Title: The Boy in the Striped PajamasAuthor: John BoynePublication: October 23, 2007Publisher: David Fickling BooksGenre: Historical FictionPages: 215 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Title: Lilac GirlsAuthor: Martha Hall KellyPublication: April 5, 2016Publisher: Ballantine BooksGenre: Historical FictionPages: 497 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: Confessions of a Jane Austin Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
Title: Confessions of a Jane Austin AddictAuthor: Laurie Viera RiglerPublication: August 2, 2007Publisher: PlumeGenre: Historical FictionPages: 304 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: The Violinist of Auschwitz by Ellie Midwood
Title: The Violinist of AuschwitzAuthor: Ellie MidwoodPublication: November 18, 2020Publisher: BookoutureGenre: Historical FictionPages: 356 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) Auschwitz, 1943: In the depths of hell, can hope rise? And can love triumph over hatred?Based on the unforgettable true story of Alma Rosé, The Violinist of Auschwitz brings to life one of …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: The Have and To Hoax by Martha Waters
Title: To Have and To HoaxAuthor: Martha WatersPublication: April 7, 2020Publisher: Atria BooksGenre: Historical Fiction/RomancePages: 367 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) Five years ago, Lady Violet Grey and Lord James Audley met, fell in love, and got married. Four years ago, they had a fight to end all fights, and have barely …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor
Title: The Cottingley SecretyAuthor: Hazel GaynorPublication: August 1, 2017Publisher: William Morrow PaperbacksGenre: Biographical Historical FictionPages: 416 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) 1917… It was inexplicable, impossible, but it had to be true—didn’t it? When two young cousins, Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright from Cottingley, England, claim to have photographed fairies at the …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton
Title: When We Left CubaAuthor: Chanel CleetonPublication: April 9, 2019Publisher: BerkleyGenre: Historical FictionPages: 364 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) Beautiful. Daring. Deadly. The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez–her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro’s inner circle and pulled into the dangerous …
Read More »MOVIE REVIEW: Elizabeth
Still riffing on the historical fiction film podcast by Megan and Kristin, Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth (1998) was specifically mentioned in the podcast as one of their favorites. And once again, based on anecdotal evidence from conversations with others, Elizabeth seems to be well-appreciated as a film, especially as a performance by Cate Blanchett. In …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Title: Next Year in HavanaAuthor: Chanel CleetonPublication: February 6, 2018Publisher: BerkleyGenre: Historical FictionPages: 394 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) After the death of her beloved grandmother, a Cuban-American woman travels to Havana, where she discovers the roots of her identity–and unearths a family secret hidden since the revolution… Havana, 1958. The daughter …
Read More »BOOK REVIEW: The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls
Title: The Lost OrphanAuthor: Stacey HallsPublication: April 7, 2020Publisher: MIRA; Harper CollinsGenre: Historical Fiction, RomancePages: 352 SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads) A mother’s love knows no bounds… London, 1754. Six years after leaving her newborn, Clara, at London’s Foundling Hospital, young Bess Bright returns to reclaim the illegitimate daughter she has never …
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