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Historical Fiction December 2020
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Germania: A Novel of Nazi Berlin
by Harald Gilbers
Reactivated against his will by the Gestapo in the bombed-out capital of the Reich in 1944, Jewish detective Richard Oppenheimer investigates a serial killer who has been leaving Nazi-connected victims at war memorials.
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Dark tides: a novel
by Philippa Gregory
A sequel to Tidelands finds 17th-century London warehouse owner Alinor reuniting with a man from her past while reaching out to her brother in war-torn New England for proof of her son’s survival.
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The Mermaid from Jeju
by Sumi Hahn
A talented young deep-sea diver from occupied 1948 Korea’s neighboring Jeju Island visits Mt. Halla for her family’s annual trading trip before her romance with a mountain youth is upended by family tragedy and political turbulence.
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The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany
by Lori Nelson Spielman
Visiting an octogenarian relative in Italy who declares that she will break a family curse that has prevented all second-born daughters from marrying, three second daughters embark on a journey to help their great-aunt fulfill her final wish.
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V2
by Robert Harris
A World War II German rocket engineer under orders to launch V2 rockets at London from Occupied Holland and an actress-turned-English Intelligence officer who would neutralize the bombings land on opposite sides in a desperate hunt for a saboteur.
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| Actress by Anne EnrightWhat it is: a character-driven account of the larger-than-life personality and career of Irish acting legend Katherine O'Dell, as told by her novelist daughter Norah.
Read it for: the engaging portrait of well-meaning but complex Katherine, who struggles to navigate fame and single motherhood in an era without models for either.
About the author: Irish writer Anne Enright's previous novels include The Green Road and Man Booker Prize-winning The Gathering. |
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| Marlene by C. W. GortnerWhat it's about: the compelling professional and personal lives of legendary German-American actress Marlene Dietrich.
Why you might like it: Gortner revels in the details of formative eras in Dietrich's life, from the seductive and seedy cabaret scene of Weimar Berlin to the star-studded USO tour she participated in during World War II.
Try this next: The Only Woman in the Room by Heather Terrell, which tells the story of Austrian actress and scientist Hedy Lamarr and her unique contributions to the war effort. |
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| Isadora by Amelia GrayWhat it is: a moody and character-driven depiction of iconoclastic dancer and choreographer Isadora Duncan, set primarily in 1913 just after the drowning deaths of her two young children.
Read it for: the lyrical writing style, which perfectly fits the drama and sensuality of the woman herself.
Reviewers say: Isadora is "a mythic, fiercely insightful, mordantly funny, and profoundly revelatory portrait of an intrepid and indelible artist" (Booklist). |
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| The Crooked Path by Irma JoubertStarring: Lettie Louw, a young woman in pre-apartheid South Africa who is determined to become a doctor like her father; Marco Romanelli, an Italian immigrant whose physical and mental health were deeply scarred by his experiences in World War II.
Love the one you're with: Marco and Lettie meet and decide to marry for less-than-romantic reasons, neither expecting to fall in love. But as the years go by they do develop a bond, which faces its ultimate test when Marco's fragile health deteriorates. |
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| Yesternight by Cat WintersPicture it: Gordon Bay, a bleak town on the Oregon coast where the "Roaring Twenties" are anything but.
The setup: Pioneering child psychologist Alice Lind has arrived to test the IQ of the towns' children and decides to stay with the friendly O'Daire family while she's there.
What goes wrong: Alice unwittingly throws off her hosts' family dynamics, at the same time finding herself drawn towards the handsome patriarch and puzzling over his troubled young daughter who tells disquieting stories about a past life. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Comsewogue Public Library 170 Terryville Road Port Jefferson Station, New York 11776 (631) 928-1212www.cplib.org |
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