[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Historical Fiction May 2009

  • From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 25 May 2009 10:46:51 -0400

New and Recently Released!

The King's Rifle - by Biyi Bandele
Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780061582660
ISBN-10: 0061582662
Former blacksmith's apprentice Ali Banana is only 14 when he joins the 
"Chindits," a branch of the Allied Special Forces sent to Burma by the British 
to
fight the Japanese during WWII. One of eight Nigerians in D-Section Thunder 
Brigade, Ali bonds with his fellow soldiers despite differences in language
and cultural background as they carry out dangerous missions behind enemy 
lines. This debut novel by Nigerian playwright Biyi Bandele is a powerful 
coming-of-age
story and an eye-opening look at the experiences of African soldiers during the 
Second World War.

The Branch and the Scaffold - by Loren D. Estleman
Publisher: Forge
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/27/2009
ISBN-13: 9780765315991
ISBN-10: 0765315998
Think your job is tough? Try being federal judge Isaac C. Parker, the notorious 
"Hanging Judge" of Arkansas' Western District and the Indian Territory of
Oklahoma. From 1875 until his death in 1896, Parker presided over some 13,000 
trials and sentenced 156 men and 4 women to death (79 of whom made it to
the gallows), which earned him his fair share of enemies. Full of real-life 
historical figures, including notorious outlaws such as Belle Starr and the
Dalton Brothers, this novel is a "vivid, fast-paced western adventure 
brilliantly presented by a masterful storyteller" (Publishers Weekly).

A Reliable Wife - By Robert Goolrick
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 03/31/2009
ISBN-13: 9781565125964
ISBN-10: 1565125967
"Country businessman seeks reliable wife. Compelled by practical, not romantic 
reasons," reads the advertisement placed by wealthy Wisconsin widower Ralph
Truitt. When beautiful Catherine Land arrives on the train, she seems too good 
to be true--and she is. With a scandalous past and an uncertain future,
Catherine's got a plan: to poison Truitt and inherit his money. But Truitt has 
plans of his own, and as the bleak winter of 1907 unfolds, husband and wife
discover each other's dark secrets. Kirkus Reviews calls A Reliable Wife "a 
sublime murder ballad that doesn't turn out at all the way one might expect."

All Other Nights: A Novel - by Dara Horn
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/02/2009
ISBN-13: 9780393064926
ISBN-10: 0393064921
Murdering your uncle on Passover just isn't kosher. But that's exactly what 
Jacob Rappaport has been ordered to do by his commanding officer. After joining
the Union Army to escape an arranged marriage, Jacob is recruited for a special 
mission: prevent his uncle from assassinating President Lincoln. And that's
not all. Jacob must also infiltrate and spy on the Levy family, wealthy Jewish 
landowners suspected of having Confederate sympathies. But things become
complicated when he falls in love with the Levys' daughter, rebel spy Eugenia. 
For an intriguing look at the lives of Jewish Americans during the Civil
War, be sure to read All Other Nights.

The Color of Lightning: A Novel - by Paulette Jiles
Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/01/2009
ISBN-13: 9780061690440
ISBN-10: 0061690449
Based on a true story, this novel follows former slave Britt Johnson as he and 
his family travel to Texas shortly after the end of the Civil War. Britt
is eager to start a freight business, while his wife intends to be a 
schoolteacher, but those plans are put on hold when a group of Comanche-Kiowa 
kidnap
Britt's wife and children. Now Britt must come up with a plan to get them back 
before it's too late. Don't miss this "rousing, character-driven tale" (Kirkus
Reviews) by Paulette Giles, author of the bestselling Stormy Weather and Enemy 
Women.
Focus on: Renaissance Art

Portrait of an Unknown Woman - by Vanora Bennett
Publisher: William Morrow
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 04/01/2007
ISBN-13: 9780061251832
ISBN-10: 0061251836
As the Protestant Reformation sweeps across Europe fueling civil war and a 
Northern Renaissance, famed portraitist Hans Holbein the Younger abandons 
Germany
for England, where he finds a patron in eminent scholar Sir Thomas More. But 
things aren't much calmer in the British Isles, for Henry VIII wants to break
with the Pope--which puts the devoutly Catholic Sir Thomas in danger. Holbein 
paints a portrait of the entire More family, including his adopted daughter
Meg, who is married to another of Sir Thomas' wards, John Clement. Five years 
later, Holbein once again paints the family, but this time the painting is
different--thanks to a shocking secret. If you liked Tracy Chevalier's Girl 
With a Pearl Earring, try Portrait of an Unknown Woman.
First Chapter

The Birth of Venus: A Novel - by Sarah Dunant
Publisher: Random House
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 02/01/2004
ISBN-13: 9781400060733
ISBN-10: 1400060737
The daughter of a wealthy Florentine merchant, 15-year-old Alessandra Cecchi is 
intelligent, highly educated, and has a passion for art inspired by the
gifted young painter hired to decorate her family's chapel. While Alessandra 
longs to become an artist, her parents marry her off to the much older 
Cristoforo,
who promises her she will be free to pursue her interests. That freedom, 
however, is threatened when followers of revolutionary Dominican friar Girolamo
Savonarola seize control of the city and begin burning all books and works of 
art they've deemed immoral. Meanwhile, Alessandra's relationship with the
painter grows stronger, putting them both in danger. Don't miss this "lush and 
intellectually gripping novel" (Booklist).
First Chapter

Leonardo's Swans: A Novel - by Karen Essex
Publisher: Bantam Dell Publishing Group
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/09/2007
ISBN-13: 9780767923064
ISBN-10: 0767923065
The d'Este sisters, Isabella and Beatrice, born only a year apart, are complete 
opposites: Isabella is beautiful, intelligent and ambitious, while Beatrice
is tomboyish, naïve, and desperate to be loved. They're also rivals. Isabella, 
though married to handsome soldier Francesco Gonzaga, has set her sights
on Beatrice's husband, Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan and the patron of 
Leonardo da Vinci. Desirous of higher social status and recognizing Leonardo's
genius as a tool to achieve her ambitions, Isabella attempts to get the artist 
to immortalize her in a painting--no matter what the cost. This novel artfully
reconstructs the events behind the creation of some of Leonardo da Vinci's most 
famous works.
First Chapter

The Secret Supper - by Javier Sierra
Publisher: Atria Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 03/21/2006
ISBN-13: 9780743287647
ISBN-10: 0743287649
In 1497, Dominican Friar (and inquisitor) Agostino Leyre travels to the church 
of Santa Maria delle grazie in Milan, where Leonardo da Vinci is at work
on his painting The Last Supper. Sent by the Pope, who has been receiving 
messages from a mysterious informant called "the Soothsayer," Father Agostino
must uncover the identity of the Soothsayer and investigate the painting for 
evidence of heretical coded messages. If you liked the puzzles in Umberto
Eco's The Name of the Rose, you may enjoy The Secret Supper, which was 
originally published in Spain.
First Chapter

The Passion of Artemisia - by Susan Vreeland
Publisher: Penguin Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 01/01/2003
ISBN-13: 9780142001820
ISBN-10: 0142001821
The daughter of a respected painter, Artemisia Gentileschi is determined to 
become an artist. She has the talent, but in 1612 Italy, women are not 
encouraged
to pursue a career in the arts (or in any other area). When her father's friend 
Agostino Tassi agrees to teach her, Artemisia's goal seems within reach--until
he rapes her. After her attempts to bring him to justice make her an outcast, 
Artemisia is married off to another artist and finds success as a painter.
But when Artemisia is elected to the Accademia dell'Arte, her husband's 
jealousy forces her to choose between her career and her marriage in this novel
by the author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue.
First Chapter

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  • » [bksvol-discuss] Fw: Historical Fiction May 2009 - Amber Wallenstein