[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Historical Fiction July 2008
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:32:13 -0400
Historical Fiction July 2008
"I would not be a queen
For all the world."
~ William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet and playwright, King Henry VIII
New and Recently Released!
Stealing Athena: A Novel - by Karen Essex
Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/17/2008
ISBN: 9780385519717
ISBN-10: 0385519710
Fresh off the success of her bestselling novel Leonardo's Swans, author Karen
Essex returns to explore the complex history of one of the world's most famous
art collections, the Elgin Marbles. During the Napoleonic Wars, 21-year-old
Scottish heiress Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin, arrives in Constantinople
with her diplomat husband. Over the years, Mary schemes to have the Parthenon
deconstructed and its sculptures brought to England. In a parallel narrative,
Aspasia, an ancient Greek philosopher and courtesan, plays a key role in the
Parthenon's construction. Full of romance and intrigue, this tale will delight
readers who like novels about art history and the lives of women.
Mistress of the Sun - by Sandra Gulland
Publisher: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/3/2008
ISBN: 9780743298872
ISBN-10: 074329887X
Set amidst the splendor of the 17th-century French royal court, Mistress of the
Sun imagines the life and times of Louise de la Vallière, mistress of France's
King Louis XIV, the Sun King. Following the death of her father and her
mother's subsequent remarriage to a marquis, high-spirited Louise finds a place
at court and quickly catches the eye of the young king. As his official
mistress, Louise bears four children and is made a duchess, but her position and
future are not secure. Featuring a riveting love story and tinged with elements
of the supernatural, this latest novel from the author of the popular Josephine
B. trilogy is bound to enchant.
Missy - by Chris Hannan
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/10/2008
ISBN: 9780374199838
ISBN-10: 0374199833
In late 19th-century Virginia City, Nevada, laudanum-addicted teenage
prostitute Dol McQueen's entrepreneurial instincts are awakened when she comes
into
possession of a crate of pure opium. Unfortunately for Dol, the opium is stolen
goods, and the rightful owners want it back--at any cost. Soon Dol, her
mother, and a pimp named Pontius have no choice but to flee into the wilds of
the American Southwest. According to Publishers Weekly, this fresh and entirely
original debut novel by Scottish playwright Chris Hannan contains "one of the
most bombastic, fantastic heroines in recent memory."
The Diplomat's Wife - by Pam Jenoff
Publisher: MIRA
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/1/2008
ISBN: 9780778325123
ISBN-10: 0778325121
Readers who enjoyed author Pam Jenoff's debut novel, The Kommandant's Girl,
have much to cheer about in this dramatic and heartrending follow-up. At the
close of World War II, Marta Nederman, a Polish resistance fighter, meets
American soldier Paul Mattison when she is liberated from Dachau. Later Marta
and Paul reunite in Paris and fall in love, but before they can wed Paul is
killed in a plane crash. Pregnant and alone, Marta marries and starts a new
life with kindly British diplomat Simon Gold. However, when a communist spy
infiltrates British intelligence, Marta is tapped for an undercover mission
that has a surprising connection to her past.
First Chapter
Hallam's War - by Elisabeth Payne Rosen
Publisher: Unbridled Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/27/2008
ISBN: 9781932961492
ISBN-10: 1932961496
In the years leading up to the American Civil War, progressive Hugh Hallam and
his wife, Serena, leave behind the comforts of Charleston, South Carolina,
for the untamed lands of western Tennessee. There the Hallams, their three
children, and a dozen slaves--whose welfare Hugh professes to genuinely care
about--set up an idyllic life at Palmyra Farm. However, when war breaks out,
Hugh's moral compass is put to the test, and he ultimately decides to join
the Confederate army. In his absence, Serena must fight to keep the family farm
going. Fans of sweeping Civil War epics will want to be first in line for
this passionate debut novel.
The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II - by Jeff Shaara
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 5/13/2008
ISBN: 9780345461421
ISBN-10: 0345461428
Following the events of The Rising Tide, The Steel Wave is the 2nd volume in
bestselling author Jeff Shaara's Second World War trilogy. Shaara uses legendary
historical figures, including American General Dwight Eisenhower and German
Field Commander Erwin Rommel, and ordinary enlisted soldiers, such as Sergeant
Jesse Adams and Private Tom Thorne, to tell the story of D-Day and the Allied
invasion of Europe. Fast-paced, intense, and packed with a cast of
well-developed
characters, The Steel Wave will delight fans of military historical fiction.
First Chapter
Focus on: Wives of King Henry VIII
The Queen of Subtleties: A Novel of Anne Boleyn - by Suzannah Dunn
Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 11/1/2005
ISBN: 9780060591588
ISBN-10: 0060591587
On the eve of her execution, Anne Boleyn, the 2nd wife of England's King Henry
VIII, pens a letter to her young daughter, Elizabeth. Anne tells of her arrival
in the English court at age 20, her lengthy courtship with Henry as he tried to
divorce his first wife, the events of her brief marriage, and the false
accusations that led to her beheading. Juxtaposed against Anne's story is that
of Henry's confectioner, Lucy Cornwallis, who witnesses Anne's rise and
fall from her position in the royal kitchens. This lively and colorful
narrative gives a very human voice to one of history's most maligned and
misunderstood
women.
First Chapter
The Last Wife of Henry VIII - by Carolly Erickson
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 10/3/2006
ISBN: 9780312352189
ISBN-10: 0312352182
What type of woman would marry a man who had two of his five previous wives
executed at his behest? In The Last Wife of Henry VIII, author Carolly Erickson
provides a riveting portrait of Catherine Parr, who was married to Henry during
the final years of his life. Erickson follows Catherine into the perilous
world of the royal court, throughout her marriage to the aging king, and during
her rivalry with Princess Elizabeth for the love of Thomas Seymour. Readers
who delight in the intrigue and drama of the Tudor world won't want to miss
this tale of the only woman to have survived Henry's mercurial affections.
First Chapter
Plain Jane - by Laurien Gardner
Publisher: Berkley Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/1/2008
ISBN: 9780425220948
ISBN-10: 042522094X
Though King Henry VIII had six wives, only wife number three, quiet and shy
Jane Seymour, was able to provide him with the male heir he so desperately
wanted.
Sadly, she died just 12 days after giving birth to their son, the future King
Edward VI, and was never crowned. In Plain Jane, author Laurien Gardner
chronicles
unassuming Jane's climb from maid of honor to both Queen Catherine and Anne
Boleyn to the apple of Henry's wandering eye. If you like this book, don't
miss Gardner's novels about Henry's previous wives, The Spanish Bride and A
Lady Raised High.
The Constant Princess - by Philippa Gregory
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 12/13/2005
ISBN: 9780743272483
ISBN-10: 074327248X
While most of us know that King Henry VIII's first wife was Katherine of
Aragon, many people may not realize that Henry and Katherine were married for
close
to 25 years before he threw her over for wife number two, Anne Boleyn.
Beginning with Katherine's childhood as the daughter of Spain's Isabella and
Ferdinand,
bestselling author Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl) crafts a
captivating and complex portrait of Katherine in her roles as princess, wife,
and
queen. Prepare to be swept away by this vibrant and compelling page-turner.
First Chapter
The Rose Without a Thorn - by Jean Plaidy
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/1/2003
ISBN: 9780609810170
ISBN-10: 0609810170
Of King Henry VIII's six wives, the two who paid for his displeasure with their
lives were the strong-willed Anne Boleyn (number two) and the beautiful
Katherine Howard (number five). In The Rose Without a Thorn, author Jean Plaidy
probes the life of young Katherine, whose marriage to Henry lasted less
than two years. In a manner that is sure to captivate and transport, Plaidy
charts Katherine's impoverished adolescence, her marriage to the much-older
king, and her final downfall. Check out the rest of Plaidy's Queens of England
novels for more rich and satisfying portraits of British royal life.
First Chapter
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