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Historical Fiction October 2017
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A column of fire
by Ken Follett
A half-century love affair between a man in service to Elizabeth I and a woman on the opposing side of England's religious divide is challenged by violent ideological power shifts, torn loyalties and the queen's circle of spies, in a latest entry in the best-selling series that includes The Pillars of the Earth.
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| The Good People by Hannah KentMisfortune seems to stalk Nóra Leahy, who becomes the guardian of her severely disabled four-year-old grandson, Micheál, after the sudden deaths of her daughter and husband. Soon, rumors begin to spread that Micheál is one of the "good people" (the fair folk). An atmospheric novel that explores the darkness of the human heart, The Good People blends bleakness and lyricism in a way that should captivate fans of Emma Donoghue's The Wonder, which also features an isolated rural community in 19th-century Ireland gripped by superstition. |
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| The World of Tomorrow by Brendan MathewsIn a madcap adventure that should please fans of Roddy Doyle's The Last Roundup trilogy, three Irish brothers -- a convict, a jazz musician, and a seminarian -- escape to the United States after running afoul of the IRA. Set against the backdrop of the 1939 New York World's Fair, this lively debut boasts a cast of appealing characters and the "wit of a 30s screwball comedy" (Publishers Weekly). |
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The Essex Serpent : a Novel
by Sarah Perry
An American debut of an award-winning book from England is set in the late-19th century and follows the experiences of an intellectually minded young widow and a pious vicar who investigate rumors about a mythical sea creature that has been blamed for a death in coastal Essex. 50,000 first printing.
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A friend of Mr. Lincoln
by Stephen Harrigan
Depicts Abraham Lincoln in his 20s and 30s, as he works as a lawyer and in the state legislature and spends time with a fictional poet, Cage Weatherby. By the author of The Gates of the Alamo. Reading-group guide available.
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The English Agent
by Phillip DePoy
Rakehell student and would-be playwright Christopher Marlowe is dispatched by Elizabeth I's spymaster to Holland, where ally William the Silent has been targeted by Spanish assassins as part of a plot to usurp the throne of England. By the Edgar Award-winning author of A Prisoner in Malta.
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The Hollywood Daughter
by Kate Alcott
Jessica "Jesse" Malloy's father is a PR executive for Selznick International Pictures; her mother is a devout Catholic homemaker who disapproves of the film industry. These worldviews clash when Jesse's idol, glamorous starlet Ingrid Bergman, begins an affair with married Italian director Roberto Rossellini -- a scandal that places her father's career, her parents' marriage, and the family's livelihood in jeopardy. Although it's set in the 1950s instead of the 1930s, this coming-of-age story by the author of A Touch of Stardust may appeal to fans of Adriana Trigiani's All the Stars in the Heavens, which also features a young Catholic woman who observes a Hollywood scandal and the moral hypocrisy that accompanies it.
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| Elizabeth I by Margaret GeorgeWell-known for her biographical novels about powerful, much-mythologized female rulers (including Cleopatra and Mary, Queen of Scots), author Margaret George attempts to unknot the tangled relationship between Queen Elizabeth I of England and Lettice Knollys, her cousin and rival, whose marriage to Elizabeth's favorite courtier, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, incurs the monarch's wrath. This "meticulously envisioned" (Booklist) dual portrait compares and contrasts the self-sacrificing Virgin Queen, wedded to her beloved England, and the thrice-married, self-serving Lettice, who, as it turns out, may not be that different from her royal relative. |
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| Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa GregoryAs girls, Katherine of Aragon and her sisters-in-law, Margaret and Mary Tudor, form a strong, if complicated, bond. As adults, they are destined to become bitter rivals as the demands of marriage and politics lead to betrayal. Unfolding primarily from Margaret's (acerbic) point of view, this dramatic novel is a must for Tudor aficionados who enjoy gossip, scandal, and intrigue. |
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The lost book of the Grail, or, A visitors guide to Barchester Cathedral : A Novel
by Charles C Lovett
An obsessive bibliophile and Holy Grail fanatic combs through centuries of history to uncover a long-lost secret about the medieval Barchester Cathedral library at the side of a young American charged with digitizing the library's manuscripts. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Bookman's Tale.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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