Historical Fiction
April 2022

Chorus
by Rebecca Kauffman

What it is: the lyrical and character-driven story of the seven Shaw siblings, each of whom shares their perspectives on two defining moments in their lives -- one of the siblings' teenage pregnancy and their mother's mysterious early death. 

Where it's set: the Shaw family farm in rural Virginia between 1903 and 1959.

Reviewers say: Chorus is "a superbly executed saga" (Publishers Weekly).
The Matchmaker
by Paul Vidich

What it is: an atmospheric and intricately plotted story about the personal fallout of international politics during the Cold War.

Starring: Anne Simpson, a translator working in West Berlin; Anne's husband Stephen, a piano tuner who goes on an unusually high number of work-related trips on both sides of the Iron Curtain. 

Reviewers say: "Intrigue, murder, and vengeance make for a darkly enjoyable read" (Kirkus Reviews).
Booth
by Karen Joy Fowler

What it is: Describes the multiple scandals, family triumphs and disasters that took their toll on the 10 children of celebrated Shakespearean actor Junius Booth as the North and the South reached a boiling point and the Civil War broke out.

For fans of: Diane Setterfield & John O'Connell.

Reviewers say: "Throughout, the nuanced plot is both historically rigorous and richly imagined. This is a winner" (Publishers Weekly).
Call Me Cassandra
by Gala, Marcial

What it is: A young boy in 1970s Cuba searches for his identity as he moves from childhood to adolescence firmly believing he was born in the wrong body and that he is the reincarnation of the Trojan princess Cassandra.

Reviewers say: "The appearance of mythical beings during opportune times, Raúl's pitiless predictions, and the unfolding events of a fraught time in Cuban history contribute to the power of Gala's creative spin on an indelible myth and imaginative, memorable, and heartbreaking tale of identity and fatalism" (Booklist).
The Diamond Eye
by Kate Quinn

What it is: Known as Lady Death, a lethal hunter of Nazis, Mila Pavlichenko, sent to America on a goodwill tour, forms an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and a connection with a silent fellow sniper, offering her a chance at happiness until her past returns with a vengeance.

Reviewers say: "Best-selling Quinn herself is a sure draw, but her inspiration for the hero of this powerful WWII tale, a librarian-turned-military-sniper, will appeal to an even greater audience" (Booklist).
The Dickens Boy
by Thomas Keneally

What it is: The son of England’s most famous author, Edward Dickens, is sent to Australia to make something of himself—or at least fall out of the public eye—where he works hard to prove to his parents and himself that he can succeed in this vast and unfamiliar wilderness.

For fans of: Richard Flanagan & Diane Ackerman.

Reviewers say: " Keneally brings authority and insight to his depictions of his homeland and its people, striking a perfect balance of the historical and poetic while also addressing race issues obliquely yet thoughtfully" (Booklist).
The Echoes
by Jess Montgomery

What it is: In 1928, when the cases of a girl who drowned and the kidnapping of her niece intertwine, Sheriff Lily Ross is faced with another murder and an abandoned baby, all linked to an amusement park creator involved in an ongoing dispute.

For fans of: John Sealy & Terry Roberts.

Reviewers say: "An evocative and beautifully written tale of hardship, love, and kinship" (Kirkus). 
Empty Vows
by Mary Monroe

What it is: A popular, generous 40 something widow in Lexington, Alabama, decides to make herself indispensable to recently widowed Hubert Wiggins but is disappointed when he is not everything she'd dreamed he'd be and instead turns her attentions to a much younger man.

About the author: Mary Monroe is the third child of Alabama sharecroppers, and the first and only member of her family to finish high school. Mary never attended college or any writing classes.
Her first novel, The Upper Room, was published in 1985 and was widely reviewed throughout the U.S. and in Great Britain. 

For fans of: Yolanda Joe & Pamela Harris Williams.
All of You Every Single One
by Beatrice Hitchman

What it's about: the sweeping story of an unlikely chosen family that develops in a relatively permissive Vienna enclave between the first and second World Wars. 

Featuring: French tailor Eve, who presents herself to society as a man; Swedish divorcée Julia, who left her famous playwright husband for Eve; their Jewish landlady and confidante Frau Berndt; wannabe theater impresario Rolf; and teenage abuse survivor Ada, who has recently started psychoanalysis with Dr. Sigmund Freud.
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