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Historical Fiction February 2021
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| The Mermaid from Jeju by Sumi HahnWhat it's about: The eventful life of a Korean girl named Junja, from her early days as a haenyeo (one of the remarkable all-female group of divers on the island of Jeju) to her final days as a well-respected elder in Philadelphia's Korean American community.
Witness to history: Junja's dramatic and sweeping story begins during the Japanese occupation of Korea and is also deeply marked by the events of World War II, the Communist rebellion, and the 1950s American military occupation, which mold her into a tenacious survivor. |
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| Outlawed by Anna NorthWhat it is: The fast-paced and compelling story of apprentice midwife and erstwhile doctor Ada, whose inability to bear children leads her to develop a unique kinship with a group of female and nonbinary outlaws, whose defiance of social expectations offers Ada a chance for life on her own terms in the Dakota territory.
You might also like: other westerns about gutsy social outsiders like All God's Children by Aaron Gwyn and How Much of These Hills is Gold by Pam C. Zhang. |
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The Prophets
by Robert Jones
Two enslaved young men on a Deep South plantation find refuge in each other while transforming a quiet shed into a haven for their fellow slaves, before an enslaved preacher declares their bond sinful.
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| A Single Thread by Tracy ChevalierWhat it is: an engaging and bittersweet story of life after loss, and making a place for yourself in a society that seems determined to leave you behind.
Featuring: thirty-eight year-old Violet Speedwell, who, 14 years after she lost her fiancé during the Great War, discovers purpose and healing when she joins a group of women who embroider the seats and kneelers at Winchester Cathedral.
For fans of: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, which also features likeable female characters who find solace and meaning in an unlikely circle of friends. |
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| The Pull of the Stars by Emma DonoghueWhat it is: the richly detailed and moving story of three days in a Dublin maternity ward during the worst days of the 1918 Flu Epidemic.
Why you should read it: The moving and well-researched portrait of dedicated but overworked health care workers trying to get through a major disease epidemic is especially poignant and timely.
About the author: Irish novelist and Man Booker finalist Emma Donoghue has written both contemporary and historical fiction including Slammerkin, The Sealed Letter, Room, and Frog Music. |
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| Lost Roses by Martha Hall KellyWhat it's about: the upturned lives of three young women in the wake of the Russian Revolution -- aristocratic Sofya Streshnayva, a Romanov cousin; Eliza Ferriday, a New Yorker visiting her school friend Sofya's homeland; peasant and young mother Varinka, who feels caught between her family's safety and her revolutionary ideals.
Series alert: Lost Roses is the 2nd entry in a series of historical novels about life during wartime starring the Ferriday family, which began with Lilac Girls. |
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Better Luck Next Time
by Julia Claiborne Johnson
A follow-up to the best-selling Be Frank with Me follows the experiences of a former Yale student whose life at a 1930s Reno divorce ranch is upended by a shy woman and a thrice-divorced pilot.
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A Blessing to Cherish
by Lauraine Snelling
Enjoying the support and friendship from the Blessing, North Dakota community, Ingeborg Borklund feels content and grateful for all she’s been given as she tries to help her recently-widowed stepson deal with his grief and raise his two children.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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