The Far Pavilions
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One of the BBC's '100 Novels that Shaped the World' The Far Pavilions is the story of an English...
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Browse our catalogue with your favorite girl anytime, anywhere on your iPad. View American Girl’s...
The Hangman's Daughter
8.0
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Much time has past since the last witch hunt for this small town. They thought that was over. But...
Historical Fiction
ClareR (6054 KP) rated A Lady’s Guide To Fortune Hunting in Books
Dec 1, 2022
Kitty decides the only way to save herself and her siblings from ruin now that they’re orphans, is to marry into wealth. And nothing will stop her - certainly nothing as inconsequential as social class or money (and these things REALLY mattered then!).
Kitty has four months, the duration of the season, to bag herself a man - and she’s determined.
This is a lovely read. There are some interesting historical details, mainly about rich, snobbish people, and a great, fun character in Kitty.
It’s a light, easy read, and just what I needed!
Esperanza's Way (The Seekers #2)
Book
Motivated by the memory of her mother dying in her arms, Esperanza resolves that she will one day...
Historical Fiction Spain A Woman's Journey
Anywhere But Schuylkill (The Great Upheaval Trilogy)
Book
In 1877, twenty Irish coal miners hanged for a terrorist conspiracy that never occurred. Anywhere...
Historical Fiction
Merissa (13643 KP) created a post
Sep 25, 2025
Merissa (13643 KP) created a post
Nov 4, 2025
Death & Maia
6.0
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In the shadowed streets of plague-ridden Athens, Maia lies on the brink of death. When the grim...
FF Dark Fantasy Historical Paranormal Fated Mates
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Havana Sleeping in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>Havana Sleeping</i> is a historical mystery novel by British author Martin Davies, which is based on real events that occurred in Cuba during the 1850s. Although the Slave Trade had been abolished in England, there were still people in America and Cuba who would be happy for slavery to remain legal. George Backhouse was posted to Havana, Cuba as a British Judge to take a stand against the illegal slave trading.
Backhouse ends up getting involved in a lot of complicated situations that could potentially spark a devastating war. His path also becomes tied up with the other main character, Leandra Leigh. Whilst most of the characters are real historical figures, Leandra appears to be fictional. A dear friend of hers, a watchman, was murdered during a supposed robbery and although the matter has been closed for a couple of years Leandra is determined to find out the truth – something of limited value in Havana. To begin with Backhouse and Leandra’s investigations seem unrelated, but a connection begins to build up as the story goes on.
In all honesty, the novel was very difficult to get into. There is nothing wrong with the actual writing as such, it is in fact written well and grammatically correct, however there was a lack of excitement in the narrative. It was also difficult to keep track of the characters – admittedly that may have been the point in the case of a couple of people, but as a result it was impossible to connect story. There were a few attempts of showing emotion, mostly surrounding Leandra’s character, yet this failed to arouse much interest.
From a historical point of view, those interested in Cuban and British history of this time period may be interested in reading <i>Havana Sleeping</i> and the author also includes some factual notes at the end of the book, but anyone hoping to get a story of some kind is bound to be disappointed.