Historical Fiction Friday: Review.

Iris is a young girl living during the 1920s. Her mother died when she was young and her father raised her on his own. She loves her father, though he isn't the easiest man to get along with.

Her father decides to send her off for the summer and become a domestic servant while he tries to set up his new shoe shop. She works for Dr. Nesbitt and his elderly mother (who isn't helpless and doesn't need a companion.)

There are some twists and turns, and while a decent book I found it to be really slooowwwwwwwww. I was waiting for something big to happen, and when something finally happened I sighed and read on. It was a struggle to get through this book because the pacing wasn't what I hoped.

On Amazon this book has four and five star reviews. Maybe it's just me. Either way another historical fiction book crossed off the list for the challenge.

Historical Fiction Friday

Lily of the Nile is about Selene, the daughter of the infamous Cleopatra.

When her mother dies, Selene is taken to Rome along with her brothers. She doesn't want to leave her homeland, and she is upset her mother killed herself, but she doesn't have a choice. Once in Rome she finds life difficult to adjust to, but not as difficult as her stubborn twin brother. Despite everything that takes place, Selene is faithful to her faith as she tries to carve out a life for herself in a strange land.

I don't know much about Egyptian history, but I love reading these books. I found this one interesting, the characters well written and I enjoyed the little bit of magic that was thrown into the story. Selene is a young girl, teenager through the entire book. There is a sequel in the works, and I am looking forward to that.

Teens who are more advance will enjoy this historical fiction novel. It is marketed for adults, but I think teens who regularly read adult books, and want to get away from the endless fluff of teen historical fiction novels will enjoy this one.

Historical Fiction Friday

How about a little steampunk? The title of this book is neat.

Summary:
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

Historical Fiction Friday

For this Friday I found this witchy book. It was just released April 19th.

Summary:

It’s Spring again in the village of Montacute, and people want nothing more than to celebrate the season with maypole dances, festivals, and visits from the nobility. The festivities are dampened, though, when a young boy turns up dead outside the village. Then they learn that three other boys have also disappeared lately. To the parson, this tragedy is a perfect excuse to kick off the only thing guaranteed to get his spring-giddy parishioners back to church – a witch hunt.

Cecily may have occasional visions, but that doesnt' make her a witch! Fatherless and without friends, Cess knows she’s lucky to be employed by a grand estate like Montacute House, even if it is as a poultry girl.

On her thirteenth birthday, Cess finds a precious locket in one of her chicken coops, a strange discovery that’s quickly overshadowed by her best friend John’s disappearance two days later. The parson has already started planting rumors that the missing boys were bewitched, and the villagers think Cecily may be the culprit.

The only way Cess can prove her innocence is by finding John, but she’s soon embroiled in a plot that threatens her world and forces her to draw upon powers she never knew she possessed

Historical Fiction Friday

I'm a Victorian purist, when it comes to my historical fiction, but I'm starting to get more interested in the concept of Steampunk. I stumbled across The Iron Thorn when I was trying to find some non fiction books on the Victorian Era. This is the first in a trilogy.

Summary:
Steampunk fans will delight in this first title in the sure-to-be-popular Iron Codex series, featuring an alternate, Victorian-flavored America tightly controlled by Proctors and driven by the Engine, an underground power source. The only girl at the prestigious School of Engines of Lovecraft Academy, Aoife Grayson is terrified that she will follow her mother and brother into the hereditary madness that strikes on the sixteenth birthday, now just a few weeks away. Determined to escape that fate, she sets off to her never-met father’s estate, with her friend Cal and a cocksure but very appealing hired guide. Here, she tumbles into a magical world she recognizes from her father’s journals and her mother’s mad ravings. Kittredge’s richly descriptive narrative captures all the details of clockwork, inventive machinery, foggy mists, ghastly ghouls, and creative landscapes. There’s plenty of tame but satisfying romance, too, and plot twists galore. Aoife is a caustic-tongued, feisty, and independent young woman, with plenty of nerve and courage.

Historical Fiction Friday

This one has been out for awhile, but I haven't talked about it. But, I thought I'd share it with you guys.

Summary:
Orphaned at four, Bet and Will have been brought up by Will's great-uncle. They were raised together, but not equally, since Bet's mother was a maid who worked for Will's parents. Still, the young people have come to think of each other as siblings. Now that they are 16, Bet wants to attend school and Will seeks to join the army. But in 19th-century England, this is not going to be easy. Will is an underage gentleman–he is expected to go to preparatory school. And as a young woman of no means, she cannot attend a school. But clever Bet hatches a plan so that they can both get their desires–they will swap places. Will joins the army and Bet cuts her hair, binds her breasts, and enrolls in his school–as Will. Baratz-Logsted's writing has broad characterizations; a cheerful, modern tone without overt anachronisms; obvious plot points; a quick pace; and a tidy ending.

Historical Fiction Friday: A Review

This was in the spotlight a few weeks ago. I finally was able to read the book The Raven's Bride.

While the book is an "adult" novel the main character is very young. A good chunk of the book takes place in her early and late teens and into early adult hood(twenties) so this could appeal to teens.

Virginia lives in a poor family and she is first cousins with Edgar Allen Poe. She finds him worldly and handsome and has a crush on Mr. Poe. However, Edgar is much older that his fair cousin who hasn't reached her teens yet.

Poverty comes and stays within the family. Deaths happens as well. Virginia starts to grow up and she realizes her love for Edgar is becoming stronger. To her amazement he asks her to be his wife, and she gladly accepts. Married life isn't filled with happiness though and Virginia struggles with her husband and her failing health.

Overall, I liked this book but it wasn't one that is going to linger with the readers after you close it. I had issues with how the author tried to make seem Poe less perverted. For instance, she writes that Virginia's mother refuses to allow Poe and his new bride to have sexual relations until she is 16. I believe he is in his 20s or maybe 30ish. Many people maybe disturbed by the idea that cousins married, but this was a fairly common practice in the Victorian Era. After all, they didn't understand about genetics.

This novel is about a young nineteenth century woman who lived her life in the domestic sphere. Therefore her life may not be exciting to teens who are looking for a little more excitement. I enjoyed Virginia's story, but I can see how teens may not enjoy it as much.

As a side note, Poe isn't in the novel a lot. This has been brought up in other reviews. However, the book isn't about Poe, its about his young bride. So, I didn't expect him to be on every page stealing the spotlight.

Historical Fiction Friday

When I stumbled across American Heiress I thought it sounded similar to the true story of Consuelo Vanderbilt. When I went on the author's website I saw that the Ms. Vanderbilt was the inspiration for the book.


Summary:
Be careful what you wish for. Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts’, suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.

Witty, moving, and brilliantly entertaining, Cora’s story marks the debut of a glorious storyteller who brings a fresh new spirit to the world of Edith Wharton and Henry James.

This book will be released on June 21, 2011

For those who are interested in the real Consuelo Vanderbilt, check out the biography by Amanda Stuart entitled Consuela and Alva Vanderbilt: The story of a daughter and a mother in the Gilded Age. This one is on my shelf.

Historical Fiction Friday

For this Friday I found Belle's Song. At first I thought it was a beauty and the beast type of story, but it is not. Check out the summary.

Summary:
When Belle meets Luke, son of an alchemist and Scribe to the famous poet Chaucer, she is determined to travel with him to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. She hopes for a miracle: that her father will walk again. She also hopes to atone for her own part in his accident. It is a time of unrest across the country and the young King Richard II is just hanging on to his throne. A malign character on the pilgrimage suspects Chaucer of treason and slowly winds Belle into a political intrigue. At the same time, the impulsive Belle is drawn towards both Luke and to Walter, the wealthy son of a Knight. But Walter himself is in love with Luke...As the uprising against the King starts to draw pace and the web of intrigue around Belle and Chaucer tightens, Belle and her friends must risk everything to save their country and themselves...

Historical Fiction Friday

Last summer Michelle Moran's book Cleopatra's Daughter came out, and now we have another book about Selene. Ancient history is interesting to me, so I am looking forward to reading this one and comparing Moran's book to Shecter.

Summary:
Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony--the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies--until she reaches out to claim her own.

This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.

This book hits the stores on August 1, 2011

Historical Fiction Friday

The Raven's Bride is an interesting adult novel that I think some teens will enjoy. It's about Edger Allen Poe and his 13 year old wife. Yeah, I said that right, thirteen.

Summary:

When eight-year-old Virginia "Sissy" Clemm meets her handsome cousin, Edgar Allan Poe, he seems the very image of the make-believe husband she conjures up in childhood games. He’s thirteen years her elder, but kind, soft-spoken, brooding, and handsome. Eddy floats in and out of her life as he fails his way through West Point and then the army. Each time he returns to Baltimore, their odd friendship grows, and her understanding of the moody, troubled writer deepens. As Sissy prepares for a career on the musical stage, her childhood crush turns to love. When she is 13, Eddy proposes marriage, swearing to care for her forever. Yet even child brides eventually grow up, and it's really Eddy who needs caring for, who leans on her. She gains his complete devotion, true -- yet also must endure his abrupt disappearances, strange moods, and the aftermath of alcoholic binges. Then, when she falls ill, Poe’s greatest fear – that he’ll once again lose a woman he loves – drives him both to near-madness, and to his greatest literary achievement.

This provocative novel explores the mysterious and confounding relationship between Poe and Sissy Clemm, his great love and constant companion. Lenore Hart, author of Becky, explores love, loss, the afterlife, and American literature's most haunted and demonized literary figure, by imagining the real, beating heart of the woman who loved and inspired him – and whose absence ultimately destroyed him.

Historical Fiction Friday

Eh, OK. I was a day early on I want it Wednesday and now I'm a day late for Historical Fiction Friday. Figures? Right.

I learned that Michelle Moran's novel Madame Tussaud is coming out earlier than anticipated, which suits me just fine. I'm a huge Ms. Moran fan so I'm looking forward to this book. I'll miss her tales of Egypt, but I love her writing style so I'll snag this one.

This one hits the stores in February 15, 2011.

Historical Fiction Friday

For this Friday I came across something that I am dying to get my hands. on. When I was a kid I remember watching a movie about the Triangle Factory Fire on TV. I was memorized. So, any books I can find on it will be snatched up.

Here is a summary:
It's 1910, and thirteen-year-old Raisa has just traveled alone from a small Polish shtetl all the way to New York City. It's overwhelming, awe-inspiring, and even dangerous, especially when she discovers that her sister has disappeared and she must now fend for herself. She finds work in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sewing bodices on the popular shirtwaists. Raisa makes friends and even--dare she admit it?--falls in love. But then 1911 dawns, and one March day a spark ignites in the factory. One of the city's most harrowing tragedies unfolds, and Raisa's life is forever changed. . . .

One hundred years after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, this moving young adult novel gives life to the tragedy and hope of this transformative event in American history.

Historical Fiction Friday

A little bit of mystery is in this novel. Ms. Hearn has written six other novels. I really want to read this one.

Summary:
Every family has its secrets. . . .

Hazel Louise Mull-Dare has a good life, if a bit dull. Her adoring father grants her every wish, she attends a prestigious school for the Daughters of Gentlemen, and she receives no pressure to excel in anything whatsoever. But on the day of the Epsom Derby—June 4th, 1913—everything changes. A woman in a dark coat fatally steps in front of the king's horse, protesting the injustice of denying women the vote. Hazel is transfixed. And when her bold American friend, Gloria, convinces her to stage her own protest, Hazel gets a taste of rebellion. But her stunt leads to greater trouble than she could have ever imagined—Hazel is banished from London to her family’s sugar plantation in the Caribbean. There she is forced to confront the dark secrets of her family—secrets that have festered—and a shame that lingers on.

Historical Fiction Friday

Everyone knows the tale of Dracula and Vlad the Impaler. But what some people may not know is that in the 1600s there was Countess Erzsébet Báthory...otherwise known as the Blood Countess.

Countess Bathory had a fixation on youth. She wanted to stay young. So she killed some of her servants and bathed in their blood. Well, that's one of the stories.

This is an adult novel, but I think teens will find it interesting. I have an ARC and I'll be writing a review soon.

here is a summary:
Johns's creepily enticing second novel (after Icebergs) travels to 1611 Hungary as Countess Erzsébet Báthory--aka the Blood Countess--is being walled into a castle tower as punishment for the murder of dozens of women and girls. She begins writing her life story as an exposé of the many betrayals that have brought about this--as she sees it--outrageous and unjust imprisonment. The steady, calm tone of Erzsébet's narration lulls the reader along so that the first hints of madness in her girlhood engender doubt and discomfort rather than horror, and as her lack of remorse and grandiose sense of entitlement are unveiled, a matter-of-fact self-portrait of a murderer emerges. This is a carefully researched story, gothic in tone and grimly atmospheric, with subtly handled psychology and an initially unassuming tone.

Historical Fiction Friday

In today's spotlight is Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is the sequel to Chains. Ms. Anderson is a local girl( Mexico NY). I've only read one book by her, Wintergirls, which I thought an interesting read but not riveting. Still, my patrons love her stuff so I thought I would bring attention to this novel.

Summary:
Anderson follows her searing, multi-award-winning novel Chains (2008) with this well-researched sequel, also set during the Revolutionary War and narrated by a young African American. This time, though, her central character is male, and the heartbreaking drama shifts from Chains’ domestic town houses to graphically described bloody battlefields. After a narrowly successful escape from Manhattan, former slaves Isabel and Curzon separate, and Curzon is once again on the run. He finds necessary food and shelter as a private with the Continental army, and through Curzon’s eyes, Anderson re-creates pivotal historical scenes, including the desperate conditions at Valley Forge.


Publication Date is October 19, 2010

Historical Fiction Friday

The cover for this book reminds me of Halloween. In fact it kinda creeps me out. So I decided to showcase it today since it is the first of October.

Summary:
Young Tabby Aykroyd has been brought to the dusty mansion of Seldom House to be nursemaid to a foundling boy. He is a savage little creature, but the Yorkshire moors harbor far worse, as Tabby soon discovers. Why do scores of dead maids and masters haunt Seldom House with a jealous devotion that extends beyond the grave?

As Tabby struggles to escape the evil forces rising out of the land, she watches her young charge choose a different path. Long before he reaches the old farmhouse of Wuthering Heights, the boy who will become Heathcliff has doomed himself and any who try to befriend him.

Historical Fiction Friday

Every once in a while I post an adult book. I know some of my teens like to branch out and try something else. I don't post many, but I had to post this one.

Ms. Elliot was kind enough to give me a copy of Dark Moon of Avalon and I can't wait to read it. I read the first novel and loved it. Check out the summary.


Summary: The second installment of Elliot's Twilight of Avalon trilogy returns to the tale of former Queen Isolde and her devoted champion, Trystan. Now that Britain is in danger of falling to treacherous Lord Marche and his ruthless Saxon allies, Isolde knows that her only chance to save the kingdom is a desperate alliance with Saxon king Cerdic, whose willingness is uncertain. Trystan escorts Isolde on her quest to find Cerdic and, in the process, she learns more than she'd like about their time apart, during which he endured everything from slavery to torture; their greatest challenge, however, will be to trust their love. Elliot brings the Arthurian world to rich life, creating a Britain both familiar and distinctly alien to fans of medieval romances. Though Tristan and Isolde's romantic hedging, an obvious play to prolong the sexual tension, can frustrate, fans of the first book should be satisfied with this intermediary episode.

Historical Fiction Friday

In today's spotlight we have Folly. It takes place during the Victorian Era, and as you know I love all things Victorian.

Here is a summary:
Mary Finn is unmarried and pregnant. Her baby's father has disappeared and she's been dismissed from her domestic position. A kindhearted woman takes her in, but then dies after the baby is born, and Mary is homeless again. She realizes that her son's only hope for survival is to be raised in the Foundling Hospital. Six-year-old James has been happy in his foster home, but now he must return to the hospital, where he was placed by his mother as a baby, so he can receive his education. His third-person narrative, which takes place in 1884, alternates with Mary's first-person account, which is set between 1877 and 1878. This alternating point of view may be a bit confusing for teens at first, but the story will quickly pull them in. Jocelyn's characters are richly drawn and fully developed, and the setting of late-1800s London is vividly detailed. The climactic scenes between Mary and Eliza, another maid, are funny and sad at the same time. The novel has a melancholy feel to it, but readers will care very much for these characters as they experience first love and sex, physical pain, jealousy, homelessness, hunger, shame, desertion, and heart-wrenching decisions.

Historical Fiction Friday: Review

This is the second book in the series The Cousin's War. Ms. Gregory has a large following, even among my teen patrons, so I decided to read this book.

Margaret Beaufort is obsessed with Joan of Arc and religion. The reader is introduced to this in the first few pages of the novel. And then they are heavily beaten over the head with this information for the next 100 pages and then only moderately beaten over the head with it for the rest of the book.

I got it. Margaret wants to be another Joan of Arc. I also understand that Margaret is on a mission from God to put her son, Henry, on the throne.

The story that unfolds is about an uptight Margaret(who became really annoying towards the end) who is constantly praying, scheming and telling everyone she comes across she is on a mission from God. She's chaste, she's dull, and she's mean as a wet hornet.

Lord Stanley, Margaret's last husband is by far the most interesting character in the book. He marries her for political gain only and pretty much tells her how it is.

The story limps along at an unusually slow pace. The beginning had promise and then we get to the second half of the book which is dull, talks about battles, fighting, and I just don't care.

In this book Philippa Gregory manages to do what a lot of YA historical fiction authors do, and that is leave out the details of the time period. Nothing puts my knickers in a knot faster than no historical details. There was no explanations of food, clothing..nothing. I hate that.

This is a book to be missed for all of the reasons stated above. If you are a Ms. Gregory fan and need to read the book I would get it at the library.