The Foundling a thoughtful and original piece of historical fiction, expands on a snippet of information from Ann Leary's family about a time in the late 1920s when my home state, Pennsylvania, supported Laurelton Village for Feeble Minded women of Childbearing Age." Her grandmother worked there for awhile, right when a US Census placed her … Continue reading The Foundling – Ann Leary
Tag: #historicalfiction
Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
There are lots of unconventional, true to themselves people in this world and you may never want to get to know them. If nothing else, Elizabeth Zott should convince you it's a worthwhile venture to try. In 1959, as she is completing her Masters degree and planning on pursuing her doctorate, Elizabeth runs afoul of … Continue reading Lessons in Chemistry – Bonnie Garmus
The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris (audible version)
This (just) post-civil war novel brings together George Walker, an aging gentleman who lives in two-story "cabin" outside of Old Ox, Georgia, and brothers Prentiss and Landry - formerly enslaved by George's neighbor, Ted Morton, now camping on George's land. George is wealthy by local standards as he inherited a lot of land. He's a … Continue reading The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris (audible version)
The Murder of Mr. Wickham – Claudia Gray
Jane Austen enthusiasts will love this mystery and others will find it an entertaining late Regency period romp through a British house party gone terribly wrong (or right if you see it as many might). As the title and descriptions of this mystery suggest, all of the characters were first found in Jane Austin novels, … Continue reading The Murder of Mr. Wickham – Claudia Gray
The School for German Brides – Aimie K. Runyan
Fans of historical fiction, like me, have read lots of books about people in the resistance during WWII or about those who politically opposed Hitler or those who hid Jews. Any decent thinking person will ask from time to time, "why did so many people allow this to happen?" I've gotten cynical enough to say … Continue reading The School for German Brides – Aimie K. Runyan
In the Face of the Sun – Denny S. Bryce
"In the Face of the Sun" is a portrait of several generations of a Los Angeles family, initially living in a Sears Roebuck home, built from a kit, living a fairly middle class/working class life. In 1928, Daisy and Henrietta still live at home with their parents, but their mother is seriously ill. She suffered … Continue reading In the Face of the Sun – Denny S. Bryce
Dream Town – David Baldacci
I'm loving the Archer series, with the third entry confirming that David Baldacci has successfully nailed the hard boiled detective genre. When visiting his friend and aspiring star Liberty Callahan on New Years Eve 1953, Archer is drawn into a case when Liberty's friend, Ellie Lamb runs into them at dinner. Ellie is afraid someone … Continue reading Dream Town – David Baldacci
The Book Woman’s Daughter – Kim Michele Richardson
There's background to this story that is relayed in The Book Woman's Daughter such that this can be read as a stand alone book or the two books can be read out of order. If you asked me which I'd prefer, I'm glad I read the earlier book first. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. … Continue reading The Book Woman’s Daughter – Kim Michele Richardson
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare -Kimberly Brock
When I was around 9, my family's summer road trip (always ten days, meticulously planned by my father) took us to Roanoke Island and we saw the play about the lost colony. 1587! I didn't understand in 1963 or so how old that was. At that age, the U.S. Colonial times melted together with Columbus … Continue reading The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare -Kimberly Brock
Shadows of Berlin – David R. Gilliam
Rachel Perlman is married to Aaron, a "Flatbush Jew." It is the early/mid- 1950s. She is a displaced person from Berlin, Germany, a Jew who survived the Holocaust and is left with the knowledge her mother perished in a gas chamber. Rachel has suffered deep trauma over part of what she did to survive. Rachel's … Continue reading Shadows of Berlin – David R. Gilliam
They Called me Bookworm 