Albert Lea Public Library: Historical Fiction: November 2025

Recent Releases

Queen Esther
by John Irving

Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to Portland, Maine; her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won't be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; in fact, he won't find any family who'll adopt her. When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren't Jewish, but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther's gratitude for the Winslows is unending; even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna, she never stops loving and protecting the Winslows. In the final chapter, set in Jerusalem in 1981, Esther Nacht is seventy-six.

Circle of Days
by Ken Follett

Exploring the creation of Stonehenge, Circle of Days follows Seft, a flint miner who's physically abused by his widowed father. Falling for Neen, he's embraced by her herding family and ends up helping Neen's priestess sister bring her vision for a massive stone circle to life while facing weather issues, tribal conflicts, and logistical problems in this intricately plotted epic with a large cast of characters. Try this next: Conn Iggulden's The Abbot's Tale.

Amity
by Nathan Harris

In 1866 Louisiana, formerly enslaved siblings Coleman and June continue to work for the Harper family after the war. When Mr. Harper heads to Mexico hoping to get rich via silver mines, he takes June with him. Soon Mrs. Harper, her adult daughter, bookish Coleman, and a dog follow them, but no one's journey is smooth in this incisive, intricately plotted western. For fans of: Paulette Jiles' Chenneville; Chris Bohjalian's The Jackal's Mistress.

Shadow Ticket
by Thomas Pynchon

Milwaukee 1932, private eye Hicks McTaggart searches for a Wisconsin cheese fortune heiress, but he's shanghaied onto a transoceanic liner to Hungary; before he finds her he will be entangled with Nazis, Soviet agents, British counterspies, swing musicians, practitioners of the paranormal and outlaw motorcyclists.

Bog Queen
by Anna North

National Bestseller In the gorgeous new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Outlawed, a strangely well-preserved Iron Age body turns up in an English bog, and the American forensic anthropologist on the case is thrust into an absorbing, complex mystery.

Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?
by Sarah McCoy

In 1991, college student Lu Tibbott writes her senior thesis about her Aunt Lori, a 1960s movie starlet who left Hollywood to become a nun. While Lori has never discussed her abrupt decision before, she agrees to be interviewed by Lu. This compelling dual timeline novel puts the spotlight on ambition, love, faith, and secrets as readers follow Lu and Lori's paths. For fans of: Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo; or Meg Waite Clayton's Typewriter Beach.

I Am You
by Victoria Redel

Imagining the life of Dutch Golden Age painter Maria van Oosterwijck and her servant Gerta Pieters, this richly detailed, character-driven story follows the two over the course of their lives together, as they move from friendship to artistic partners and lovers in a time when women weren't taken seriously by the art world. Try this next: Nell Stevens' The Original.

One of Them
by Kitty Zeldis

Just after World War II, Anne Bishop attends Vassar, but doesn't tell her new friends she's Jewish, even when they make offensive comments. Fellow student Delia Goldhush, a Jewish girl with style and self-assurance, fled France during the war and faces antisemitism head-on. While Anne and Delia become secret friends, their connection is put to the test. Later, both end up in Europe, where they meet again. For fans of: thought-provoking books; novels that examine friendship, belonging, and identity.

Contact your librarian for more great books!