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| A Promise to Arlette by Serena BurdickIn an idyllic Massachusetts neighborhood, local boy Sidney and his British bride Ida haven't recovered from the war. They hide it well until 1952 when a neighbor shows off a Man Ray photo, leading Ida to steal it. She heads to California to confront the artist, knowing her beloved friend Arlette was actually the photographer. Set in England, France, and the United States before, during, and after World War II, this is an evocative, haunting novel. Try this next: Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey. |
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Isola : a novel
by Allegra Goodman
"France, 1531. Orphaned by the age of five, Marguerite de la Rocque was heir to a chateau with its own village and lands. But her guardian, Jean Francois de la Rocque de Roberval, sells Marguerite's property to embark on an expedition to New France, bringing Marguerite and her maidservant with him. Aboard the ship, the women are limited to the company of the captain, the navigator, Roberval, and his secretary--a man whose musical talent, literary knowledge, and dark eyes intrigue Marguerite. It isn't long before the two of them are meeting secretly to declare their love for one another. When Roberval discovers this transgression, he is furious, seeing their affection as betrayal. As punishment, he maroons them on a small island off the coast, condemning them to certain death. Marguerite, the man she considers to be her husband, and her servant create a home for themselves inside a small cave. When the weather turns and the island is blanketed in ice, survival becomes nearly impossible. Marguerite is soonthe only one left alive. She despairs, convinced she's been abandoned by God, and that she, too, will succumb to the brutality of the Island. Only then does she realize a strength her guardian could never have fathomed. She teaches herself to hunt and fish, to preserve food, and to scavenge. Months pass, and eventually Marguerite is discovered by a group of Basque fisherman. She persuades them to return her to France, where she tells her story and finally secures her own future, free from her guardian's control"
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| The Harvey Girls by Juliette FayIn 1926, two new Harvey Girls (waitresses who must be single and between the ages of 18 and 30) are hired on the same day. But both have lied: Charlotte is married to an abusive college professor and Billie is only 15 but needs money to send home. The two secretive roommates are at odds but grow close while completing their extensive training in Kansas and working at the Grand Canyon's El Tovar hotel. For fans of: atmospheric, well-researched novels that center female friendship. |
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I Am Cleopatra by Natasha SolomonsThe favored daughter of the Pharaoh, Egyptian Princess Cleopatra spent her childhood hiding amid the scrolls in the great library of Alexandria, dreaming of one day writing her own story. When her father dies, naming both Cleopatra and her selfish brother Ptolemy as his successors to the throne, danger arises. While the young Queen sails the Nile to greet her people, her brother plots to eliminate her and rule the empire alone. But while Ptolemy has the power of the kingdom behind him, Cleopatra has her cunning wits. When the great Caesar arrives from Rome, she realizes he could be the key to her salvation—though courting this powerful man could cost her everything. Can Cleopatra save her life, her throne, and her beloved Egypt and finally write her own history?
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| The English Masterpiece by Katherine ReayAt London's Tate Modern Gallery, Lily Summers happily works as powerful curator Diana Gilden's assistant. But after viewing a painting Diana has authenticated at a 1973 Picasso exhibit, Lily blurts out that it's a fake, shocking the crowd and threatening her own career. Digging into the past, Lily tries to uncover the truth. Well-researched and evocative, this compelling novel has intrigue, memorable characters, and a bit of romance. For fans of: Kate Quinn; Fiona Davis. |
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Florenzer : a novel
by Philip H. Melanson
In fifteenth-century Florence, young Leonardo da Vinci, rising banker Lorenzo de' Medici and ambitious priest Francesco Salviati navigate artistic brilliance, political intrigue and forbidden desires that will shape both their fates and the city's future. Illustrations.
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| The Original by Nell StevensIn 1899, 25-year-old Grace Inderwick, who has face blindness, travels with her aunt to Rome to meet someone claiming to be her cousin Charles, thought to have been lost at sea years ago. While Grace ponders growing up with her cold relatives and her remarkable ability to copy paintings, she and others wonder if the man is an imposter hoping to inherit a sizeable English estate. For fans of: captivating, evocative stories about art forgery; Sarah Waters; Emma Donoghue. |
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An excellent thing in a woman by Allison MontclairIris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge must clear Gwen's beau of murder after a Parisian performer is found dead at the BBC, in the seventh novel of the series following Murder at the White Palace.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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The Public Library
501 Copper NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102
505-768-5141abqlibrary.org |
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