[bksvol-discuss] Fw: Historical Fiction September 2008
- From: "Amber Wallenstein" <amber.wallens@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:32:27 -0400
New and Recently Released!
Stand the Storm: A Novel - by Breena Clarke
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/28/2008
ISBN: 9780316007047
ISBN-10: 0316007048
Due to her skill with a needle, Sewing Annie Coats enjoys unusual freedom for a
slave in pre-Civil War Washington, D.C. But despite Annie's efforts to keep
her family together, their owner hires out her son, 10-year-old Gabriel, to a
local tailor. The tailor's disapproval of slavery inspires him to make the
boy his apprentice, setting Gabriel on the road to buying his freedom as well
as that of his family. However, the impending war threatens to throw their
lives into turmoil. Precise period detail and complex, engaging characters make
this novel a "poignant story about the intricacies of human bondage" (Publishers
Weekly).
The Glimmer Palace - by Beatrice Colin
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 7/24/2008
ISBN: 9781594489853
ISBN-10: 1594489858
Born on the eve of a new century--December 31, 1899--Lilly Aphrodite, the
illegitimate daughter of a cabaret singer, spends her earliest years in an
orphanage
before escaping to Berlin. Once there, she reinvents herself in a dazzling
series of "roles," from barmaid to war bride to silver-screen siren. Yet fame
pales in comparison to her love for Russian exile Ilya Yurosov. When the Nazi
Party comes to power, Lilly (now Lidi) must decide whether to persevere in
an increasingly intolerable situation, or to sacrifice the life she has built
for herself in a wild bid for freedom. This "engrossing, romantic" story
will transport you to another time and place (Booklist).
The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard: A Novel - by Erin McGraw
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/1/2008
ISBN: 9780618386284
ISBN-10: 0618386289
Prairie girl Nell Plat, born in and bored with rural Grant Station, Kansas,
knows that she is destined for more than sewing dresses and baking pies and
so sets out to reinvent herself in this hopping Jazz Age tale. Deserting her
husband and two small daughters, Nell heads for Hollywood, where--thanks to
her sewing skills--she finds herself in high demand as modiste Madame Annelle.
From outfitting starlet Clara Bow to marrying wealthy oilman George Curran,
Nell is unstoppable--until her past catches up with her. If you like plucky
heroines and perfectly-pitched period detail, you'll agree that this book is
the bee's knees.
The King's Gold - by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/14/2008
ISBN: 9780399155109
ISBN-10: 0399155104
In this 4th installment of Perez-Reverte's wildly popular series featuring the
dashing swordsman Captain Alatriste, our hero and his protege, Inigo Balboa,
have just returned to Spain after a grueling military campaign in Flanders. But
there's no time for rest and relaxation. Pirates have diverted a treasure
fleet, returning from the New World laden with gold ingots, and it's up to
Alatriste and Balboa to recruit a band of men to get it back. Swashbuckling
thrills abound in this old-fashioned adventure novel, full of "complex
characters, exotic settings and plenty of sanguinary action" (Publishers
Weekly).
The Good Thief - by Hannah Tinti
Publisher: Dial Press
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/26/2008
ISBN: 9780385337458
ISBN-10: 0385337450
One-handed orphan Ren, a likeable young scamp with a talent for thievery, finds
that his life changes forever when fast-talking con man Benjamin Nab rescues
him from the orphanage by claiming to be Ren's long lost brother. In reality,
Nab perceives that Ren, with his missing hand, will serve as a useful
accomplice.
The duo, along with Nab's partner (the erudite and perpetually tipsy Tom), runs
one successful scam after another until they arrive in the mining town
of North Umbrage, where everything begins to fall apart. Suddenly, Ren is torn
between protecting the only family he's ever known and discovering his true
identity in this "dark and rousing 19th-century picaresque" tale (Publishers
Weekly).
First Chapter
Focus on: Ireland
This Cold Country - by Annabel Davis-Goff
Publisher: Harcourt
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 6/1/2003
ISBN: 9780156027380
ISBN-10: 0156027380
During WWII, Daisy Creed does her bit as a "Land Girl," working on a Welsh farm
while the men fight overseas. After a whirlwhind courtship, Daisy marries
Patrick Nugent, her employer's Irish relative. When Patrick's regiment is
ordered back to France, Daisy travels to Ireland to visit her new in-laws and
discovers that Dunmaine, the Nugents' ancestral estate, has fallen on hard
times. Moreover, Patrick's eccentric family--his senile grandmother, reclusive
brother, and spoiled sister--refuse to do anything about the situation. Once
Daisy learns that Patrick is in a POW camp, she takes charge of restoring
Dunmaine so that her husband will have something to come home to. You'll be
swept away by this tale of love and war.
Ireland: A Novel - by Frank Delaney
Publisher: HarperCollins
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 2/1/2005
ISBN: 9780060563486
ISBN-10: 0060563486
In 1951, nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara's life changes forever when an itinerant
shanachie (traditional Irish storyteller) shows up on his family's doorstep,
offering a tale in exchange for food--and what a tale it is! For the next three
nights, the Storyteller spins a sprawling epic of Ireland and its colorful
past, weaving together strands of myth and history. By the time the Storyteller
departs, Ronan's own interest in Irish folklore has been awakened, and
from that day forward, he dedicates his life to gathering and retelling the old
legends. Fans of the historical sagas of James Michener and Edward Rutherfurd
will devour this "vivid rendering of Irish history" (Kirkus Reviews).
First Chapter
1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion - by Morgan Llywelyn
Publisher: Tor Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 3/1/1999
ISBN: 9780812574920
ISBN-10: 0812574923
At 15, Ned Halloran survives the sinking of the Titanic, but this is just the
beginning of his story. Returning to his native Ireland, the orphaned lad
ends up at St. Enda's, an Irish-language school whose headmaster, the
poet-rebel Padraic Pearse, is devoted to the cause of Irish indepedence. Through
Pearse, Ned encounters the history-makers of the era, and as he becomes aware
of what's happening around him, he becomes first courier and later soldier
in a series of events that culminate in the Easter Rising of 1916. Anyone with
an interest in Irish history will want to read this "thunderous, informative"
book (Publishers Weekly).
Gracelin O'Malley - by Ann Moore
Publisher: New American Library
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 8/1/2001
ISBN: 9780451202994
ISBN-10: 0451202996
In 1840s Ireland, 16-year-old Gracelin O'Malley agrees to marry Bram Donnelly,
her family's English landlord, in exchange for a cancellation of their debts.
However, while the O'Malley family's situation improves somewhat, Gracelin's
grows worse. Her new husband, whose previous two wives died under suspicious
circumstances, is an abusive drunk. Meanwhile, the Great Famine has Ireland in
its grip, and as her brother plots rebellion, Gracelin secretly defies her
husband by giving food and supplies to the needy. When Bram finds out,
Gracelin's life is in danger, and she must fight for her own freedom as well as
her country's. High drama and history combine in this "finely wrought tale"
(Publishers Weekly).
The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga - by Edward Rutherfurd
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Check Library Catalog
Pub Date: 3/1/2005
ISBN: 9780345472359
ISBN-10: 0345472357
From the author of Sarum and The Forest comes a multigenerational,
millennium-spanning saga in which all of the major historical players, from St.
Patrick
to Strongbow, come to life. While the teeming historical landscape is populated
by a diverse and ever-evolving cast, the real star is Ireland itself. This
book, the first of two volumes detailing the history of Ireland from
pre-Christian times to the present day, begins by recalling the legend of
Cuchulainn
and ends with Henry VIII's invasion and conquest in 1537. Fans of Irish history
and culture will rejoice at this stunning portrait of the Emerald Isle.
First Chapter
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