Historical Fiction
June 2025
Recent Releases
Gabriële
by Anne Berest and Claire Berest

Talented young French musician Gabriële Buffet meets mercurial Spanish artist Francis Picabia in 1908 and soon marries him. In Paris, the couple grows close with artist Marcel Duchamp while embracing the avant-garde as World War I approaches. Written by two of Buffet's great-granddaughters, this eye-opening biographical novel spotlights a woman integral to art history. Try this next: Jeanne Mackin's Picasso's Lovers.
These Days
by Lucy Caldwell

Germany rains bombs on Northern Ireland's capital city in spring 1941. Navigating the destruction, sisters Emma, who's secretly in love with coworker Sylvia, and Audrey, who's not-so-happily engaged, do what they can to help others while questioning their futures. For more historical fiction about the Belfast Blitz, read Melanie Maure's Sisters of Belfast or S. Kirk Walsh's The Elephant of Belfast.
The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry

In 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 soon leads Charles, Clara, and Clara's young daughter to the Lake District in search of answers. Try these next: Rhys Bowen's The Tuscan Child; Ann Hood's The Stolen Child.
Austen at Sea
by Natalie Jenner

Sisters Henrietta and Charlotte, who adore Jane Austen's books, sail to England in 1865 to visit Jane's last surviving sibling, Frank. On board are two brothers who deal in rare books (also going to see Frank) and Henrietta's secret beau. Dramatic events on ship and in England see all their lives transformed in this evocative tale. Try this next: Gill Hornby's Godmersham Park.
Six Days in Bombay
by Alka Joshi

Whispers of independence swirl in 1930s Bombay, India, as young Anglo-Indian nurse Sona bonds with her latest charge, famous painter Mira Novak, who's also mixed race. After Mira dies, Sona is determined to honor her new friend's request: hand-delivering paintings to people in Prague, Florence, and Paris. Read-alike: Three Words for Goodbye by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb.
The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club
by Martha Hall Kelly

Inspired 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. For fans of: Madeline Martin's The Last Bookshop in London; Amy Lynne Green's The Blackout Book Club.
The Paper Birds
by Jeanette Lynes

The Paper Birds is a WWII love story that reveals the struggles and sacrifices of every day working women during the war and highlights the previously unknown codebreaking work undertaken by women in Canada during the war.
The stolen heart
by Andreæi Kurkov

Samson Kolechko cuts his teeth investigating illegal profiteering in the colorful and lawless period after the end of World War I in this a mystery based on a real-life case from Kyiv's secret police.
Contact your librarian for more great books!
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