new employer's trust and
discovering that she has a talent for making fireworks, but she can't hide
her condition forever. While similar in theme to Clare Clarke's The Nature of
Monsters, The Book of Fires is a more hopeful story whose central
master-apprentice
relationship may appeal to fans of Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Small Wars: A Novel - by Sadie Jones
Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/19/2010
ISBN-13: 9780061929885
ISBN-10: 0061929883
In 1956, Major Hal Treherne receives a transfer to the British colony of
Cyprus, which is in the throes of revolution. Hal's job is to thwart the efforts
of EOKA, a group of militant Cypriot nationalists seeking enosis--independence
from British rule and union with Greece. But this "small war" takes a heavy
toll on Hal and his family. Many of the rebels are teenagers who use improvised
weapons ranging from rocks to pipe bombs, while the British army's
counter-terrorism
measures include brutal methods of torture and interrogation. If you're
interested in learning more about the history of Cyprus, try Bitter Lemons,
author
Lawrence Durrell's memoir of living in Cyprus during this period.
The Anarchist: A Novel - by John Smolens
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/08/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307351890
ISBN-10: 0307351890
In August 1901, while investigating radical anarchist groups in upstate New
York, Pinkerton detective Jake Norris joins forces with the Buffalo police to
investigate the murder of a prostitute whose body was dumped in the Erie Canal.
Norris sees a connection between the victim and the anarchist Leon Czolgosz,
a follower of political activist Emma Goldman and the mastermind behind a plot
to assassinate president William McKinley. Don't miss this "excellent portrait
of the seamier side of the Gilded Age" (Booklist). For another novel about the
McKinley assassination, try Jonathan Lowy's The Temple of Music. History
buffs may also be interested in Eric Rauchway's nonfiction book Murdering
McKinley: The Making of Theodore Roosevelt's America.
First Chapter
Shakespearean Stories
Many of Shakespeare's best-known plays are based on the lives and deeds of real
historical figures. The following books bring to life people and events
that inspired the Bard.
Agincourt - by Bernard Cornwell
Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/20/2009
ISBN-13: 9780061578915
ISBN-10: 0061578916
One of the most stirring scenes in Shakespeare's Henry V is King Henry's St.
Crispin's Day speech, delivered before the Battle of Agincourt. Addressing
his greatly outnumbered forces as "we happy few, we band of brothers," Henry
inspires his men to victory over the French. This standalone book by Bernard
Cornwell focuses not on Henry but on one of his men, archer Nicholas Hook, an
outlaw whose skill with a longbow leads to a career as a mercenary. If you
enjoy action-packed historical fiction with plenty of combat, you'll want to
read Agincourt. Cornwell is also the author of the Viking-themed Saxon Stories
as well as the Richard Sharpe books, which take place during the Napoleonic
Wars.
First Chapter
Lady Macbeth - by Susan Fraser King
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/07/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307341754
ISBN-10: 0307341755
The Lady Macbeth of this book isn't the murder-minded madwoman of "the Scottish
play." The daughter of Prince Bodhe, Gruadh, also known as "Rue," is the
last female descendant of Scotland's royal family. Since whoever she marries
gains a claim to the throne, she becomes a political pawn at a young age.
When warrior Macbeth slays Rue's first husband and claims her as his wife, the
two form an alliance to defend their territory from Vikings and Saxons--as
well as from Scotland's King Malcolm. For another novel about the historical
Lord and Lady Macbeth, try Dorothy Dunnett's King Hereafter.
First Chapter
Antony and Cleopatra - by Colleen McCullough
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/02/2008
ISBN-13: 9781416552956
ISBN-10: 1416552952
"Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety," is how
Cleopatra is described in Shakespeare's tragedy. But in this 7th installment of
Colleen
McCullough's Masters of Rome series, Cleopatra isn't just the sexiest woman
alive--she's also a shrewd politician whose goal is to make Caesarion, her
son by former lover Julius Caesar, ruler of both Rome and Egypt. As for Antony,
well, can you blame him for being besotted? If you want to start at the
very beginning, read The First Man in Rome. For more novels focusing on
Cleopatra, try Margaret George's Memoirs of Cleopatra or Colin Falconer's When
We Were Gods. And, if you like historical fantasy, you may enjoy Jo Graham's
Hand of Isis, which also features Cleopatra.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
The Sunne in Splendour: A Novel of Richard III - by Sharon Kay Penman
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/22/2008
ISBN-13: 9780312375935
ISBN-10: 031237593X
In a dramatic departure from Shakespeare's portrayal of a villainous Richard
III, this novel presents a sympathetic portrait of the last Plantagenet king
of England. An honorable ruler, Richard's loyalty to his family stands in stark
contrast to the bloodthirsty behavior of those around him, particularly
the Duke of Buckingham. Want more books about this misunderstood monarch? Jean
Plaidy's The Reluctant Queen is narrated by Richard III's wife, Anne Neville,
while Anne Easter Smith's A Rose for the Crown is told from the perspective of
his mistress. Robin Maxwell's To The Tower Born examines Richard's role
in the disappearance of his nephews, the famous Princes in the Tower.
Focus on: Family Sagas
The Family Orchard: A Novel - by Nomi Eve
Publisher: Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 09/01/2001
ISBN-13: 9780375724572
ISBN-10: 0375724575
This "impressive debut novel" (The New York Times) by Nomi Eve, based on her
own family history, follows the changing fortunes of a Jewish family over six
generations. The story begins in 1838 with Esther Herschell, a lusty rabbi's
wife who has an affair with a Jerusalem baker, and continues with her many
descendants, including Avra, a kleptomaniac and WWI-era spy who marries into a
family of orchard workers, and Avra's twin sons, Moshe and Zohar, who fight
in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Employing multiple narrators and an unusual style
of typography reminiscent of the Talmud, The Family Orchard combines rich
historical detail with larger-than-life characters.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
The Glass Palace: A Novel - by Amitav Ghosh
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 02/01/2002
ISBN-13: 9780375758775
ISBN-10: 0375758771
This novel by the author of Sea of Poppies begins in 1885 with the British
invasion of Burma, an event that forces the Burmese royal family into exile.
In the midst of the chaos, 11-year-old Indian orphan Rajkumar meets 10-year-old
royal servant Dolly and is instantly smitten. In the years that follow,
Rajkumar, Dolly, and their descendants will witness profound changes wrought by
colonialism, World Wars I and II, and the fall of the British Raj in the
wake of India's independence movement. If you'd like to read more about Burma
(now Myanmar) during this time period, check out The Piano Tuner by Daniel
Mason. Armchair travelers may also enjoy Andrew Marshall's The Trouser People,
which looks at the history and present-day politics of this area.
First Chapter
Table of Contents
Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome - by Steven Saylor
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 03/06/2007
ISBN-13: 9780312328313
ISBN-10: 0312328311
Over the course of a thousand years, from the founding of Rome to the reign of
Augustus Caesar, two families witness the transformation of a trading post
by the Tiber River into the center of one of the ancient world's most powerful
empires. Descendants of two cousins who founded a priesthood honoring Hercules
pass down a fascinum (an amulet in the shape of a winged phallus) from one
generation to the next, while Roman history unfolds in episodic chapters. If
you love reading about ancient history and are a fan of Edward Rutherfurd's
generation-spanning epics, such as Sarum or the two-volume Dublin Saga, check
out Roma.
First Chapter
Red River - by Lalita Tademy
Publisher: Grand Central
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/03/2008
ISBN-13: 9780446696999
ISBN-10: 0446696994
Based on author Lalita Tademy's family history, Red River follows the fortunes
of two families of freed slaves--the Smiths and the Tademys--who settle near
Colfax, Louisiana after the Civil War. But the early promise of a better life
is marred by the Colfax Riots of 1873, during which 150 African-American
voters are murdered by white supremacists. From Reconstruction to the Great
Depression, the families struggle to exercise their rights as citizens, scratch
a living out of the unforgiving soil, and educate the generations that follow.
Tademy is also the author of Cane River, another multigenerational saga
based on a branch of her family tree, which focuses more on slavery.
First Chapter
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