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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 Sable Cloak by Gail Milissa GrantTaking place in the first half of the 20th century in South Carolina and St. Louis, Missouri, this moving saga follows different members of a powerful Black family as they get involved in politics, run a funeral parlor, and face tragedies. "Delivered with style and heart" (Publishers Weekly), this posthumously published debut novel is based on the family history of author and diplomat Gail Milissa Grant. For fans of: Kim Coleman Foote's Coleman Hill. *This book may be requested from our LibShare partner, Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library |
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Happy land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
"A woman learns the astonishing truth of her family's ties to a real-life American kingdom in this transporting and riveting new novel from the New York Times bestselling, NAACP Award-winning author of Take My Hand. In the hills of Appalachia, there onceexisted a land ruled by a king and a queen. Inspired by distant memories of African kingdoms, a community of formerly enslaved men and women grasped freedom and started lives on mountain land that they owned. They worked hard, lived well, and loved there. For a time the kingdom thrived...and then it disappeared. Present Day. Nikki hasn't seen her grandmother in years, due to a mysterious estrangement inherited from her mother. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, she's determined to get answers while she still can. But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki a shocking story about her great-great-great-grandmother Queen Luella and the very land they are standing on. Land that Mother Rita says must be protected. The more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she finds in the woods-who are buried beneath stone grave markers-the more she understands that sometimes, atonement for the previous generations' mistakes falls squarely on the shoulders of the descendants. And it's up to her to make things right" *This book may be requested from our LibShare partner, Marion Co. Public Libraries.
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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. *This book may be requested from our LibShare partner, Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library |
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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 eights
by Joanna Miller
In 1920, four women from different backgrounds?—?Dora, Beatrice, Otto, and Marianne?—?forge an enduring bond as the first female students at Oxford, navigating personal loss, societal expectations, and the lingering trauma of World War I. *This book may be requested from our LibShare partner, Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library
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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. *This book may be requested from our LibShare partner, Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library |
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Six days in Bombay
by Alka Joshi
This sweeping novel follows young Anglo-Indian nurse Sona as she embarks on a journey from her home in Bombay, through Prague, Florence, Paris and London, to uncover a mystery and prove her innocence after famous painter Mira Novak dies in her care. *This book may be requested from our LibShare partners, Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library & Marion Co. Public Libraries.
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Zeal : a novel
by Morgan Jerkins
"The New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing and Caul Baby returns with an epic, multi-generational novel that illuminates the legacy of slavery and the power of romantic love" *This book may be requested from our LibShare partner, Marion Co. Public Libraries.
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For more recommendations, visit bplwv.org |
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Bridgeport Public Library
1200 Johnson Avenue, Bridgeport, West Virginia 26330
304-842-8248https://www.bplwv.org/ |
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