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Historical Fiction July 2019 |
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| The Burning Chambers by Kate MosseFrance, 1562: Nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father's bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: SHE KNOWS THAT YOU LIVE. But before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, a chance encounter with a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon, changes her destiny forever. Piet has a dangerous mission of his own, and he will need Minou's help if he is to stay alive.
Read it for: secrets, star-crossed lovers, stolen relics, and the Inquisition.
"...a breathless thriller, alive with treachery, danger, atmosphere, and beauty.”—A.J. Finn |
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The golden hour
by Beatriz Williams
Bahamas, 1941: Traveling to World War II Nassau to interview the infamous Duke and Duchess of Windsor, an investigator for a New York society magazine uncovers a treasonous plot that is complicated by her romance with an unscrupulous scientist.
What you'll find: The stories of two unforgettable women thread together in this extraordinary epic of espionage, sacrifice, human love, and human courage, set against a shocking true crime . . . and the rise and fall of a legendary royal couple.
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| In West Mills by De'Shawn Charles WinslowWest Mills, North Carolina: follows Azalea "Knot" Centre, a book-loving, hard-drinking rural schoolteacher and her good friends, Otis Lee Loving and Valley, who help her out of one jam after another.
Read it for: a complex and uncompromising heroine whose unconventional life is rendered in evocative prose.
Reviewers say: This debut depicts "a community so tightknit and thorough it becomes easy to forget the people in it don’t exist" (New York Times). |
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| The Orphan's Song by Lauren KateVenice, 1736: Raised in a Venetian orphanage, singer Violetta and violinist Mino form a strong but complicated bond rooted in the music they share.
Vibrant: with the glamour and beauty of Venice at its zenith, The Orphan's Song takes us on a breathtaking journey of passion, heartbreak, and betrayal before it crescendos to an unforgettable ending, a celebration of the enduring nature and transformative power of love.
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| The Stationery Shop by Marjan KamaliTehran, 1953: aspiring poet Roya Kayhani and political activist Bahman Aslan meet at a stationery shop and fall in love. But before they can wed, Bahman disappears during a coup d'état.
Boston, 2013: Roya has immigrated to America and raised a family, when she is unexpectedly reunited with Bahman. Now she can ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did he leave? Where did he go? How was he able to forget her?
A powerful love story exploring loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate. |
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The tenth muse
by Catherine Chung
Post WWII: Ambitious Asian American math genius, Catherine, leaves Michigan traveling to Europe to further her studies. There she faces the most human of problems—who is she? What is the cost of love, and what is the cost of ambition?
What transpires: As she embarks on a quest to conquer the Riemann hypothesis, the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, she turns to a theorem with a mysterious history that may hold both the lock and the key to her identity, and to secrets long buried during World War II.
Who might like this: those who enjoyed Pachinko by Min Jin Lee or The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict.
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| Cleopatra's Shadows: A Fall of Egypt Novel by Emily HollemanIntroducing: Arsinoe and Berenice, the half-sisters of Cleopatra.
What happens: After their father is deposed in a palace coup, 12-year-old Berenice declares herself ruler, setting the stage for a bloody conflict that will pit sister against sister.
Try this next: The Drowning King, which is book 2 in this series; or Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra, a biography of the iconic ruler that also delves into dynastic dysfunction. |
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| The Empress of Bright Moon by Weina Dai RandelThe situation: Concubine Mei's beauty, wit, and charm have helped her win the love of Pheasant, the new emperor -- as well as the undying emnity of his wife, Empress Wang, who seeks to destroy her.
Why you might like it: Set in Tang Dynasty China, this historical novel follows the life of the woman who would become Empress Wu, a saga that began with The Moon in the Palace.
Try this next: Sa Shan's Empress, another biographical novel that chronicles Empress Wu's rise to power. |
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| The Last Tudor by Philippa GregoryStarring: Lady Jane Grey and her sisters, Katherine and Mary, all potential heirs to the disputed throne of England.
For fans of: Susan Higginbotham's Her Highness, the Traitor, which also depicts the political drama of the succession crisis caused by Henry VIII's death.
Should you start here? Although it's the 7th installment of the Cousins' War series, The Last Tudor can be read and enjoyed on its own. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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