Category Archives: historical fiction
The Daughters of Mars: A Novel – Thomas Keneally
The Durance sisters were so much alike. They were beautiful, tall and graceful girls. Both were registered nurses. Naomi moved to Sidney and was a nurse at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Sally was the one who stayed on the … Continue reading
The Unfortunate Son – Constance Leeds
A powerful and cruel nobleman throws out his newborn son because he was born with only one ear. The nursemaid raises the child as her own and calls him Luc. Hated by the man Luc thinks is his father, he … Continue reading
Rose Under Fire – Elizabeth Wein
Humanity is stripped to the basic levels of good and evil in this brilliant historical fiction novel that relates the horrors of Ravensbruck – a Nazi concentration camp. During WWII, women pilots flew fighting planes to airfields. The intent was … Continue reading
Falcon in the Glass – Susan Fletcher
The author of one of my favorite books, Shadow Spinner, has once again put her thorough research into story. Falcon in the Glass details the art of glass blowing and explores the history of Venetian glassmaking and the deadly undertakings … Continue reading
The White Princess – Philippa Gregory
Princess Elizabeth of York knows she will be England’s queen one day. The problem is that she doesn’t know who will be king. She is in love with the present king, Richard III, who has promised marriage, but she is … Continue reading
Tarnish – Katherine Longshore
This superbly well written novel is the second in a series set in the court of King Henry VIII. While Gilt covered Catherine Howard’s (wife #5) time at court, Tarnish focuses on Anne Boleyn’s (wife #2) arrival at court to … Continue reading
A Moment Comes – Jennifer Bradbury
Before the British pulled out of India, they were tasked with creating the borders for Pakistan. Religions that used to live in harmony within India had grown intolerant of each other. It was decided that a separate Muslim nation be … Continue reading
The Caged Graves – Dianne Salerni
Set in a small community in Pennsylvania following the Civil War, Verity Boone, returns to her birthplace to be reunited with her father and meet her intended husband. Her mother died when she was a toddler, so she was sent … Continue reading
The Boleyn King: A Novel – Laura Andersen
On a summer’s night in 1536 a rush of falling stars accompanied the birth of a prince, Anne Boleyn’s healthy baby boy. Now, seventeen years later King Henry IX, known to his family as William, is impatiently entering the last … Continue reading
All My Noble Dreams and Then What Happens – Gloria Whelan
This companion to Small Acts of Courage can stand alone. The author does a wonderful job clueing the reader in on Rosalind’s adventures in India during the time of British Colonization. Her father is stationed in India and works for … Continue reading
All Standing: The Remarkable Story of the Jeanie Johnston, the Lendendary Irish Famine Ship – Kathryn Miles
Nicholas Reilly always gave his place of birth as The Atlantic Ocean. He was born on Easter Sunday the day his vessel, the Jeanie Johnston, embarked on its maiden voyage to North America. That he and his family and all … Continue reading
Ashenden – Elizabeth Wilhide
This is the first time I have encountered a house as the main character in a novel, and I find I quite like it. Ashenden is a stately English country manor house built toward the end of the 18th century. … Continue reading
Velvet – Mary Hooper
Velvet has decided to reinvent herself to try to raise her standing in the world. Formerly known as Kitty, her mother died years before and her abusive father drowned in the murky canal. She adopts a new name and gets … Continue reading
Shadow on the Mountain – Margi Preus
When the Nazis begin to occupy Norway in the early 1940’s, they anticipate that the citizens will be grateful for their presence and will be easy to mold. While many young Norwegians quickly move to support the Nazis, many others … Continue reading
Inside Out & Back Again – Thanhha Lai
This fictionalized account of the author’s childhood in Vietnam during the civil war, the fall of Saigon, and new life in Alabama is written in free verse. She never knew her father, who was highly educated but had been missing … Continue reading
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