Archive for the ‘historical fiction’ Category

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

I was a little concerned and uncomfortable throughout most of this book.  The story itself was engaging, but the magical aspect of the story raised some red flags for me. If you’ve read my blog at all, you know that I am not against magic in fiction.  In fact, some of my favorite books are [...]

March 6, 2012  Tags:   Posted in: fantasy, historical fiction, Young Adult  No Comments

Entwined by Heather Dixon

This one was fun!  I guess I would classify it as historical fantasy…definitely has magic, but the setting has a vaguely Victorian feel.  It definitely gets a bit dark (and bloody) at the end, so I would lean towards reserving this for a slightly older crowd.  (I wouldn’t put it on the shelf for my [...]

March 1, 2012   Posted in: fantasy, historical fiction, Young Adult  No Comments

Whimpering Again

So, here I am bemoaning yet again how rarely I post updates to this blog.  There’s really very little point to a book review blog if I never get around to actually posting anything more than a list of the books I’ve read. I’m still not willing to completely give up the idea, though. So, [...]

December 7, 2011  Tags: ,   Posted in: historical fiction  One Comment

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier

I think what I love about Chevalier’s writing is that she certainly knows how to use metaphors and symbolism.  I read so much fiction aimed at young adults, that I tend to miss the finer points of literature.  But Chevalier’s writing is literary and sophisticated without being pretentious and difficult to follow.  She is not [...]

May 2, 2011   Posted in: historical fiction  No Comments

We Hear the Dead by Dianne K. Salerni

Salerni teases you along with an intriguing tale until about two thirds of the way through the book when she finally rivets you.  The story is centered around the sisters who are credited with starting the spiritualism movement in the mid-nineteenth century.  (For those who might object to a book about spiritual mediums communicating with [...]

April 5, 2011   Posted in: historical fiction  No Comments

Time of the Witches by Anna Myers

I’ve read several historical fiction books about the Salem Witch Trials, but this one was a little dry.  What it does have going for it is that it is one of the few I’ve read that really is entirely appropriate for younger readers.  It would be perfect to pair with a social science curriculum that [...]

December 6, 2010   Posted in: fiction, historical fiction  No Comments

Uprising

This novel isn’t a page-turner, but it is certainly a good historical novel.  The story centers around the events that led up to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, which was the catalyst that finally initiated significant reforms to workplace laws that actually protect workers. The novels follows three young girls that are all tied to [...]

April 22, 2010   Posted in: fiction, historical fiction, Young Adult  No Comments

The Plague by Joanne Dahme

I am starting to feel a bit repetitive lately, but this is yet another book that had a superb concept, but poor execution. The story is set in Medieval Europe where Nell, a commoner, serves as Princess Joan of England’s double. When the princess dies en route to her wedding to the Spanish heir, the [...]

July 31, 2009   Posted in: fiction, historical fiction, Young Adult  No Comments

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship’s Boy by Louis A. Meyer

Mary Jacky Faber, speaking in the first person about her experiences negotiating relationships as she comes of age pretending to be a boy on a Navy ship—Bloody Jack has it all. Strong plot, strong characters, sex, murder, you name it. I don’t think it is ever too graphic—and Jacky definitely ends up as a “positive” [...]

January 16, 2008   Posted in: fiction, historical fiction  No Comments

Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette

This is my favorite way to read a biography–a book that reads more like a novel. Granted, Naslund freely admits that this is a somewhat fictionalized account of Antoinette’s life. She did however, do extensive research and has tried to be as faithful to actual events as there is evidence for. That said, this novel [...]

October 19, 2007   Posted in: fiction, historical fiction  No Comments