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Historical Fiction Book Recommendation Thread

Are you a lover of Historical Fiction

  • Yes

    Votes: 69 90.8%
  • No

    Votes: 1 1.3%
  • I am new to the genre

    Votes: 6 7.9%

  • Total voters
    76

NSP30

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I finished The Book of Lost Names
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The Book of Lost Names is beautiful, heartwrenching, and inspiring tale of Eva a sharp witted librarian living in Florida who spots a book that she had not seen in years which serves as a reminder of a life in France that she has rarely spoken of but has never forgotten. Born to Jewish parents, Eva is doing her best to make the most of her life in Nazi occupied France as a beautiful yet shy young woman. One day she gets a tip from a friend that police will be raiding apartments to send Jews east to the camps which she and family do not heed. On the night, that her apartment is raided she and her mother watches the two children of her next door neighbor in their apartment but her father who stayed home is not so lucky and is rounded up with other Jews and left to a fate unknown to Eva. The book takes off after that with a guilt ridden Eva desperate to find her father and reunite him with her mother so that their family can flee into neutral Switzerland. On that perilous quest to reunite her family, using her intelligence Eva plots a strategy for her and her mother to flee Paris which lands them in a small French town in occupy free France. There Eva's life will change forever for she will experience, friendship, love, heartache, lost, strife, and most importantly purpose during the most trying and terrifying time of her life. A while ago, I read an article about the framing of the Holocaust in history now that many of its survivors are slowly dying off, I would never claim that historical fiction can replace those personal accounts, but the article did make me think about the protagonists who are at the center of these stories and I decided that it was important for me to read books where Jewish people are the center of their stories and active in their own way (big or small) in the resistance of their occupation. That is what made this book so powerful to me Eva was a heroine who wanted to save herself and many others. The book is well written with a solid plot but I could have used a bit more information on the strategy intricacies of the resistance, still I thoroughly enjoyed The Book of Lost Names, I rate it 4.5 stars.
 

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I finished The Book of Lost Names
View attachment 1881618

The Book of Lost Names is beautiful, heartwrenching, and inspiring tale of Eva a sharp witted librarian living in Florida who spots a book that she had not seen in years which serves as a reminder of a life in France that she has rarely spoken of but has never forgotten. Born to Jewish parents, Eva is doing her best to make the most of her life in Nazi occupied France as a beautiful yet shy young woman. One day she gets a tip from a friend that police will be raiding apartments to send Jews east to the camps which she and family do not heed. On the night, that her apartment is raided she and her mother watches the two children of her next door neighbor in their apartment but her father who stayed home is not so lucky and is rounded up with other Jews and left to a fate unknown to Eva. The book takes off after that with a guilt ridden Eva desperate to find her father and reunite him with her mother so that their family can flee into neutral Switzerland. On that perilous quest to reunite her family, using her intelligence Eva plots a strategy for her and her mother to flee Paris which lands them in a small French town in occupy free France. There Eva's life will change forever for she will experience, friendship, love, heartache, lost, strife, and most importantly purpose during the most trying and terrifying time of her life. A while ago, I read an article about the framing of the Holocaust in history now that many of its survivors are slowly dying off, I would never claim that historical fiction can replace those personal accounts, but the article did make me think about the protagonists who are at the center of these stories and I decided that it was important for me to read books where Jewish people are the center of their stories and active in their own way (big or small) in the resistance of their occupation. That is what made this book so powerful to me Eva was a heroine who wanted to save herself and many others. The book is well written with a solid plot but I could have used a bit more information on the strategy intricacies of the resistance, still I thoroughly enjoyed The Book of Lost Names, I rate it 4.5 stars.

Just finished it and came here. Like your review.

I gave it a 4, was thinking it was a 3 because Eva's mother was dreadful, but I understand why after thinking about it. I also thought about a 3 bc I questioned some of Eva's decisions... Like go to Switzerland, girl.
This book had more religious tones than Rue Amelie. I didn't mine it though I could see it being off-putting to some readers.

I changed my rating to 4 because of what happened to her after she didn't go to Switzerland.
The ending broke my heart, but happy at the same time.

I enjoyed it and put the author's other book in my queue. I might get back into reading WWII books again bc all them give the idea of what was happening and the emotions. Like you said, and what Eva said, the Jews and other victims should not be "erased."

I think this book has a similar theme to nightingale and you would enjoy it.
I remembered another book I really liked called The Lilac Girls, if you want another book to check out.
 
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NSP30

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Just finished it and came here. Like your review.

I gave it a 4, was thinking it was a 3 because Eva's mother was dreadful, but I understand why after thinking about it. I also thought about a 3 bc I questioned some of Eva's decisions... Like go to Switzerland, girl.
This book had more religious tones than Rue Amelie. I didn't mine it though I could see it being off-putting to some readers.

I changed my rating to 4 because of what happened to her after she didn't go to Switzerland.
The ending broke my heart, but happy at the same time.

I enjoyed it and put the author's other book in my queue. I might get back into reading WWII books again bc all them give the idea of what was happening and the emotions. Like you said, and what Eva said, the Jews and other victims should not be "erased."

I think this book has a similar theme to nightingale and you would enjoy it.
I remembered another book I really liked called The Lilac Girls, if you want another book to check out.
Great review
Exactly, so much of the book was about losing who you are I could totally understand Eva's mom even though she was dreadful as you said I tried to remember that they had already left Poland and given up much because at the time Poland's antisemitism was rampant which is why they moved to France so she had already given up much.
I just adored young and old Eva.
The list for Nightingale is ridiculously long at my library I put a request in for Winter's Garden by Hannah.
Right now I am reading Fifty Words For Rain. I shall leave a review here when I am done.
Lilac Girls added to my TBR.
What is your next read?
 

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Great review
Exactly, so much of the book was about losing who you are I could totally understand Eva's mom even though she was dreadful as you said I tried to remember that they had already left Poland and given up much because at the time Poland's antisemitism was rampant which is why they moved to France so she had already given up much.
I just adored young and old Eva.
The list for Nightingale is ridiculously long at my library I put a request in for Winter's Garden by Hannah.
Right now I am reading Fifty Words For Rain. I shall leave a review here when I am done.
Lilac Girls added to my TBR.
What is your next read?
Haven't read Winter Garden or 50 words, but will check them out. I use the overdrive library app and it can be super long to wait. But, it's a very convenient app.

Next read is Such a Fun Age.
 

NSP30

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Haven't read Winter Garden or 50 words, but will check them out. I use the overdrive library app and it can be super long to wait. But, it's a very convenient app.

Next read is Such a Fun Age.
Cool let me know if they interest you.

I personally enjoyed Such a Fun Age but I know people consider it a love or or hate it read. I hope you enjoy it.
Happy Reading!!
 

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Fifty words for Rain is a solid yet imperfect historical fiction novel with what some may deem as uneven character development and unbalanced pacing. Yet despite these flaws, I was still intrigued and eager to know the fate of this half Japanese and half Black girl named Noriko living in Post World War II Japan, which I think speaks to Lemmie ability as a storyteller. Nori was an endearing protagonist and from those first few pages, I was vested in her fate, once her mother abandons Nori in front of her racist, elitist, and aristocratic Japanese grandparent's door as an illiterate yet intelligent child of the tender of age eight, that is when Nori's life changes forever. The story is written mostly from the perspective of Nori, however at various points in the novel when Lemmie wants to give the reader a more mature, biased or unbiased perspective of the events the narration changes from Akiko, Nori's prejudiced but dedicated house maid, to Kiyomi the hardened Geisha, who teaches Nori about the finer things in life comes to love her, to Akira, Nori's beloved older half brother who would do anything to protect her, to Alice, a young woman from England who becomes a sister figure to Nori, as well as other minor characters. I enjoyed these perspectives because they aided the reader in understanding events and situations that Nori was too young and naive to understand herself. How much one enjoys this novel will depend how one chooses to view the imperfections in this book should it really be seen as inconsistent character development or does one view those inconsistencies as a girl who grew up alone in the attic with a warped view of herself and those of the world around her. My perspective is that of the latter. Fifty Words for Rain is a nice debut for Ms. Lemmie, I rate it 3.95 stars, I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Depending on the library next up for me would be Nightingale, Pachinko or The Vatican Princess.

Finally, I have a few advanced reading copies for some historical fiction books that will be released later in the year and early quarter next year, would your guys prefer an early review or for me to post a review closer to the release dates?

Happy Reading
 

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This was a really good list. I wrote down a few titles that I will add to my TBR.
 

Victoria Baker Harber

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I have been re-reading these. I like Tudor fiction but dislike Philippa Gregory novels and found these to be a better alternative.

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9fUA3O-qCh3UB8J6LYveE7sNgzTyMird693pQe9lROQHuM49yCMxOn5tn2ct4Sq_yls6N-VZy2CdAB2MmxuEuFIiJKdSkx1r5Wzq47RSjBmYsYZ2F2WjJg2Occ7WEtHpX1xtAw_bzXQ


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The last one should be released next year

9781101966631


My favorites have been Catherine of Aragon's, Anne of Cleeves, and then Anne of Boleyn's.
 

Victoria Baker Harber

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View attachment 1920821

Fifty words for Rain is a solid yet imperfect historical fiction novel with what some may deem as uneven character development and unbalanced pacing. Yet despite these flaws, I was still intrigued and eager to know the fate of this half Japanese and half Black girl named Noriko living in Post World War II Japan, which I think speaks to Lemmie ability as a storyteller. Nori was an endearing protagonist and from those first few pages, I was vested in her fate, once her mother abandons Nori in front of her racist, elitist, and aristocratic Japanese grandparent's door as an illiterate yet intelligent child of the tender of age eight, that is when Nori's life changes forever. The story is written mostly from the perspective of Nori, however at various points in the novel when Lemmie wants to give the reader a more mature, biased or unbiased perspective of the events the narration changes from Akiko, Nori's prejudiced but dedicated house maid, to Kiyomi the hardened Geisha, who teaches Nori about the finer things in life comes to love her, to Akira, Nori's beloved older half brother who would do anything to protect her, to Alice, a young woman from England who becomes a sister figure to Nori, as well as other minor characters. I enjoyed these perspectives because they aided the reader in understanding events and situations that Nori was too young and naive to understand herself. How much one enjoys this novel will depend how one chooses to view the imperfections in this book should it really be seen as inconsistent character development or does one view those inconsistencies as a girl who grew up alone in the attic with a warped view of herself and those of the world around her. My perspective is that of the latter. Fifty Words for Rain is a nice debut for Ms. Lemmie, I rate it 3.95 stars, I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Depending on the library next up for me would be Nightingale, Pachinko or The Vatican Princess.

Finally, I have a few advanced reading copies for some historical fiction books that will be released later in the year and early quarter next year, would your guys prefer an early review or for me to post a review closer to the release dates?

Happy Reading

I'd love to read your review of 'The Vatican Princess'.
 

Victoria Baker Harber

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Don't know if this thread is still going. But I really enjoyed these two books.

They are fictionalized autobiographies of Emperor Claudius. He writes about his cast of character family members (the Claudians/the Julii-Caesars) who look down on and underestimate him for being a stutterer/'odd'.

They are always scheming, engaging in plots/power grabs, killing one another, and having messy affairs which eventually leads to Claudius, being the only 'safe' candidate left to take the title of Emperor. But is he really the safe choice?

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Victoria Baker Harber

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I read these ones recently. They were pretty decent and quick to get through. The first is about Nefertiti and her husband Akhenaten creating the cult of Aten to supplant the god Amun/the consequences of this Amarna period. The second book is about her sister Mutnedjmet still paying for the cult of Aten through marriage to the Pharaoh Horemhab

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Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

Forget all about 300 and its ridiculous portrayal of Sparta and the Battle of Thermopylae -- this is the real sh!t, meticulously researched, telling the story of Sparta during the infamous second invasion of Greece by the Persian Empire.

The story begins about a decade before the second Persian invasion, when the Spartans were preparing and were trying to convince the rest of the Greek world that the Persians would be back with an army bigger than any that existed before.

The book introduces us to a group of young Spartans who are students in the agoge, the legendarily brutal Spartan state school where kids were molded into Spartan Peers, aka full Spartiate warriors.

The kids are trained by Dienekes, the Spartan commander famous for his quip before Thermopylae. When someone said the Persian archers were so numerous that their arrows blocked out the sun, Dienekes said: "Good, then we shall fight in the shade."

The book provides a detailed look at life within Sparta, what the Spartans were like, how they viewed the world, and how they became the most feared power in the ancient world despite being barely a small city.

All of it leads up to the battles of Thermopylae and Plataea, where the Greeks tried to stop an army of a million -- including warriors from all of the Persian Empire's vassal states -- from conquering Greece and wiping out Hellenic culture. (The world would be a much different place if the Persians had won.)
 

OlaTia

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Added more to my list :)
I've read some of these already (Roots, I Claudius), here's a couple of other ones I didn't see:

Shogun by James Clavell is an adventure story but also gives you a good idea of how Japan was in the 1600s...

The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone is a bio of Michelangelo, and goes into great detail how Florence and Italy, were in the Renaissance times.

The Alison Weir books are good, enjoy her writing style. Her historic non fiction book "The Children of Henry VIII" was good. Horrifying description of the last days of Edward VI (Henry VIII's only son), to keep him alive to approve plans for his successor.
 

NSP30

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This book sounds interesting, it releases in January 2022.
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In this moving debut novel, two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother's death and her hidden past—a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.
In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett's death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a traditional Caribbean black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking journey Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child, challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their family, and themselves.

Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor's true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right?” Will their mother's revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever?

Charmaine Wilkerson's debut novel is a story of how the inheritance of betrayals, secrets, memories, and even names, can shape relationships and history. Deeply evocative and beautifully written, Black Cake is an extraordinary journey through the life of a family changed forever by the choices of its matriarch.
 

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Has anyone read The Girl Meets Duke romance series?
The Duchess Deal is the first book, and it gets loads praise.
View attachment 1824101

When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir—which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.

His terms are simple:

- They will be husband and wife by night only.

- No lights, no kissing.

- No questions about his battle scars.

- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.


But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:

- They will have dinner together every evening.

- With conversation.

- And unlimited teasing.

- Last, and most importantly… Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love…
I read this, and it was a great beach read. I mean... it isn't going to change your life, but it is a feel good book. The whole series is. I read the other books in the series, and my favorite is the Wallflower Wager. I'm also pretty sure that another one is coming out this year.
 

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I read this, and it was a great beach read. I mean... it isn't going to change your life, but it is a feel good book. The whole series is. I read the other books in the series, and my favorite is the Wallflower Wager. I'm also pretty sure that another one is coming out this year.
Excellent, I will put this on my TBR. A lot of folks like Tessa Dare or at least recommend her.
 

Victoria Baker Harber

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Book One in a series of 7 chronicling the fall of the Capet dynasty in France. All are French to English Translations.

Philip IV is King of France (The Iron King). He is known for his good looks, unsettling glacial aura, and having a ruthless sphere of influence in Europe. He ruined one pope and now controls the successor. He expelled all Jews from France once he owed too much money (borrowing for wars) that couldn't be paid back. But now he owes the Knights Templars money and sets out to eradicate them once and for all/seize their assets with false claims of devil worship. The leader of the Knights Templar curses Philip with his dying breath.

Over in England, Philip's daughter Isabella (the She-wolf of France) is stirring up trouble and not for England as Philip would prefer. Resentful of the fact that she must live in matrimony with a homosexual husband (Edward II) and endure his very public and endless affairs, she indulges the rumors delivered by a calculated cousin (Robert Artois) that all three of her sisters-in-law (Margaret, Blanche, and Joan) are engaged in extramarital affairs and making fools out of her clueless brothers (Charles, Louis, and Philip). Infuriated that such women should deceive and take advantage of her father's goodwill; she enlists Robert Artois' help in laying out a trap to collect the irrefutable proof needed to convince her father to remove her three rivals once and for all.

Little does Isabella know, the cheating scandal she is so intent on exposing will intertwine with the curse of the Templars and lead to the fall of her family's dynasty and the beginnings of 'the 100 years war' between France and England.
 

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It’s 1969 and Erna Mullings has just arrived in London from Jamaica.

Finding herself in a strange country, with a mother she barely recognises and a stepfather she despises, Erna is homesick, lost and lonely. But her life is about to change irrevocably.

A story of reluctant immigration and the relationship between children and the people who parent them, The Day I Fell Off My Island is engrossing, courageous and psychologically insightful. Yvonne Bailey-Smith writes with great warmth and humanity as she explores estrangement, transition and, ultimately, the triumph of resilience and hope.
 

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Beyond the Rice Fields

By Naivo​

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I finished this one 2 weeks ago. I enjoyed it. This story is set in the 1800's. It was the first novel from Madagascar that was translated in English.

Fara and her father’s slave, Tsito, have been close since her father bought the boy after his forest village was destroyed. Now in Sahasoa, amongst the cattle and rice fields, everything is new for Tsito, and Fara at last has a companion. But as Tsito looks forward to the bright promise of freedom and Fara, backward to a dark, long-denied family history, a rift opens between them just as British Christian missionaries and French industrialists arrive and violence erupts across the country. Love and innocence fall away, and Tsito and Fara’s world becomes enveloped by tyranny, superstition, and fear.

With captivating lyricism, propulsive urgency, and two unforgettable characters at the story’s core, Naivo unflinchingly delves into the brutal history of nineteenth-century Madagascar. Beyond the Rice Fields is a tour de force that has much to teach us about human bondage and the stories we tell to face—and hide from—ourselves, each other, our pasts, and our destinies.

 

For The Culture

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I've read and enjoyed AnnPatchett's State of Wonder for my book club and enjoyed it. They have recommended The Dutch House for our next meeting.
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At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.
It's a 9 hour audiobook narrated by the good sis Tom Hanks :heart:. I'll post my review later.
 

For The Culture

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I've read and enjoyed AnnPatchett's State of Wonder for my book club and enjoyed it. They have recommended The Dutch House for our next meeting.
View attachment 2691973

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives, they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.
It's a 9 hour audiobook narrated by the good sis Tom Hanks :heart:. I'll post my review later.
I loved this book but I hardly got historical fiction vibes from it. They barely talked about the historical aspect of the Dutch house beside the few mentions of the owners... I loved the book nonetheless but it's hardly historical fiction. If you wanna read about the messiness of a rich boy who then turns "poor" and then becomes rich again... I recommend it. And also Tom Hanks does a great job narrating.
 

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I loved this book but I hardly got historical fiction vibes from it. They barely talked about the historical aspect of the Dutch house beside the few mentions of the owners... I loved the book nonetheless but it's hardly historical fiction. If you wanna read about the messiness of a rich boy who then turns "poor" and then becomes rich again... I recommend it. And also Tom Hanks does a great job narrating.
Wow so it only touches on the historical aspects of the house in the book, when something is says set over 5 decades you do expect them to delve more into the historical past and not just the recent past. Thanks so much for clarifying it for us.
 

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The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson

It was only by chance that I came across this one at my local library. I had never heard of the author or the novel before. And I am very impressed! The novel is really unusual.
 

NSP30

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Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine, deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life, seventeen-year-old Marie de France is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey, its nuns on the brink of starvation and beset by disease.

At first taken aback by the severity of her new life, Marie finds focus and love in collective life with her singular and mercurial sisters. In this crucible, Marie steadily supplants her desire for family, for her homeland, for the passions of her youth with something new to her: devotion to her sisters, and a conviction in her own divine visions. Marie, born the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders, is determined to chart a bold new course for the women she now leads and protects. But in a world that is shifting and corroding in frightening ways, one that can never reconcile itself with her existence, will the sheer force of Marie’s vision be bulwark enough?

Equally alive to the sacred and the profane, Matrix gathers currents of violence, sensuality, and religious ecstasy in a mesmerizing portrait of consuming passion, aberrant faith, and a woman that history moves both through and around. Lauren Groff’s new novel, her first since Fates and Furies, is a defiant and timely exploration of the raw power of female creativity in a corrupted world.
 

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Cast out of the royal court by Eleanor of Aquitaine, deemed too coarse and rough-hewn for marriage or courtly life, seventeen-year-old Marie de France is sent to England to be the new prioress of an impoverished abbey, its nuns on the brink of starvation and beset by disease.

At first taken aback by the severity of her new life, Marie finds focus and love in collective life with her singular and mercurial sisters. In this crucible, Marie steadily supplants her desire for family, for her homeland, for the passions of her youth with something new to her: devotion to her sisters, and a conviction in her own divine visions. Marie, born the last in a long line of women warriors and crusaders, is determined to chart a bold new course for the women she now leads and protects. But in a world that is shifting and corroding in frightening ways, one that can never reconcile itself with her existence, will the sheer force of Marie’s vision be bulwark enough?

Equally alive to the sacred and the profane, Matrix gathers currents of violence, sensuality, and religious ecstasy in a mesmerizing portrait of consuming passion, aberrant faith, and a woman that history moves both through and around. Lauren Groff’s new novel, her first since Fates and Furies, is a defiant and timely exploration of the raw power of female creativity in a corrupted world.
Oh I did not know she has a new book! I loved her first one! Thanks for recommending :giggle: .
 

NSP30

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Set in Constantinople in the fifteenth century, in a small town in present-day Idaho, and on an interstellar ship decades from now, Anthony Doerr’s gorgeous third novel is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope—and a book. In Cloud Cuckoo Land, Doerr has created a magnificent tapestry of times and places that reflects our vast interconnectedness—with other species, with each other, with those who lived before us, and with those who will be here after we’re gone.
 

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I recommend Island Queen by Vanessa Riley which is based on the life of Dorothy "Doll" Kirwan who was born into slavery in Montserrat and bought her and a lot of her family's freedom from her Irish slavemaster father and had a lot of businesses and became one of the richest black women in the Caribbean in the 1700s and 1800s, she even had a fling with a British prince William during the time and led a very interesting life(sad moments too)
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I recommend Island Queen by Vanessa Riley which is based on the life of Dorothy "Doll" Kirwan who was born into slavery in Montserrat and bought her and a lot of her family's freedom from her Irish slavemaster father and had a lot of businesses and became one of the richest black women in the Caribbean in the 1700s and 1800s, she even had a fling with a British prince William during the time and led a very interesting life(sad moments too)
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Thanks for the recommendation,☺ this has been on my list for a while.
 

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A vivid and moving novel based on the incredible life of real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary—a previously untold story of passion, perseverance, and building a legacy after emancipation in North Carolina.

Josephine N. Leary is determined to build a life of her own and a future for her family. When she moves to Edenton, North Carolina from the plantation where she was born, she is free, newly married, and ready to follow her dreams.

As the demands of life pull Josephine’s attention—deepening her marriage, mothering her daughters, supporting her grandmother—she struggles to balance her real estate aspirations with the realities of keeping life going every day. She teaches herself to be a business woman, to manage her finances, and to make smart investments in the local real estate market. But with each passing year, it grows more and more difficult to focus on building her legacy from the ground up.

Moving and inspiring, Josephine Leary’s untold story speaks to the part of us that dares to dream bigger, tear down whatever stands in our way, and build something better for the loved ones we leave behind.
 

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A vivid and moving novel based on the incredible life of real estate magnate Josephine N. Leary—a previously untold story of passion, perseverance, and building a legacy after emancipation in North Carolina.

Josephine N. Leary is determined to build a life of her own and a future for her family. When she moves to Edenton, North Carolina from the plantation where she was born, she is free, newly married, and ready to follow her dreams.

As the demands of life pull Josephine’s attention—deepening her marriage, mothering her daughters, supporting her grandmother—she struggles to balance her real estate aspirations with the realities of keeping life going every day. She teaches herself to be a business woman, to manage her finances, and to make smart investments in the local real estate market. But with each passing year, it grows more and more difficult to focus on building her legacy from the ground up.

Moving and inspiring, Josephine Leary’s untold story speaks to the part of us that dares to dream bigger, tear down whatever stands in our way, and build something better for the loved ones we leave behind.
A book set during Reconstruction, thank you for posting.
 

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