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Historical Fiction November 2024 |
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| A Place to Hide by Ronald H. BalsonLooking back on his life, wealthy American diplomat Teddy Hartigan recalls living in the Netherlands between 1938 and1942, where he fell in love with a Jewish woman, worked with the resistance, and used his position to hide and save Jewish people. Read-alikes: Buzzy Jackson's To Die Beautiful; Ellen Keith's The Dutch Orphan. |
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| The Wildes by Louis BayardTaking place in five acts, this lyrical biographical novel explores the effects of playwright Oscar Wilde's extramarital affair and his imprisonment for homosexuality on his young family, movingly depicting the lives of his wife and two sons from the 1890s until the 1920s. Read-alikes: The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng; My Policeman by Bethan Roberts. |
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| Season of the Swamp by Yuri HerreraIn exile due to Mexican dictator Santa Anna, Benito Juárez lives in New Orleans from December 1853 to June 1855. In this richly imagined short novel, the man who later becomes Mexico's first Indigenous president views the ugliness of slavery, works in a factory, and suffers from yellow fever. Try this next: Álvaro Enrigue's You Dreamed of Empires. |
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| Women's Hotel by Daniel M. LaveryLong-term residents of a women's hotel take turns discussing their lives in 1960s New York City in this witty, quotable debut novel. Unfortunately, their days at the hotel may be numbered amidst its financial problems. Read-alikes: Gill Paul's The Manhattan Girls; Paulina Bren's The Barbizon (a nonfiction book about a real New York women's hotel). |
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| Katharine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson WoodOrville and Wilbur Wright were first in flight, but they couldn't have done it without their sister Katharine. She contributed important ideas, managed their business affairs, and brought in money working as a teacher. In this well-researched novel narrated by all three siblings, readers learn what this cost her. If you enjoy historical mystery novels, try Amanda Flower's To Slip the Bonds of Earth, which features Katharine as a sleuth. |
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| The Mesmerist by Caroline WoodsEveryone at the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers in 1894 Minneapolis is curious about the new girl: she's beautiful, bruised, and refuses to speak. As rumors swirl that she might be a mesmerist who can control others, her roommate May and the home's treasurer Abby look for the truth and discover a mystery and murder. Based on real events, this character-driven novel cleverly combines true crime and women's history. |
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| The Winter Orphans by Kristin BeckThis affecting novel depicts two real-life Swiss Red Cross workers running a home for children in an old castle in 1942 France. After German occupation forces arrive, some of the Jewish children in the women's care travel through wintery forests and dangerous mountain passes in search of safety. Try these next: Talia Carner's The Boy with the Star Tattoo; Hazel Gaynor's The Last Lifeboat. |
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| The Frozen River by Ariel LawhonIn 1789 Maine, a man accused of rape is found frozen in a river while another accused man, a judge, has disappeared. Midwife Martha Ballard (who's based on a real person) investigates it all in this intricate tale that combines history, mystery, and courtroom suspense. Read-alikes: Sam Thomas' Midwife mysteries; Eleanor Kuhns' Will Rees mysteries. |
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| The Glass Woman by Caroline LeaRósa has married the wealthy widowed leader of a seaside village so that he'll provide for her mother. But it's a lonely life in her new village since her husband works all day, doesn't talk to her when he's home, and forbids her to visit with the locals. He also warns her away from the attic, though she hears strange noises up there. This leisurely paced tale reminiscent of Jane Eyre takes place as winter approaches in 1686 Iceland and will please fans of atmospheric, haunting stories. |
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| The End of Drum-Time by Hanna PylväinenIn the 1850s, a Lutheran minister has preached for years in a remote Scandinavian village, trying to convert the native Sámi and others to Christianity. Now, outside influences, local tensions, the conversion of a Sámi shaman, and a forbidden romance between the minister's daughter and a local reindeer herder upend everything in this National Book Award finalist. Read-alikes: Mikael Niemi's To Cook a Bear; Lars Mytting's The Bell in the Lake. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Atlantic County Library System | 40 Farragut Avenue, Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Phone: (609) 625-2776 | www.atlanticlibrary.org
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|  | Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson
Atlantic County Board of Commissioners, Maureen Kern, Chairwoman |
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