Historical Fiction
April 2025
Recent Releases
The Sable Cloak
by Gail Milissa Grant

Taking place in the first half of the 20th century in South Carolina and St. Louis, Missouri, this moving saga follows different members of a powerful Black family as they get involved in politics, run a funeral parlor, and face tragedies. "Delivered with style and heart" (Publishers Weekly), this posthumously published debut novel is based on the family history of author and diplomat Gail Milissa Grant. For fans of: Kim Coleman Foote's Coleman Hill. 
Six days in Bombay
by Alka Joshi

This sweeping novel follows young Anglo-Indian nurse Sona as she embarks on a journey from her home in 1930s Bombay, through Prague, Florence, Paris and London, to uncover a mystery and prove her innocence after famous painter Mira Novak dies in her care.
The Umbrella Maker's Son
by Tod Lending

Nazi Germany invades Poland, forcing 17-year-old Reuven's family to give up their artisan umbrella shop, leave their home, and perform hard labor. Things get worse, but Reuven is always desperately seeking his missing girlfriend. Written by an award-winning filmmaker, this moving debut ponders the power of love but doesn't hide the horrors of the Holocaust. Read-alikes: historical fiction by Georgia Hunter and Heather Morris.
The English Problem
by Beena Kamlani

In this thought-provoking debut, Mahatma Gandhi sponsors 18-year-old Shiv Advani to study British law to aid Indian independence. Shiv arrives in 1931 London ready to do what's asked of him, but over the years finds himself torn between what he's promised and what he desires as he faces racism and learns about love, literature, and himself before returning home ten years later. Read-alike: Rishi Reddi's Passage West.
Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray

In 1919, Jessie Redmon Fauset becomes the first Black woman literary editor of The Crisis magazine, putting her at the forefront of Harlem's cultural renaissance, where she discovers talents such as Langston Hughes and Nella Larsen. But her ambitions and a secret affair with W.E.B. Du Bois threaten it all. Try these next: Piper Huguley's By Her Own Design; Tia Williams' A Love Song for Ricki Wilde.
The Ghosts of Rome
by Joseph O'Connor

With the Nazis in control of Rome, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (who's based on a real person) leads the Choir, a covert network made up of an Italian countess, a British diplomat, an Irish medical student, and others. As the Gestapo desperately try to stop them, they help Allied soldiers and Jewish people escape. Though this is the stirring sequel to My Father's House, readers can start here. Try these next: From These Broken Streets by Roland Merullo; Shanghai by Joseph Kanon.
The Café With No Name
by Robert Seethaler

In 1966 Vienna, Austria, 31-year-old laborer Robert Simon takes a leap and signs a lease for a café. He builds a neighborhood hub, where patrons navigate life and love together. Fans of evocative, character-driven stories will love this "gem of a novel" (Kirkus Reviews). For a more contemporary novel about found family, pick up Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum.
Grace of the Empire State
by Gemma Tizzard

The Great Depression has caused many to lose their jobs in 1930 New York, including dancer and former circus performer Grace O'Connell. Her Irish American family needs her income, especially when her twin breaks his arm working on the Empire State Building, so brave Grace impersonates her brother, taking his place on the job. Try these next: Ella by Diane Richards; We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall. 
The Riveter
by Jack Wang

Barred from military service in 1942 due to his race, Chinese Canadian Josiah Chang works in a Vancouver shipyard where he meets white Poppy Miller, but her parents take exception to their relationship. Trying to prove himself, Josiah goes to Toronto, where he's allowed to join the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion headed to Europe. Read-alikes: Adriana Allegri's The Sunflower House; Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
Mutual Interest
by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith

Told by a witty omniscient narrator, Mutual Interest follows three secretly queer people in turn-of-the-20th-century New York City. Vivian Lesperance, who was treated poorly by her parents in Utica, reinvents herself as a sought-after party guest and makes a lavender marriage with shy businessman Oscar Schmidt. When Oscar falls for his eccentric rival, New York blueblood Squire Clancey, the trio end up living and working together. Try this next: The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665
forsythlibrary.org