[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Historical Fiction June 2009
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:02:19 -0400
New and Recently Released!
Wanting - by Richard Flanagan
Publisher: Pgw
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/12/2009
ISBN-13: 9780802119001
ISBN-10: 080211900X
Before ill-fated explorer John Franklin went missing while on an expedition to
chart the Northwest passage, he was the governor of the island penal colony
of Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania. When Franklin vanishes into the
arctic, his wife Lady Jane urges literary sensation Charles Dickens to write
a defense of her presumed-dead husband, insisting that he and his men never
resorted to cannibalism, as is rumored. Inspired, Dickens pens a play based
on the events of the expedition, which brings him in contact with a young
actress who will change the course of his life. You'll want to read this
engrossing
novel by Australian author Richard Flanagan, who wrote the acclaimed Gould's
Book of Fish.
The Stalin Epigram - by Robert Littell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/12/2009
ISBN-13: 9781416598640
ISBN-10: 1416598642
The subject of this "tragic and life-affirming novel" (Booklist) is
controversial Russian poet Osip Mandelstam. An outspoken critic of the
Stalinist regime,
he wrote and circulated numerous political poems, including the famous
"Stalin's Epigram" that landed him in the Siberian gulag where he died in 1938.
Told from the point of view of those who knew him, including Mandelstam's wife
Nadezhda; his actress lover Zinaida Zaitseva-Antonova; and his contemporaries
Boris Pasternak and Anna Akhmatova, this debut work of historical fiction by
thriller writer Robert Littrell demonstrates the power--and the danger--of
literature.
First Chapter
Sunnyside - by Glen David Gold
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/05/2009
ISBN-13: 9780307270689
ISBN-10: 0307270688
Once again, Glen David Gold, the author of Carter Beats the Devil, has written
a book about magic--but this time, it's movie magic. What's more, this
biographical
novel of Charlie Chaplin opens with a seemingly magical event: on November 12,
1916, more than 800 people claim to have seen Chaplin in cities across the
U.S., despite the fact that the actual Chaplin is in none of these places,
having narrowly avoided drowning off the coast of Northern California. How did
he get there--and where will he end up? Publishers Weekly calls Sunnyside an
"elegant blend of reality and fiction, war drama and Hollywood glamour."
Far Bright Star - by Robert Olmstead
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/26/2009
ISBN-13: 9781565125926
ISBN-10: 1565125924
During the summer of 1916, following Pancho Villa's attack on Columbus, New
Mexico, soldier Napoleon Childs of the American Expeditionary Force is sent
on an expedition into the Mexican desert to capture the revolutionary leader.
Napoleon and his band of recruits, comprised of his brother Xenophon along
with an assortment of "losers, deadbeats, cutthroats, dilettantes, and
murderers" chase Villa through the starkly beautiful but unforgiving landscape,
as the revolutionaries (who are intimately familiar with the territory) remain
effortlessly beyond the reach of their would-be captors. Be sure to check
out this "brilliantly expressive, condensed tale of resilience and dusty
determination" (Publishers Weekly).
Shanghai Girls: A Novel - by Lisa See
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/26/2009
ISBN-13: 9781400067114
ISBN-10: 1400067111
Born into Shanghai's privileged class, sisters Pearl and May Chin are
"beautiful girls," calendar models who represent sophistication and modernity.
But
when their father sells them to a pair of Chinese-American brothers in order to
pay off his gambling debts, the sisters become wives though they do not
accompany their new husbands back to the U.S. Then, when the Japanese invade
Shanghai, Pearl and May's lives take an unexpected and tragic turn. Lisa See,
author of the bestsellers Snowflower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love,
portrays the lives of sisters in 20th-century China as artfully as she explored
the dreams and desires of 19th- and 17th-century Chinese women.
Brooklyn: A Novel - by Colm Tóibín
Publisher: Scribner
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/05/2009
ISBN-13: 9781439138311
ISBN-10: 1439138311
Wanting more opportunities than 1950s Ireland can offer, Enniscorthy native and
aspiring bookkeeper Eilis Lacey leaves her mother and sister to start a
new life in Brooklyn, where she attends school and finds work--as well as
romance. But when devastating news reaches her from home, Eilis must return to
Enniscorthy and settle family affairs. Will she have to sacrifice her new life
(and love) in America to resume the existence she's left behind? You won't
want to miss this lyrical novel, which The New York Times says "shows how place
can assert itself, enfolding the visitor, staking its claim."
First Chapter
If I Ruled the World
Pride of Carthage: A Novel of Hannibal - by David Anthony Durham
Publisher: Anchor Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/03/2006
ISBN-13: 9780385722490
ISBN-10: 0385722494
This novel of the Second Punic (Phoenician) War focuses on general Hannibal
Barca of Carthage, the powerful Northern African city that was Rome's greatest
rival. With his brothers Hasdrubal and Mago, Hannibal embarks on an ambitious
military campaign against the Romans, leading an army of 100,000 men to attack
the Republic via the Alps--a route thought to be impossible. Author David
Anthony Durham, best known for his novels set in 19th-century America (such as
Gabriel's Story), brings the ancient world to life through complex characters,
epic battles, and a "big, magnificent, sprawling story" (Booklist).
First Chapter
Genghis: Birth of an Empire - by Conn Iggulden
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 05/01/2007
ISBN-13: 9780385339513
ISBN-10: 0385339518
The son of the khan (ruler) of a fierce Mongol tribe, young Temujin's life
changes forever when his father is murdered by Tartars and his family is
betrayed
by a rival, who seizes control of the tribe and casts them out to fend for
themselves on the unforgiving steppes of central Asia. But Temujin has a plan:
gathering other outcasts, he takes the name Genghis Khan and forms an army to
unite all the Mongol tribes in order fight back against the Tartar invaders.
This exciting series continues with Lords of the Bow and Bones of the Hills.
Conn Iggulden is also the author of the Emperor series, which chronicles the
rise and fall of another powerful man in world history, Julius Caesar.
First Chapter
The Heretic Queen: A Novel - by Michelle Moran
Publisher: Crown Publishers
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 09/16/2008
ISBN-13: 9780307381750
ISBN-10: 0307381757
In this follow-up to Nefertiti, author Michelle Moran returns to ancient Egypt.
In The Heretic Queen, she tells the story of Nefertari, niece of Nefertiti
who overcame many obstacles to become the beloved queen of Rameses the Great.
But Nefertari (whose name means "Beautiful Companion") is more than just
a pretty face: her gift for languages as well as her political savvy make her
an invaluable partner to her husband, who becomes one of Egypt's greatest
and longest-reigning pharaohs. Yet Egypt is beset by war and civil unrest. Can
the duo overcome the many challenges facing them? If you'd like to read
more about Ramses II and Queen Nefertari, try Christian Jacq's Ramses series,
starting with The Son of the Light.
First Chapter
The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander The Great - by Steven Pressfield
Publisher: Bantam Dell Pub Group
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 09/27/2005
ISBN-13: 9780553382051
ISBN-10: 0553382055
"I have always been a soldier. I have known no other life," says Alexander the
Great in this novel by bestselling author Steven Pressfield (Gates of Fire),
which recreates the life and reign of the legendary Macedonian king and
conqueror. Ascending to the throne of Macedon at age 20, Alexander immediately
embarks upon a successful military campaign that brings most of the known world
(including Egypt and the Persian Empire) under his rule. By the time he
dies, just shy of his 33rd birthday, he has never been defeated. Narrated by
Alexander himself, this "splendid fictional biography" (Booklist) will enthrall
fans of ancient military history.
First Chapter
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