Varina by Charles Frazier tells the story of Varina Davis, wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. From their first meeting, to the violent end of the war and her subsequent flight from the South to the frayed years of Reconstruction and beyond. Now I know what you may be thinking--why would you read a… Continue reading Review: Varina by Charles Frazier
My Dear Hamilton follows the true and extraordinary life of Elizabeth ("Eliza") Schuyler Hamilton--wife of the famous (or infamous) Alexander Hamilton. We all know Hamilton has gained popularity in recent years with the musical, but Dray and Kamoie's novel tells this saga of early American from Eliza's point of view, and in turn, presents an… Continue reading Review: My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie
Princess: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser tells the little-known lives and trials of Princesses Royal (Charlotte,) Augusta, Elizabeth, Sophia, Amelia, and Mary. The daughters of George III came of age during great changes in the British Empire, and experienced great changes themselves--outside of the norm for 18th/19th century princesses. What is… Continue reading Review: Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser
Golden Hill opens in 1746 Manhattan and follows the mysterious and enigmatic Mr. Smith. Smith keeps both the characters and reader guessing his motives and identity, as he arrives in New York with a voucher for a sum of money larger than anyone of his age and station should have. It is important to… Continue reading Review: Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York by Francis Spufford
Bomb Girls by Jacky Hyams examines the important, yet often forgotten work of the female munitions factory workers in the UK during WWII. Hyams provides historical context and research as a foundation before the book moves into real accounts from women who worked in the factories. Hyams interviewed several women who worked in munitions… Continue reading Review: Bomb Girls: Britains’ Secret Army: The Munitions Women of World War II by Jacky Hyams
Slammerkin tells the story of teenaged Mary Saunders in 18th century London, who resorts to a life of selling her body in an effort to move past her working class, poverty stricken upbringing. The first thing I want to say is that Emma Donoghue is such a talented writer. I hadn't read anything by… Continue reading Review: Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue
I worked with a close friend of mine to produce a short documentary about her #MeToo story. While I didn't have the best equipment or resources to make this, it was still very important to us to get her story out there. This documentary discusses the intersection of sexual assault, domestic abuse, opioid addiction, PTSD, and… Continue reading One Story, Many Stories
I haven't gotten into the habit of reviewing non-fiction books, as I often find them hard to review in the same way I review fiction. Nevertheless, I will try to make more of an effort to do so. Never Caught seems like an exception to me, though. Dunbar has written what I would classify… Continue reading Review: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
The Terror by Dan Simmons tells the bleak, brutal tale of the doomed 1845 Franklin Expedition in which the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus sought to traverse the Northwest Passage. While historically we know that all those on the expedition perished likely from starvation, exposure, scurvy, cannibalism, etc, Simmons offers a horror/supernatural twist to… Continue reading Review: The Terror by Dan Simmons
Enchantress of Numbers tells the true story of [Augusta] Ada Byron King, the daughter of the famous poet, growing up in the shadow of the famous father she never knew. I admit I did not know much about Ada or Byron historically, so it was certainly interesting to read how liberal and pioneering Ada and… Continue reading Review: Enchantress of Numbers by Jennifer Chiaverini
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