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Newest Historical Fiction Reviews (view source)
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[[Category:Historical Fiction|*]]
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<!-- INSERT NEW REVIEWS BELOW HERE-->{{newreview|title=The Lives of Stella BainFrontpage|author=Anita Shreve|rating=4|genre=Historical Fiction|summary=The opening of this book is a brilliant one, being thrust into the midst of Stella’s confusion as she wakes with no memory in a first aid station near the front line. She knows nothing other than the fact that she can drive an ambulance, and the reader knows nothing more than her. She soon discovers that she can draw, too, and this is a really nice angle to help learn about her and her past without having to unveil everything all at once. I think the use of present tense within this novel works incredibly well in order to keep the reader at the same speed as the character, and it’s also a writing style I enjoy as a whole because it’s a little bit unusual and brings a different pace to the text.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0349123578</amazonuk>}} {{newreviewTananarive Due|title=The English Girl|author=Margaret LeroyReformatory
|rating=5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Stella Whittaker moves from Gracetown, Florida. June 1950. After a quiet English town to Vienna in 1937 to improve her music skills. Staying scuffle with a white boy, twelve year-old family friends, Robbie Stephens Jr is sentenced to six months at the KrausesGracetown School for Boys, she feels less comfortable than she expects otherwise known as the Reformatory. It's a place with a brutal and dark reputation. But the segregated reformatory is a sense chamber of mysterious menace hangs over horrors, haunted by the householdboys that have died there. NeverthelessIn order to survive the school governor and his Funhouse, Stella enjoys her new life and Robert must enlist the sophistication help of the cityschool's ghosts – only they have their own motivations...|isbn=1803366532}} {{Frontpage|author=Katherine Howe|title=A True Account|rating=4.5|genre=General Fiction|summary=Hannah Masury is living in Boston, having been sent to live with a family who run an inn, and being made to work there from a young age. More than anything When she hears there is to be a hanging of some pirates in the town, she enjoys falling decides to go and watch. Enthralled and horrified in love with Harriequal measure, Hannah finds herself embroiled in a young Jewish doctorboy's death at the hands of two vicious pirates. And despite many warning signs She hides away, Stella’s love for him blinds so that they don't find and kill her too, and then to escape them completely she runs away to sea, dressing as a boy and joining the notorious Ned Low's pirate ship as a cabin boy. She soon finds herself in the possibility thick of trouble things when it seems inevitable to othersthere is a mutiny on board, and from there we are caught up in her rip roaring tale of life on the ocean waves.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0751551775</amazonuk>0861547438
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Christopher BlandSarah Marsh|title=Ashes In The WindA Sign of Her Own|rating=43.5
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=John Burke and Tomas Sullivan may go to the same primary school in Kerry but even in 1908 they're on two sides After a bout of scarlet fever as a great dividechild, Ellen Lark loses her hearing. John is Anglo Irish protestant and comfortably offSuddenly plunged into a world of silence, being everything about her life changes. Living in a time when the heir use of sign language was seen as something only savages do, Ellen is sent to Derriquin Castle whereas Tomas a school where she is Irish Catholictaught to lip read, living but physically restrained from signing. From here, she ends up in poverty another school studying under Alexander Graham Bell who has been teaching the deaf and raised to feel the resentment of the oppressedusing a system called Visible Speech. The fact that John has been brought At the same time, Bell is working on other inventions and ideas, and Ellen finds herself unwittingly caught up to believe in Home Rule tragically makes no difference as John, Tomas and their future generations live with the consequences a complicated tangle of a centuries old struggleespionage. |amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781859337</amazonuk>1035401614
}}
{{Frontpage
|author=Claire North
|title=House of Odysseus
|rating=5
|genre= Literary Fiction
|summary= ''What could matter more than love?''
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Valerie FitzgeraldB0C7J9D21B|title=ZemindarA Captive in Algiers (Muhammed Amalfi Mysteries)|author=A J Lewis|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=1850s India: Laura Hewitt accompanies her newly married cousin Emily Flood and Emily's husband Charles to the exotic sub-continent for a visit to Charles' half-brother Oliver Erskine. Although none of the travellers have ever met OliverWhen we first meet our hero, many of the people they encounter have heard of him his name is Ettore and the way he rules his small fiefdom as its Zemindarlives at The House of Beautiful Swallows. These stories tantalise Laura Idyllic as the information conflicts this might sound, it's a bordello and sheEttore's unable to develop a mental picture of the manmother died when he was born. ThatHe's not all that's conflicting: there's an increasing feeling been short of mothers, though - but for someone of unrest his background in this furthest outpost of Queen Victorialate-eighteenth-century Amalfi, it's empire which will eventually lead difficult to one obtain decent employment. The stint working with the preparation of the bloodiest episodes in Indoanchovies didn't work out and bastards are considered bad luck on fishing boats. Ettore was nothing if not resourceful - and determined -British historyand it was not long before he had a successful business as a guide for visitors. Laura, Emily and Charles are naïve, but that won't save them from what's to come – something beyond their worst nightmaresHe was even saving some money. |amazonuk=<amazonuk>178185954X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Ken FollettEssie Fox|title=Edge of Eternity (The Century Trilogy)Fascination|rating=34
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=The story baton Victorian era is passed to the next generation incredibly over-romanticised as the swinging 60s arrive a setting for people like Dave Williams. For others such as Rebecca Hoffmann and Walli Franckhistorical fiction (matched only, living in East Germany means other priorities andperhaps, indeed, worriesby the Second World War) which has often led to more than a few writers mishandling it. What the Hoffmann-Francks donThere't realise is that things are about to get s such a lot worse, partially due to the treacherous influence glut of someone they all once trusted. Meanwhile media set in America George Jakes has ideals and strong convictions the era that will take him past the metaphorical draw bridge into hallmarks we've come to associate with it are familiar to the echelons point of a modern day Camelotbeing cliched, hackneyed even. What of the Dvorkin twins in Russia? Tania and Dimka may have differing ideas on how All this is simply to illustrate that it would be an easy thing to effect change but storm clouds are hanging over them - do poorly. But despite that, something about it still grabs me – and the rest of the world - something about this book's description did as an island off the coast of America gathers prominencewell.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0230710166</amazonuk>1914585526
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Conn IgguldenNicole Jarvis|title=Wars of the Roses: Trinity (Wars of the Roses 2)A Portrait in Shadow|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=A bewildered Henry VI has awoken from the catatonic state that took him away from the business ''I want all of ruling – and living – for over a year. His job is now Florence to regain the reins of his kingdom that was a little too ably ruled by Richard Nevilleknow my name'' Cast out from Rome, Duke of York Artemisia Gentileschi arrives in Florence seeking an oasis in his absencewhich her art can find a home and where her future can thrive rather than stagnate. Henry's wifeBut as some as she enters Florentine society she faces great opposition from the powerful Accademia, Margaret the self-proclaimed guardians of Anjou, thinks Richard enjoyed the regency so much he's plotting a permanent takeoverhealing magics that through paintings have the power to protect the city and its citizens from plagues and curses. The bigger problem is communicating all-male Accademia has hoarded power over art and architecture for centuries and guard it to Henry as she's increasingly side-linedabove all else. The approaching storm is gathering momentum threatening the House of Lancaster To them, Artemisia – an ambitious young woman who promises trouble and change – has no place amongst them and a convalescing king whose recovery may only be temporary, even if he lives that longtheir society.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0718159853</amazonuk>1803362340
}}
{{Frontpage
|author=Thomas D Lee
|title=Perilous Times
|rating=3
|genre= Fantasy
|summary= ''Hate is the path of least resistance''
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Diane PearsonG K Holloway|title=CsardasIn the Shadows of Castles
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Hungarian Jewish banker Zsigmond Ferenc rules his family with an iron fist. As a proud Hungarian he feels that he needs to maintain standards. His wife, Marta secretly gambles behind his back, his sparkling younger daughter Eva takes We begin after the momentous battle in 1066 and on the heart day of William of Normandy's coronation as King of every man she meets (including his own) and his two sons need leadership and guidanceEngland. Then thereWilliam's his eldest child, Amale who fears she will never fall in love which may be position is not secure and the new king has many challenges. Imposing authority through a disadvantage as he looks around for a fitting matchcoronation is important. And William is right to worry. Although whatever their preoccupations may be at While the moment everything in Hungary (and indeed Europe) previous king, Harold, is about to change; history's timings can be cruel dead and the advent likelihood of World War I more pitched battles is perhaps one over, the rebels are stirring and much of its cruellest. To say the Austro-Hungarian Empire won't be the same again is an understatementcountry does not wish to recognise a new overlord.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1781857512</amazonuk>1800422466
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=3949666079
|title=Noema
|author=Dael Akkerman
|rating=4.5
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=''This is a story about some things that happened to me about twelve thousand years ago.''
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Robert Merle and T Jefferson Kline (translator)1529125898|title=The Brethren (Fortunes of France)Godmersham Park|author=Gill Hornby
|rating=5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=After fighting for France for most of their adulthoods, the two Jeans, de Siorac and de Saveterre (nicknamed 'The Brethren') take over the chateau and settlement at Mespech in If it were not for the Perigore region casual dereliction of France. There the newly founded community flourishes as people like Jonas the stone-cutter move in, signalling growth. De Siorac does his bit by producing a family. However this is the 16th century and conflict is never far away. Nationally France is threatened by Spain and England but itodd gentleman's also a threat duty, there would no women to itself as brother fights brother – Catholic versus Huguenotteach well-bred daughters at all. Indeed, the Brethren live in fear of the consequences of their own Huguenot faith although de Siorac doesn't make life easy for himself – his wife Isabelle is Catholic. His personal battles reflect those of the country and have effects that, for him, are just as critical.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782270442</amazonuk>}}'
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=The Soldier's DaughterMelissa Fu |authortitle=Rosie GoodwinPeach Blossom Spring
|rating=3.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary= I loved the prelude to Peach Blossom Spring, a short chapter entitled ''Origins''. Unfortunately it is the only truly poetic part of a book that I expected more from. Covering Chinese history from 1938 to 2005 as viewed through one family's perspective. When their home city is set ablaze during the war with Japan, a young mother (Meilin) and her four-year-old son (Renshu) are among those who flee. The story follows them on their journey across China, and in Renshu's case eventually to America.
|isbn=1472277538
}}
{{Frontpage
|isbn=1916072038
|title=The House in the Hollow (The Talbot Saga)
|author=Allie Cresswell
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Briony Valentine lives a contented life with her mum, dad and younger siblings We meet part of the Talbot family in a close-knit community Yorkshire in NuneatonNovember 1811. She doesn't Twenty-seven-year-old Jocelyn Talbot and her mother have much travelled in some discomfort from their home at Ecklington, to worry about, other than the fact that she and her best friend both have a crush on house in the same boy, Erniehollow. However, the clouds of war The two women are gathering angry with each other and threaten to turn BrionyJocelyn is well aware of her mother's peaceful world upside down. Dad and Ernie enlist in the army strengths and Briony has her own war to fight when she and her siblings are evacuated to Cornwall to stay with their stern Grandmother. The black sheep of the family, the unsavoury uncle Seb, clearly wants Briony out of his way, but how far will he go to make sure that she does not interfere with his sinister plans?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1472101723</amazonuk>}}weaknesses:
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=The Fair FightAnnabel Abbs|authortitle=Anna FreemanThe Language of Food
|rating=5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Set in Eliza Acton is a poet who has never had the grimy streets of Bristol, we follow the journey of Ruth – born slightest inclination to boil an egg. When tasked with writing a Madame in a brothelcookery book, and constantly outshone by her prettier sister Dorashe recruits Ann Kirby, Ruth learns to stand on two feet and to defend herself – something which is picked up on by a regular client of Dora’s, Mr Dryerlocal woman with a troubled home life. Plunged headfirst into the world of fightingTogether, Ruth soon meets Grenville Dryer’s wifethey test, Charlottecraft, a woman scarred by smallpox refine and trapped in a loveless relationship with her husbandreshape the world of domestic cookery, reinventing the recipe book and a toxic one with her brotherchanging the face of cookery writing forever.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0297871951</amazonuk>1398502227
}}
{{newreview|title=The WakeFrontpage|author=Paul KingsnorthFreya Marske|ratingtitle=3.5|genre=Historical Fiction|summary=Paul Kingsnorth refers to his Booker-longlisted fiction debut, ''The Wake'', as 'a post-apocalyptic novel set 1000 years in the past'. This ambitious story traces the three-year Ely resistance movement that followed the Norman Conquest. The guerrilla fighters were led by a figure named Hereward the Wake – thus the title. The first thing any review must note is the language: set in 1066-8, this historical novel is written in what Kingsnorth calls a 'shadow tongue' or 'pseudo-language', not quite the Old English you encountered reading Chaucer or ''Beowulf'' at school, but similar. I would strongly recommend that any diligent reader start by perusing the partial glossary and 'A Note on Language', both appended at the end of the text.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1908717866</amazonuk>}} {{newreview <!-- 26/8 -->|title=The Leopard of Dramoor|author=P De V HencherMarvellous Light
|rating=4
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=StephenRobin Blyth is nudged into a job in the Civil Service, Earl much to his chagrin. There he meets Edwin Courcey and learns that the streets of NorthumbriaLondon are threaded with magic. Desperate to remove a curse that threatens to swallow him, known Robin follows Edwin to popular legend as the Leopard of Dramoorcountryside, is past his best fighting days. But warfare is never far away in medieval England, particularly in where the border country. And it's not far away now. A combined force of Scottish hedgegrows bristle with incantations and French troops are massing and intend to attack one of Stephen's castlesthe people shimmer with power. Stephen's son David is captain There they uncover a sinister plot that threatens the lives of all magicians in the castle but he's spoiled and lazy and his father knows he won't defend it successfully without helpBritish Isles. |amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1493588192</amazonuk>1529080886
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn=Karen MaitlandB09F4CTKJR|title=The Vanishing WitchFlights for Freedom|author= Steven Burgauer
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=More It's the later stages of World War I and higher taxes are being levied on the English by teenage King Richard II United States has just entered the conflict. Petrol Petronus is a young American who has signed up and his uncle/advisor John of Gaunt to pay for joined the wars against France17 Aero Squadron. They may cause annoyance This company was the first US Aero Squadron to be trained in Canada, the rich but they're breaking first to be attached to the poor, people like Lincolnshire river boat man Gunter RAF and his family. Meanwhile some of the better off are facing problems from other quarters. Cloth merchant Robert of Bassingham is losing his stock before it arrives due first to be sent into the skies to theft and unrest among fight the weavers Germans in Flandersactive combat. It's not a good time But before that can happen, Petrol has to be English and eventually something will snap; we're heading towards 1831 and master flying the peasants will be revoltingnotoriously difficult but majestic Sopwith Camel.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>147221501X</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Steven GallowayChristophe Medler|title=The ConfabulistMadrigal: A Closely Guarded Secret
|rating=4
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Martin Strauss has an unusual affliction that causes him to reinvent his life from false memoriesSet against the backdrop of the English Civil War, convincing even himselfa secret plan (code-named Madrigal) is discovered by Sir Robert Douse in the summer of 1642. As a confabulist heloyal servant of the King, and Head of the Secret Service, it is Robert's unsure duty to uncover the details of his past the plan and whether he actually had a happy relationship with follow the woman he loved. But there is clues to uncover one thing of which he's convinced: he killed the famous Ehrich Weiss twice. You've not heard of Ehrich Weiss? Oh but you have for Ehrich was Harry Houdini, most guarded secrets in history—especially since the best escapologist (among other things) that plot could affect the world has ever knownKing.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1782393994</amazonuk>B095HY8SXQ
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=1471187179|title=The Shadow of WarA Beautiful Spy|author=Stewart BinnsRachel Hore
|rating=4
|genre=Historical Fiction
|summary=Minnie is an 'The Shadow of Warordinary' is the first book in a sprawling series with a new book being released once a year for each year of the First World War. Binns writes about five British communities, all very different – girl living an aristocratic Scottish family, a family of working class Welshfolk, a group of friends unexciting life in a Lancashire factory town, a pair of Cockney soldiers, and Winston Churchill, alongside his wife Clemmie and various government figuresleafy provincial suburb. The groups interact at various points book is set in the book, which leads 1930s and Minnie is expected to live up to some very genuine her mother's expectations and touching relationships forming, in particular the one between Margaret, find a nursenice young man to marry, produce children and Bronwyn, youngest daughter of the Welsh community.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0718179978</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=CC Humphreys|title=Plague|rating=5|genre=Crime (Historical)|summary=Highwayman Captain William Coke stops a carriage in spend the line rest of his chosen career her days looking after her husband and soon discovers hetheir home. Unfortunately, this isn's not the first t what she wants to have assailed it. The driver is dead do at all and all those within have been brutally skeweredneither does she want to continue working as a secretary. He flees As a result of a chance meeting, she finds herself drawn into espionage, working for the scene but unfortunately leaves secret service and effectively living a pistol behind. This is all thiefdouble life -taker Pitman needs to arouse his interest and attempt attempting to track infiltrate the Captain down with a noose in mindCommunist Party of Great Britain. Meanwhile nature Minnie finds herself torn between what she perceives as her duty and the friends she has an equally random mode of death that's soon to be let loose on London. This is 1665 made - and likes - whilst working for the Great Plague is about to beginCommunist Party.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1780891423</amazonuk>
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|titleauthor=The Windsor FactionAfonso Cruz and Rahul Bery (translator)|authortitle=D J TaylorKokoschka's Doll
|rating=2.5
|genre=Historical Literary Fiction|summary=I jumped at the chance to review Well, this novel. looked very much like a book I enjoy reading books based within this period and was fascinated by could love from the premise of ''what if?'' proposed on the back cover. The prologue was beautifully written and get-go, which is why I hoped that was an indicator for the rest of the book.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099578891</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Jacqueline Winspear|title=The Care picked my review copy up and Management of Lies|rating=3.5|genre=Historical Fiction|summary=The long hot July flipped pages over several times before actually reading any of 1914 is a good one for friends Kezia and Theait. Kezia marries Thea's brother, Tom, bringing them even closer as life-long friends. Kezia then learns how I found things to be potentially delight me each time – a farmer's wife, translating her love into imaginative meals – sometimes overly so. Out of weird section in the two friendsmiddle on darker stock paper, Thea is a chapter whose number was in the passionate one20, fighting for women's universal suffrage and000s, letters used as war approachesnarrative form, pacifismand so on. However, when war starts, Thea goes to It intrigued with the front as well as Tom, leaving Kezia at home to be more than the farmer's wife; necessity dictates she's now the farmer.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0749016833</amazonuk>}} {{newreview|author=Robert Wilton|title=The Spider subterranean voice a man hears in wartorn Dresden that what little I knew of Sarajevo|rating=5|genre=Historical Fiction|summary=Four enterprising free thinking people are invited to speak to the military in London: James Cade (fiercely independent business man), David Duval (ladies' man and occasional cad)it mentioned, Fiona Hathaway (a young woman too intelligent to squander in marriage) and Ronald Ballentyne (anthropologist and Balkans expert). ItBut you's spring 1914 and their military hosts are actually recruiting spies on behalf of ve seen the Comptroller General for Scrutiny star rating that comes with this review, and Survey. The four think can tell that they're serving their country and they areif love was on these pages, but it was not in the way they think: they're baitactually caused by them. They are the flies that the high-ups hope will lead British intelligence to the anonymous phantom figure that is the Spider of Sarajevo.So what happened?|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>1782391916</amazonuk>1529402697
}}
{{newreviewFrontpage|author=Livi MichaelChristina Hammonds Reed|title=SuccessionThe Black Kids
|rating=4.5
|genre=Historical FictionTeens |summary=15 year old Margaret Christina Hammonds Reed's debut novel is set against the backdrop of Anjou is brought the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a reaction to England to marry the absolution of four police officers for beating a black man, Rodney King Henry VI, little realising she'll rule in his stead in all but namenearly to death. Then little 3-year-old Margaret Beaufort marries John de la Pole, son of Told from the Duke perspective of Suffolk. This is Ashley Bennett, the first novel follows her evolution from a silent bystander when confronted with matters of three marriages she'll embark on by the time she's 14race, one of which will produce to a king woman finding her voice and all will produce suffering. The War of the Roses and the Tudor dynasty are both waiting in the wings; these are the women who will raise the curtainembracing her heritage.|amazonukisbn=<amazonuk>0241146240</amazonuk>1471188191
}}