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Historical Fiction April 2025* |
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| The Jackal's Mistress by Chris BohjalianWith her Confederate husband in a Union prison, Libby Steadman runs their gristmill in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, helped only by her 12-year-old niece, a 60-year-old freedman, and his freed wife. Libby faces many dangers as war surrounds her, especially when she hides an injured Union officer. If you enjoy this fast-paced book, which is based on a true story, try Paulette Jiles' Chenneville or Robert Hicks' Widow of the South. |
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The story she left behind : a novel
by Patti Callahan Henry
In 1952, illustrator Clara Harrington travels to London with her daughter Wynnie to investigate a discovery linked to her vanished mother, a famed author, uncovering long-buried truths amid the chaos of the Great Smog and a remote Lake District retreat
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| The English Problem by Beena KamlaniIn this thought-provoking debut, Mahatma Gandhi sponsors 18-year-old Shiv Advani to study British law to aid Indian independence. Shiv arrives in 1931 London ready to do what's asked of him, but over the years finds himself torn between what he's promised and what he desires as he faces racism and learns about love, literature, and himself before returning home ten years later. Read-alike: Rishi Reddi's Passage West. |
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| The Umbrella Maker's Son by Tod LendingNazi Germany invades Poland, forcing 17-year-old Reuven's family to give up their artisan umbrella shop, leave their home, and perform hard labor. Things get worse, but Reuven is always desperately seeking his missing girlfriend. Written by an award-winning filmmaker, this moving debut ponders the power of love but doesn't hide the horrors of the Holocaust. Read-alikes: historical fiction by Georgia Hunter and Heather Morris. |
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| Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher MurrayIn 1919, Jessie Redmon Fauset becomes the first Black woman literary editor of The Crisis magazine, putting her at the forefront of Harlem's cultural renaissance, where she discovers talents such as Langston Hughes and Nella Larsen. But her ambitions and a secret affair with W.E.B. Du Bois threaten it all. Try these next: Piper Huguley's By Her Own Design; Tia Williams' A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. |
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| The Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O'ConnorWith the Nazis in control of Rome, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (who's based on a real person) leads the Choir, a covert network made up of an Italian countess, a British diplomat, an Irish medical student, and others. As the Gestapo desperately try to stop them, they help Allied soldiers and Jewish people escape. Though this is the stirring sequel to My Father's House, readers can start here. Try these next: From These Broken Streets by Roland Merullo; Shanghai by Joseph Kanon. |
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| The Café With No Name by Robert SeethalerIn 1966 Vienna, Austria, 31-year-old laborer Robert Simon takes a leap and signs a lease for a café. He builds a neighborhood hub, where patrons navigate life and love together. Fans of evocative, character-driven stories will love this "gem of a novel" (Kirkus Reviews). For a more contemporary novel about found family, pick up Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum. |
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| Grace of the Empire State by Emma TizzardThe Great Depression has caused many to lose their jobs in 1930 New York, including dancer and former circus performer Grace O'Connell. Her Irish American family needs her income, especially when her twin breaks his arm working on the Empire State Building, so brave Grace impersonates her brother, taking his place on the job. Try these next: Ella by Diane Richards; We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall. |
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| The Riveter by Jack WangBarred from military service in 1942 due to his race, Chinese Canadian Josiah Chang works in a Vancouver shipyard where he meets white Poppy Miller, but her parents take exception to their relationship. Trying to prove himself, Josiah goes to Toronto, where he's allowed to join the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion headed to Europe. Read-alikes: Adriana Allegri's The Sunflower House; Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. |
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The Paris Express : a novel
by Emma Donoghue
Set on a fateful 1895 train journey to Paris, a diverse group of passengers--including politicians, a medical student, an inventor, and an anarchist--navigate personal ambitions and hidden motives, culminating in a disaster that forever changes their lives
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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