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Historical Fiction January 2019
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The Hangman's Secret
by Laura Joh Rowland
When a local executioner is found murdered by the same method he used to end criminal lives, photographer Sarah Bain and her friends follow leads to a notorious killer of infants. By the award-winning author of A Mortal Likeness.
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Beauchamp Hall : A Novel
by Danielle Steel
Seeking solace from her unfulfilled dreams in a beloved British television series, Winnie impulsively departs for England in the aftermath of two losses and rediscovers herself amid the dramas and personalities of the show's production set.
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The Sapphire Widow : A Novel
by Dinah Jefferies
Enjoying her life in 1935 Ceylon in spite of heartbreaking miscarriages, the daughter of a successful British gem trader is forced by her husband's sudden death to unravel a mystery involving a local cinnamon plantation and an outdoorsman's checkered past. By the best-selling author of The Tea Planter's Wife.
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The Kennedy Debutante
by Kerri Maher
Reimagines the life of rebellious Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy against a backdrop of 1930s London society, where she pursues a forbidden love with the strictly Protestant heir to the Devonshire dukedom.
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| All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha RoyWhat it's about: In 1937, nine-year-old Myshkin Chand Rozario's artist mother, Gayatri, abandoned him in order to follow her muse. Decades later, he receives a packet of her letters, in which she describes the circumstances that led to her decision.
Why you might like it: The personal becomes political as Myshkin's coming-of-age parallels India's struggle for independence.
You might also like: Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things, another lyrical and keenly observed novel about a troubled Indian family that unfolds against a backdrop of political unrest. |
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| The After Party by Anton DiSclafaniStarring: rebellious glamour girl Joan Fortier and Cece Buchnan, her "best friend since infancy, her modern-day lady-in-waiting." Inseparable since childhood, the women's complicated bond is unraveled by Joan's increasingly alarming behavior.
Why you might like it: Set amid the debutante balls, cocktail parties, and garden-club luncheons of 1950s Houston, Texas, The After Party boasts in-depth characterizations and strong period atmosphere. |
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| Belgravia by Julian FellowesWhat it is: a dramatic novel from the creator of TV's Downton Abbey.
What happens: A fancy dress ball held the night before the Battle of Waterloo sets in motion events whose ramifications won't be fully felt for decades.
Why you might like it: The posh London district of Belgravia serves as the well-appointed stage on which a compelling and atmospheric tale of family secrets and class conflict plays out. |
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| The It Girls by Karen HarperMeet: the Sutherland sisters: fashion designer Lucy and writer Elinor.
What they want: Wealth and fame, desires sparked by their impoverished upbringing on the Isle of Jersey as well as a chance encounter with socialite Lily Langtree.
How they get it: Elinor's scandalous novels lead to a lucrative screenwriting career in early Hollywood, while Lucy launches Maison Lucile in London, New York, and Paris before marrying a baronet. |
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| Habits of the House by Fay WeldonWhat it's about: Due to profligate spending, poor investments, and gambling with the Prince of Wales, the Earl of Dilberne has money troubles. Could marrying off his son to an American heiress solve them?
Series alert: This 1st book in the Love and Inheritance trilogy continues with Long Live the King and The New Countess.
About the author: In addition to penning the first episode of landmark TV series Upstairs, Downstairs, British author Fay Weldon also coined the slogan "Vodka gets you drunker quicker" during her copywriting days. |
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| The Other Daughter by Lauren WilligWhat it's about: When governess Rachel Woodley discovers that she's the illegitimate daughter of an earl, she joins forces with gossip columnist Simon Montfort, who helps her infiltrate society as "Vera."
Why you might like it: Set in 1920s London, The Other Daughter features memorable characters, surprising plot twists, and (light) romance.
About the author: Best known for her Napoleonic War-era Pink Carnation series, author Lauren Willig branches out to the Bright Young Things in this stand-alone novel. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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