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David McK (3880 KP) rated Hearts of Stone in Books
Feb 9, 2022
Not quite what the blurb makes out
Whilst I do associate Simon Scarrow with the genre of historical fiction, these tend to be set further back in history: mainly around the time of the Roman Empire; there or thereabouts.
Until recently, I've tended to avoid his few works that are more contemporary in nature, only recently (towards the end of last year) reading Blackout as I felt they were 'too close' (if that makes sense) for comfort for me in that there are still people alive who lived through the setting.
I must admit, I did quite enjoy Blackout so thought I would also give this a go, due to the roughly the same (WW2) setting.
This novel flits back and forth between then and 'now' (of 2013), as the descendants of the main 1940s settings character start to discover more about their ancestors - in particular, as history teacher Anna uncovers the story of her maternal grandmother Eleni, who participated in the Greek resistance on the island of Lefkas during 1943.
The whole had-a-German-friend in 1939 thing almost seems incidental to the story (he's not), until roughly about the final third.
And yes, I did pick up on the arguments in favour of teaching history (a subject I did, mostly, enjoy in school) passages.
Until recently, I've tended to avoid his few works that are more contemporary in nature, only recently (towards the end of last year) reading Blackout as I felt they were 'too close' (if that makes sense) for comfort for me in that there are still people alive who lived through the setting.
I must admit, I did quite enjoy Blackout so thought I would also give this a go, due to the roughly the same (WW2) setting.
This novel flits back and forth between then and 'now' (of 2013), as the descendants of the main 1940s settings character start to discover more about their ancestors - in particular, as history teacher Anna uncovers the story of her maternal grandmother Eleni, who participated in the Greek resistance on the island of Lefkas during 1943.
The whole had-a-German-friend in 1939 thing almost seems incidental to the story (he's not), until roughly about the final third.
And yes, I did pick up on the arguments in favour of teaching history (a subject I did, mostly, enjoy in school) passages.
The Queen's Scribe (Sea and Stone Chronicles)
Book
A broken promise. A bitter conflict. And a woman’s elusive chance to love or die. 1458. Young...
Historical Fiction Royal History
Sisters of Castle Leod
Book
**Finalist in the 2022 American Writing Awards** Millions are fans of Diana Gabaldon’s popular...
Historical Biographical Fiction
ClareR (6256 KP) rated The Dictator’s Muse in Books
Jan 10, 2023
This sounded like it was going to be solely about Leni Riefenstahl, but it’s not. This is a really enjoyable mystery set in Germany and England in the pre-war years, and the Berlin Olympics in particular.
Hitler is in power, and one of his most respected film makers, Leni Riefenstahl, has been tasked with filming the Berlin Olympics. She has to tread a fine line between the film-making she wants to create and that of the Nazi propaganda machine.
Meanwhile, back in England, Kit is training for the olympics whilst holding down a full time job and trying to impress his upper class girlfriend. He discovers he can get sponsorship through Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, even though he isn’t by any means a fascist.
Alun is a Welsh Communist, who has been tasked with infiltrating the Blackshirts.
Leni seems to be in a state of permanent dread, because even those who are staunch Nazis aren’t safe from being taken down by the SS.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and it sounds like it should be confusing. But it’s really not. It wasn’t fact, unputdownable.
There’s a great mystery threaded through this, introduced by a modern day character, an academic called Sigrun Meier.
Historical fiction AND a mystery - what’s not to like?!
Hitler is in power, and one of his most respected film makers, Leni Riefenstahl, has been tasked with filming the Berlin Olympics. She has to tread a fine line between the film-making she wants to create and that of the Nazi propaganda machine.
Meanwhile, back in England, Kit is training for the olympics whilst holding down a full time job and trying to impress his upper class girlfriend. He discovers he can get sponsorship through Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, even though he isn’t by any means a fascist.
Alun is a Welsh Communist, who has been tasked with infiltrating the Blackshirts.
Leni seems to be in a state of permanent dread, because even those who are staunch Nazis aren’t safe from being taken down by the SS.
There’s a lot going on in this book, and it sounds like it should be confusing. But it’s really not. It wasn’t fact, unputdownable.
There’s a great mystery threaded through this, introduced by a modern day character, an academic called Sigrun Meier.
Historical fiction AND a mystery - what’s not to like?!
The Dangerous Kingdom of Love
9.0
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The kingdom of love is a frightening place. A dangerous place. What kind of fool wants to live...
Historical fiction King James I England
The Devil's Glove (Salem #1)
10.0
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Northern New England, summer, 1688. Salem started here. A suspicious death. A rumor of war....
Historical Fiction Salem
ClareR (6256 KP) rated She Who Became The Sun in Books
Jun 13, 2023
She Who Became the Sun is a book that I could really immerse myself in. It took its time over laying the foundations of what will continue to be, I’m sure, an epic story. This is a re-imagining of the life and rise of Zhu Yuanzhang - the peasant rebel who expelled the Mongols, unified China and became the founding Emperor of the Ming dynasty. So, no small story then!
Shelley Parker-Chan has added a twist to the story, though. The Zhu Yuanzhang in this story is actually female. Born a girl, she steals her brothers identity when he dies so that she can survive - girls were not important enough to survive otherwise. She decides to live her brothers life, and as a fortune teller has foretold, she will rise to great heights in his name. And this process starts by Zhu being taken in and educated by the monks at a monastery.
This isn’t fantasy as much as it is historical fiction. Ok, there is a little bit of magic, but I took that as being an explanation of a leaders charisma. The writing IS beautiful, particularly the descriptions of the relationship between Zhu and the eunuch General Ouyang, and the queer story of Zhu and her wife.
We’re left on a bit of a cliffhanger, I’ll warn you, but we won’t have long to wait for the sequel!
Shelley Parker-Chan has added a twist to the story, though. The Zhu Yuanzhang in this story is actually female. Born a girl, she steals her brothers identity when he dies so that she can survive - girls were not important enough to survive otherwise. She decides to live her brothers life, and as a fortune teller has foretold, she will rise to great heights in his name. And this process starts by Zhu being taken in and educated by the monks at a monastery.
This isn’t fantasy as much as it is historical fiction. Ok, there is a little bit of magic, but I took that as being an explanation of a leaders charisma. The writing IS beautiful, particularly the descriptions of the relationship between Zhu and the eunuch General Ouyang, and the queer story of Zhu and her wife.
We’re left on a bit of a cliffhanger, I’ll warn you, but we won’t have long to wait for the sequel!
The Cleansing
10.0
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Based on a true story, this is not the enlightened Rome of myth. This is a city choking on fear,...
Ancient History Historical Fiction Based on a true story
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated My Unfair Lady in Books
Apr 27, 2018
My Unfair Lady by Kathryne Kennedy
Genre: Historical fiction, Historical Romance
Rating: 4/5
Summary (from the back of the book):
HE CREATED THE PERFECT WOMAN… the impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king’s ransom if he’ll teach her to become a proper lady, he’s prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it’s not her fortune he finds impossible to resist…
…FOR THE ARMS OF ANOTHER MAN. Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society—it’s the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she’s determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her her heart…
Review: This book is so cute! The dialogue is lively, the characters are likeable (or in the case of the “bad ones”, hate-able), and the images and descriptions are clear and visible. I loved it by the end of the first chapter.
Summer was my kind of girl. She grinned when things were funny instead of trying to remain indifferent, she wasn’t afraid to show how she felt—but she could also throw a knife, shoot an arrow better than the woman champion of their day, and mount and ride a horse bareback (which I think is so cool!). She has a love for animals—and odd ones at that. She owns a three-legged dog, a dog with four legs but the size of a small horse, a monkey, a pocket-sized puppy, a fox, and a cat with no back legs (it sits in a cart and rolls around the room). She was raised by an Indian (one of those childhood dreams that I never quite left behind…) and he was the one who had taught her all that great stuff. Watching her try to settle into society was hilarious.
MY UNFAIR LADY has a lot of tension in it—both inner turmoil from poor Summer, and also sexual tension between the characters. However, it wasn’t overpowering because was so funny. I found that I laughed just as often as tension was built, so there was a constant, even balance. The end was very exciting, and I found it impossible to put down. Overall, reading this book was a hilarious and wonderful experience, and an unforgettable escape from reality.
Plot: My Fair Lady (the movie) shows a girl who is transformed to a lady, then the man falls in love with her. I love the change that has taken place in MY UNFAIR LADY—The man doesn’t want to change her, because he loves her the way she is. I like this plot better than the first!
Writing: The writing was decent, acceptable, and more readable than a lot of newly published romances. Though it wasn’t Dante, it wasn’t hard to read either.
Content: Refreshingly, there was no language in this book. Summer has her own set of expletives, but they weren’t offensive (“Tarnation!”). As far as sex, let’s just say there were several scenes (pages) in this book that I skipped completely, and just started reading again where the dialogue picked up. I didn’t miss anything important.
Recommendation: Ages 18+ to lovers of Historical fiction, Romance in general, or anyone who loves a girl who can shoot a gun, wield a knife, or use a bow and arrow better than a man!
**Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for supplying my review copy!**
Genre: Historical fiction, Historical Romance
Rating: 4/5
Summary (from the back of the book):
HE CREATED THE PERFECT WOMAN… the impoverished Duke of Monchester despises the rich Americans who flock to London, seeking to buy their way into the ranks of the British peerage. So when railroad heiress Summer Wine Lee offers him a king’s ransom if he’ll teach her to become a proper lady, he’s prepared to rebuff her. But when he meets the petite beauty with the knife in her boot, it’s not her fortune he finds impossible to resist…
…FOR THE ARMS OF ANOTHER MAN. Frontier-bred Summer Wine Lee has no interest in winning over London society—it’s the New York bluebloods and her future mother-in-law she’s determined to impress. She knows the cost of smoothing her rough-and-tumble frontier edges will be high. But she never imagined it might cost her her heart…
Review: This book is so cute! The dialogue is lively, the characters are likeable (or in the case of the “bad ones”, hate-able), and the images and descriptions are clear and visible. I loved it by the end of the first chapter.
Summer was my kind of girl. She grinned when things were funny instead of trying to remain indifferent, she wasn’t afraid to show how she felt—but she could also throw a knife, shoot an arrow better than the woman champion of their day, and mount and ride a horse bareback (which I think is so cool!). She has a love for animals—and odd ones at that. She owns a three-legged dog, a dog with four legs but the size of a small horse, a monkey, a pocket-sized puppy, a fox, and a cat with no back legs (it sits in a cart and rolls around the room). She was raised by an Indian (one of those childhood dreams that I never quite left behind…) and he was the one who had taught her all that great stuff. Watching her try to settle into society was hilarious.
MY UNFAIR LADY has a lot of tension in it—both inner turmoil from poor Summer, and also sexual tension between the characters. However, it wasn’t overpowering because was so funny. I found that I laughed just as often as tension was built, so there was a constant, even balance. The end was very exciting, and I found it impossible to put down. Overall, reading this book was a hilarious and wonderful experience, and an unforgettable escape from reality.
Plot: My Fair Lady (the movie) shows a girl who is transformed to a lady, then the man falls in love with her. I love the change that has taken place in MY UNFAIR LADY—The man doesn’t want to change her, because he loves her the way she is. I like this plot better than the first!
Writing: The writing was decent, acceptable, and more readable than a lot of newly published romances. Though it wasn’t Dante, it wasn’t hard to read either.
Content: Refreshingly, there was no language in this book. Summer has her own set of expletives, but they weren’t offensive (“Tarnation!”). As far as sex, let’s just say there were several scenes (pages) in this book that I skipped completely, and just started reading again where the dialogue picked up. I didn’t miss anything important.
Recommendation: Ages 18+ to lovers of Historical fiction, Romance in general, or anyone who loves a girl who can shoot a gun, wield a knife, or use a bow and arrow better than a man!
**Thanks to Danielle at Sourcebooks for supplying my review copy!**
Dominicana
8.0
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2020 'A story for now, an important story . . ....
Historical Fiction New York Literary Fiction Adult Fiction The Dominican Republic Coming of Age