| My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel AllendeRaised by her Irish former nun mother and a loving stepdad in San Francisco, Emilia del Valle has never known her Chilean aristocrat father. As a young journalist covering the Chilean Civil War of 1891, she begins a romance there, and she finally meets the father who abandoned her. Isabel Allende fans will relish reading about the del Valles, whose various members often appear in her work. You may also like Kaitlyn Greenidge's Libertie. |
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| Gabriële by Anne Berest and Claire BerestTalented young French musician Gabriële Buffet meets mercurial Spanish artist Francis Picabia in 1908 and soon marries him. In Paris, the couple grows close to artist Marcel Duchamp and begins to embrace avant-garde art as World War I approaches. Written by two of Buffet's great-granddaughters, this eye-opening biographical novel spotlights a woman who is integral to art history. You may also like Lisette's List by Susan Vreeland. |
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| The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie BostwickIn 1963 suburban Virginia, four married women form a book club. THe club includes arty newcomer Charlotte; former Army nurse Vivian, now pregnant with her seventh child; Ohio transplant and mom-to-three Margaret; and newlywed Bitsy, who'd dreamed of being a veterinarian. Starting with Betty Friedan's controversial book The Feminine Mystique, the women read, change, and draw closer over the course of a year. For fans of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. |
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| These Days by Lucy CaldwellGermany is raining bombs on Northern Ireland's capital city in spring 1941. While navigating the destruction, two sisters do what they can to help others while they question their own futures. Readers get to know Emma, who's secretly in love with coworker Sylvia, and Audrey, who's not-so-happily engaged in these troubled times. For more historical fiction about the Belfast Blitz, read Melanie Maure's Sisters of Belfast or S. Kirk Walsh's The Elephant of Belfast. |
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| The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan HenryIn 1927, a famed author leaves her South Carolina home in the middle of the night. In 1952 London, Charles Jameson finds the author's papers and a letter addressed to Clara, the daughter she left behind. This letter soon leads Charles, Clara, and Clara's young daughter to the Lake District in search of answers. Also try Rhys Bowen's The Tuscan Child; Ann Hood's The Stolen Child. |
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| Austen at Sea by Natalie JennerSisters Henrietta and Charlotte, who adore Jane Austen's books, sail to England in 1865 to visit Jane's last surviving sibling, Frank. On board the ship are two brothers who deal in rare books who are also going to see Frank and Henrietta's secret beau. Dramatic events on the ship and in England see all their lives transformed in this evocative tale. You may also like Gill Hornby's Godmersham Park. |
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| Six Days in Bombay by Alka JoshiWhispers of independence swirl in 1930s Bombay, India, as young Anglo-Indian nurse Sona bonds with her latest charge, the famous painter Mira Novak, who is also mixed race. After Mira dies, Sona is determined to honor Mira's request to hand-deliver paintings to people in Prague, Florence, and Paris. You may also like Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb. |
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| The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall KellyInspired by real events, this compelling novel follows Mari Starwood in 2016 as she visits reclusive Martha's Vineyard painter Elizabeth, who has ties to Mari's recently deceased mother. Elizabeth tells Mari about the island during World War II, focusing on two teenage sisters who form a book club, run the family farm, and look for German U-boats and spies. Also try Madeline Martin's The Last Bookshop in London; Amy Lynn Green's The Blackout Book Club. |
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| The Eights by Joanna MillerIn 1920, Oxford University admits degree-seeking women for the first time. On Corridor Eight, insecure Beatrice, socialite Otto, scholarship student Marianne, and grieving Dora bond as they navigate sexism, personal loss, societal expectations, and the lingering trauma of World War I. This well-researched, character-driven debut will please fans of Natalie Jenner's Bloomsbury Girls. |
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| The Lilac People by Milo ToddMoving back and forth in time, this poignant debut follows trans man Bertie and his girlfriend Sofie living happily in 1930s Berlin before Nazi persecution forces them to hide on a farm. In 1945, they risk everything to protect a young trans Holocaust survivor since even the Allies are arresting some LGBTQIA+ people. This "well-written, engrossing story full of suspense" (Library Journal) details a lesser-known aspect of World War II. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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