|
|
|
|
Historical Fiction April 2026 |
|
|
|
| Daughter of Egypt by Marie BenedictLady Evelyn Herbert defies societal expectations in 1919 and accompanies her father, Lord Carnarvon, and archeologist Howard Carter on digs in Egypt, where she seeks the tomb of Hatshepsut. In 1400s BCE, Hatshepsut becomes pharaoh against the odds. Following the lives of two women whom history almost forgot, this evocative novel is the latest from acclaimed author Marie Benedict. Read-alikes: Gill Paul's The Collector's Daughter; Saara El-Arifi's Cleopatra. |
|
| Book of Forbidden Words by Louise FeinIn 1552 England, former nun Lysbette writes of a utopian world for women, but people find her words heretical and she's killed before her book can be printed. This leads Charlotte Guillard, a real-life Parisian publisher, to encode the work for posterity. In 1952 New York, bored housewife and World War II codebreaker Millie decodes the manuscript, but McCarthyism makes the centuries-old ideas inside still dangerous. Try these next: A.D. Bell's The Bookbinder's Secret; Chanel Cleeton's The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes. |
|
| A Far-Flung Life by M.L. StedmanOn a vast sheep station in 1958 Western Australia, a fatal accident changes the lives of the MacBrides. Left behind are injured teenager Matt, his older sister Rose, and his grief-stricken mom Lorna, who are eventually joined by a bright young boy. Exploring how loss and secrets reverberate for decades, this emotional family saga is the long-awaited sophomore novel from M.L. Stedman (The Light Between Oceans). Try these next: Heather Rose's A Great Act of Love; Michelle Huneven's Bug Hollow. |
|
| A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn YangThough she's busy with her New York job and boyfriend, Qianze takes in her estranged father, who seems to have dementia. The story moves to the past when he begins talking about his family, leading to stories from the Japanese occupation of Manchuria and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. With elements of magical realism, this emotionally intense debut novel ponders history, family relationships, and the effects of intergenerational trauma. Read-alikes: Wendy Chen's Their Divine Fires; Ali Araghi's The Immortals of Tehran. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|