The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier tells the little-known true story of 6th-century nun Clotild who leads a rebellion for the rights and freedom for her sisters. The story takes place in medieval France at the monestary of the Holy Cross where, after the death of the progressive-thinking (for the time) abbess, the male-led… Continue reading Review: The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier
If Diana Gabaldon Herself recommends a book series, you listen. Mask of Duplicity, the first in the Jacobite Chronicles Series, is of course right up my alley. Taking place in the years leading up to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, Elizabeth "Beth" Cunningham finds herself at the mercy of her estranged, cruel, military-minded half-brother… Continue reading Review: Mask of Duplicity by Julia Brannan
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner is a quick, entertaining, and pleasant read. If you've been here before, you probably already know I have a soft spot of the 18th century. I'm also interested in herb lore and apothecary methods of the time, so the subject matter checked those boxes. To be honest, for some… Continue reading Review: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson follows Phebe Delores Brown, the child of an enslaved woman and the master of their plantation. Phebe has avoided the harsh field toil by weaving and sewing alongside her mother on the Bell Plantation in Charles City, Virginia. Her mother is a strong influence on her life--teaching her healing… Continue reading Review: Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
I was already familiar with the Kingsbridge series from the Pillars of the Earth and World Without End mini-series. The Evening and the Morning is my first Ken Follett...and I must say, I went a very long time assuming he must be a very talented writer. But I think I was wrong. I appreciate the… Continue reading Review: The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
Linnea Hartsuyker's Golden Wolf trilogy has been on my to-read list for a while for its realistic representation of Scandanavia during the 9th century. Historical Fiction with Vikings--yes, please, but it's surprisingly hard to find serious stories about Vikings rather than harlequin-esque romance novels about stereotypes (no offense if those are your vice.) The Half-Drowned… Continue reading Review: The Half-Drowned King by Linnea Hartsuyker
Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures by Kathryn Brewster Haueisen straddles the line between fiction and non-fiction in telling the intertwining stories of the English religious rebels and the Pokanoket people and how these cultures clashed. There are two interesting points about the author, Kathryn Brewster Haueisen. She is the descendant of the… Continue reading Review: Mayflower Chronicles: The Tale of Two Cultures by Kathryn Brewster Haueisen
The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew by Denise Heinze is a short (hey, the title doesn't lie) and vibrant read about two women surviving in the starving Jamestown colony in 1609. Temperance Flowerdew and her maid, Lily, set out with the Virginia Company fleet to sail across the ocean for a second chance… Continue reading Review: The Brief and True Report of Temperance Flowerdew by Denise Heinze
Glorious Boy highlights a place often overlooked in WWII fiction: the Andaman Islands. Located between India and Thailand, the Andamans were part of British Colonial India. On the eve of WWII, American Anthropologist Claire marries British surgeon Shep Durant. Shep is soon posted to the Andamans as a colonial doctor, and Claire takes the opportunity… Continue reading Review: Glorious Boy by Aimee Liu
More Miracle Than Bird by Alice Miller tells the true story of Georgie Hyde-Lees, who at the age of 25, married famous Irish poet W.B. Yeats (then 52.) Miller's narrative focuses on Georgie working as a nurse in London during WWI. While trying to strike it out on her own at the soldier's hospital,… Continue reading Review: More Miracle Than Bird by Alice Miller
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