Joan of Domrémy by Kennith Maitland is a novella snapshot of Joan of Arc's life when she seeks an audience with the Dauphin to save the French city of Orléans from the English. In Joan's efforts to speak with the Dauphin about her visions to save France, she encounters a gardener, a starving English soldier,… Continue reading Review: Joan of Domremy by Kennith Maitland
A Daughter's Place by Martha Batiz follows real historical figure, Isabel de Cervantes (a surname she did not gain until much later), the illegitimate daughter of Miguel de Cervantes, the famous author of Don Quixote. In 1599 Madrid, Isabel is plucked from her humble life working in a tavern and supporting her little sister and… Continue reading Review: A Daughter’s Place by Martha Batiz
This Savage World by Anna Housego opens in 1770s London where young Maggie Bloodworth is trying to make her way in a city unforgiving to the poor. She is taken on as an apprentice midwife and eventually learns her trade with enough skill to stand on her own two feet. As Maggie's life progresses, she… Continue reading Review: This Savage World by Anna Housego
The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy. S. Kaufman reframes the Robin Hood legend from the perspective of ordinary peasant girl Jane Crowe. The story opens with Jane's lover, Bran, introducing her to the band of "merry men" in the Greenwood. From there, Jane undergoes an initiation filled with subterfuge and tricks with Robin (very… Continue reading Review: The Traitor of Sherwood Forest by Amy S. Kaufman
Lost Souls of Leningrad by Suzanne Parry follows professional violinist Sofya ("Sofi") and her teenaged granddaughter Yelena ("Lena") as they navigate the events leading up to, during, and after the brutal and infamous 1941 Siege of Leningrad . Having rekindled her old love with Admiral Vasili, Sofi gains valuable insider information that war is coming.… Continue reading Review: Lost Souls of Leningrad by Suzanne Parry
I somehow only recently discovered A Mercy by Toni Morrison, but the 17th century Americas POVs and exploration therein immediately drew me because I feel like many historical fiction narratives of enslaved people are set in the 19th century. A Mercy follows a small cast of characters, namely Florens, a young enslaved girl who is… Continue reading Review: A Mercy by Toni Morrison
TW: This book has depictions of physical and sexual abuse Hearty of Cruelty by Maybelle Wallis follows 20-year-old Jane Verity, reduced to a Birmingham workhouse in 1840 after a scandalous affair with an actor, Edmond. While Edmond has gone off to seek his fame and fortune in the theatre world, Jane has been cast out… Continue reading Review: Heart of Cruelty by Maybelle Wallis
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue takes place 1895 and centers around the famously photographed Montparnasse train derailment. As such, the book has a compressed timeline of events in which the entire story unfolds over the course of six hours. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've read a book that takes place… Continue reading Review: The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue
The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman is another 18th century tale of mystery and magic akin to the author's debut Pandora. I view Stokes-Chapman's work in a similar aesthetic and sensibility to my own writing in blending historical fiction with speculative, gothic, and/or magical elements. The Shadow Key takes readers to the wild and beautiful… Continue reading Review: The Shadow Key by Susan Stokes-Chapman
The Phoenix Crown takes place in 1906 San Francisco in the events leading up to, during, and after the famous earthquake. Gemma Garland is an opera singer trying to start her life over in San Francisco, but the artist friend she moved out to live with has mysteriously disappeared. Suling Feng lives in Chinatown and… Continue reading Review: The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang
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