Lindsay (1693 KP) rated Freedom's Song in Books
Sep 28, 2021
I was wondering if Sloane would catch up to Fanny. This book pulls you through Fanny's journey, and she will get her freedom. In the process, Sloan will find his freedom as well. There are three main characters throughout this book. We get to see their point of view throughout the book; Most of them are Fanny's point of view. We do see Walters and Sloane's point of view throughout the book as well.
This book talks about slaves. What will happen when Fanny meets Enoch and his family? Will she help them to freedom, and she gets help with being hidden with them. What will Fanny do? Will Sloane learn about keeping his word and about God?
Will Sloan find his riverboat singer? Does he seem to think he is on a goose chase trying to find a singer that seems to sing her way to freedom? The plot thickens, and there will be freedom for Fanny. Will she get what she has been looking for in life. Fanny agreed to help care and watch over Walter's little girl Annlesse. What will happen when Walter's new wife comes?
The Scent of a Storm
8.0
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A heart-wrenching love story for the ages – inspired by true events Eastern Prussia, 1944:...
Historical Fiction WWII
David McK (3185 KP) rated Hearts of Stone in Books
Feb 9, 2022
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 (5561 KP) rated The Dictator’s Muse in Books
Jan 10, 2023
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 (5561 KP) rated She Who Became The Sun in Books
Jun 13, 2023
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 Falconer's Apprentice
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THE FALCONER'S APPRENTICE is a story of adventure and intrigue set in the intense social and...
Historical Fiction Holy Roman Empire Frederick II Castel del Monte Falconry Medieval Medicine