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Historical Fiction June 2017
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| The Night She Won Miss America: A Novel by Michael CallahanA modern-day reporter investigates the scandal that engulfed the 1950 Miss America Pageant in this novel by the author of Searching for Grace Kelly. When studious Betty Jane Welch enters the pageant circuit at the behest of her domineering mother, she doesn't expect to win. And no one expects her to disappear. The Night She Won Miss America may appeal to fans of Fiona Davis' The Dollhouse, which also shifts between mid-century and present-day perspectives to reveal the truth behind a decades-old mystery. |
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| Miss Burma by Charmaine CraigIn 1939, Benny, an Anglo-Indian pugilist from Rangoon's Jewish quarter, falls in love with Khin, a Karen woman. Their daughter, Louisa, grows up to be a beauty queen and an unlikely symbol of unity in a divided nation. Based on author Charmaine Craig's own family history, this sweeping saga brings to life a tumultuous half-century in the history of Burma (Myanmar) that includes British colonial rule, World War II and Japanese occupation, independence, and military dictatorship. |
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| The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence: A Story of Botticelli by Alyssa PalomboShortly after her marriage to a nobleman, Simonetta Vespucci (née Cattaneo) arrives in Florence eager to experience the city's art, scholarship, and culture. Hailed as "la bella Simonetta," she becomes -- thanks to her connection to the powerful Medici family -- the muse of artist Sandro Botticelli and the inspiration for some of his most famous paintings. Fans of Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus should enjoy this lush, romantic novel set during the Italian Renaissance. |
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| The Movement of Stars by Amy BrillAn oddity in her 19th-century Quaker community, 24-year-old amateur astronomer Hannah Price searches the skies above Nantucket with her telescope each night in the hope of discovering a new comet. Her father expects her to marry (and soon!), but Hannah only cares about astronomy -- until she meets Isaac Martin, a black sailor from the Azores who asks Hannah to teach him the science of navigation. Loosely based on the life of Maria Mitchell, the first American woman to become a professional astronomer, The Movement of Stars is a thought-provoking and dramatic story. |
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All the stars in the heavens : a novel
by Adriana Trigiani
A reimagining of the career of Tinsel Town star Loretta Young traces the decades she shared with her former nun assistant, from her early screen successes through the scandals and obstacles that tested their bond. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Shoemaker's Wife. 200,000 first printing.
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Blue stars
by Emily Gray Tedrowe
Two women, Ellen, a Midwestern literature professor whose legal ward is a Marine, and Lacey, a proud Army wife and young mother, form an unlikely friendship at the Walter Reed Army Hospital as they each care for their wounded soldiers and try to survive the dislocated world of the army hospital. Discussion guide available.
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Chasing the North Star : a novel
by Robert Morgan
Fleeing the South Carolina plantation where he has spent his entire life, 18-year-old slave Jonah Williams uses the stars to escape to the North and is pursued by both slave hunters and a free-spirited fellow slave who believes Jonah can help her secure her own freedom. By the award-winning author of Gap Creek.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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