book review, historical fiction, history

Review: Crossing the Horizon by Laurie Notaro

Crossing the Horizon: A Novel by Laurie Notaro is the true story of trailblazing women: Elsie Mackay, Ruth Elder, and Mabel Boll. After Charles Lindbergh's historic trans-Atlantic flight in 1927, the few and pioneering aviatrixes in the world sought to claim the title of "First woman to fly across the Atlantic." We all know Amelia Earhart's… Continue reading Review: Crossing the Horizon by Laurie Notaro

book review, historical fiction, history

Review: Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown

  Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown tells the true story of 17th century Mary Rowlandson, who survived a Nipmoc attack on the village of Lancaster, MA and was subsequently taken prisoner along with two of her children. After about three months, Rowlandson was ransomed back to the English. She then went on… Continue reading Review: Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown

book review, historical fiction, history

Review: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is a YA novel detailing Philadelphia's 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic. Being in Philadelphia, I have heard about this particular epidemic...every time I walk past Washington Square Park I think about it, as well as the Revolutionary soldiers buried there. In the 18th Century, however, this space was called Potter's field.… Continue reading Review: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

book review, historical fiction, history

Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Amazon blurb: From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie-Laure… Continue reading Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

book review, historical fiction, history

Review: America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Amazon blurb: From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling… Continue reading Review: America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

historical fiction, history

Jamestown Settlement & Historic Jamestowne

The Williamsburg area is rich with history - it is called the historic triangle: Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. We didn't get up to Yorktown this time, but we did get a cab down to Jamestown Settlement. The Jamestown museum, Powhatan village re-creation, and Jamestown village rec-reation is actually a different sight from historic Jamestowne (aka… Continue reading Jamestown Settlement & Historic Jamestowne

historical fiction, history

Colonial Williamsburg – Oct 30 & 31, 2015

You'd think that living on the East Coast my entire life, I would have been to Williamsburg at some point. But no! At 28, I was finally able to go and I absolutely loved it (as expected). I wish I could have spent more time there--and will most definitely go back at some point (we… Continue reading Colonial Williamsburg – Oct 30 & 31, 2015

historical fiction, history, writer

238th Anniversary of the Battle of Germantown

Fought October 4, 1777, the Battle of Germantown was one of Washington's final attempts to win back Philadelphia from the British. By the time the Battle of Germantown was fought, Washington's army suffered low morale due to the back to back losses at Brandywine and Paoli (which actually wasn't the full-out massacre the papers of… Continue reading 238th Anniversary of the Battle of Germantown

book review, historical fiction, history

Review: A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812

A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Amazon blurb: Drawing on the diaries of a midwife and healer in eighteenth-century Maine, this intimate history illuminates the medical practices, household economies, religious rivalries, and sexual mores of the New England frontier. I love reading old diaries,… Continue reading Review: A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812

book review, historical fiction, history

Review: The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki

Amazon blurb: Everyone knows Benedict Arnold—the Revolutionary War general who betrayed America and fled to the British—as history’s most notorious turncoat. Many know Arnold’s co-conspirator, Major John André, who was apprehended with Arnold’s documents in his boots and hanged at the orders of General George Washington. But few know of the integral third character in… Continue reading Review: The Traitor’s Wife by Allison Pataki