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Historical Fiction January 2020
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| Lady Clementine by Marie BenedictStarring: Clementine Churchill, the formidable wife of English statesman Winston Churchill and a political force in her own right.
Behind every great man: This biographical novel explores Clementine's own ambitions, abilities, beliefs, and political influence on her obstinate, better-known husband.
For fans of: Melanie Benjamin's Alice I Have Been and The Aviator's Wife; Nancy Horan's Loving Frank. |
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| Africaville by Jeffrey ColvinWhat it is: A sweeping family saga, set in the real-life Nova Scotia community founded in the 18th century by black people displaced by British imperial ambitions. The story follows two families through a century of racism, identity struggles, deprivation, and resilience.
Read it for: the unsparing portrayal of the British (and later Canadian) government's neglect and ultimate destruction of this unique historical community; the residents' determination to make lives for themselves under bleak, harrowing circumstances. |
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| The Clergyman's Wife by Molly GreeleyWhat it is: a moving and atmospheric adaptation of Pride and Prejudice told from the perspective of Elizabeth Bennet's practical and frank friend Charlotte Lucas.
A sensible match: In the three years since Charlotte married Mr. Collins, she has settled into her life as a wife and mother well enough. But when she is introduced to a man whose friendship makes her feel seen and valued, she starts to re-examine her practical outlook on questions of life and love and possibility. |
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A long petal of the sea : a novel
by Isabel Allende
Sponsored by the poet Pablo Neruda to flee the violence of the Spanish Civil War, a pregnant widow and an army doctor unite in an arranged marriage only to be swept up by the early days of World War II. Simultaneous. Tour.
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| The Dream Lover by Elizabeth BergWhat it's about: the audacious life and many loves of French Romantic writer Aurore Dupin -- better known by her pen name George Sand.
Read it for: the engaging, witty, and unapologetic voice in which Aurore tells her story; her passion and independent spirit; some appearances from other notable figures.
Famous friends: Frederic Chopin, Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac, and Franz Liszt. |
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Westering women : a novel
by Sandra Dallas
What it's about: Joining other mail-order brides on a dangerous wagon journey to the gold mines of 1852 Chicago, a seamstress with painful secrets discovers strengths she did not know she possessed among a growing sisterhood of fellow women pioneers.
Read it for: From the bestselling author of Prayers for Sale, Sandra Dallas' Westering Women is an inspiring celebration of sisterhood on the perilous Overland Trail.
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| The Gilded Hour by Sara DonatiWhat it is: a genre-blending mix of mystery, love story, and domestic fiction, built around questions of class, family ties, and ethnic tension in 1880's New York.
The doctor will see you: Cousins Sophie and Anna Savard may have their differences, but both women share a dedication to their respective medical careers. When those careers are threatened and their patients put at risk, both they will have to ask themselves some tough questions about their relationships with each other and with society. |
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| Old Baggage by Lissa EvansEngland, 1928: Middle-aged Mattie Simpkin (briefly introduced in Crooked Heart) once lived an exciting and fulfilling life as a suffragette, but these days she feels unmoored and concerned about younger women's apathy about the fight for emancipation.
Old friends, new problems: After running into a fellow suffragette who has taken up advocating for fascism, Mattie realizes her new cause is to fight against it. But starting down this road brings Mattie into contact with another woman from her past, forcing Mattie to re-examine her sense of self, both as an activist and as a person. |
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| City of Girls by Elizabeth GilbertStarring: Vivian Morris, a spirited but naïve young woman whose parents send her to live with her Aunt Peg in Manhattan after she flunks out of Vassar in 1940.
Bright lights, big city: Aunt Peg manages a struggling theater, which thrusts Vivian into a world full of glamour and shady characters. Vivian dives head-first into all the hedonism, but as the war in Europe approaches she'll soon be forced learn some sobering lessons about life and growing up. |
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| Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen RooneyWhat it's about: Inspired by the life and career of advertising pioneer Margaret Fishback, this sweeping and introspective tale follows octogenarian Lillian Boxfish, alternating between past and present as she walks the streets of Manhattan on New Year's Eve, 1984.
Read it for: the poignant observations Lillian makes about how the city is changing in large and small ways; the ease with which she is able to connect with the wide variety of people she encounters on her stroll through the city. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Grand Ledge Area District Library 131 E Jefferson St Grand Ledge, Michigan 48837 (517) 627-7014https://gladl.org |
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