Author of Historical Fiction and Mysteries
Given the subject matter of Kate Quinn's latest novel The Huntress, it is difficult to use terms like "enjoyment" and "fun" to describe the reading experience. So I will limit myself to saying that it is among the best historical fiction I have read in a long, long time. The novel opens with a scene at... Continue Reading →
When I read a well-executed historical novel, it typically sends me on a mini research bender where I try to read up on the era or the event as much as I can. I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon is one of those novels. The historical event it's woven around is the Russian Revolution - actually, two... Continue Reading →
A guest post by Renny deGroot World War I: A time when the world changed forever. Among the advancements of technology, medical discoveries, and the loss of a generation of men, it was also a turning point for women. We are all familiar with those heroic women who worked in munitions factories, made tires, or were... Continue Reading →
I love reading historical fiction set in places that are not the usual go-tos of this genre, like revolutionary France or Tudor England (interesting though they are!!). There are vast areas of Europe, especially its eastern parts, not to mention places like Africa or South America, that rarely make an appearance. In that sense, Scotland... Continue Reading →
Guest post by Laura Matthias Bendoly Did women of the late medieval and early modern era (1500-1650) take part in paid professions? Could they earn an income? Were they permitted to study or to transmit their learning to others? The short answer is ‘no.’ And yet, there were occasions in 16th and 17th century Europe... Continue Reading →
I had long heard about Newport, Rhode Island, and its reputation as a summering (yes, I said summering) destination of the East Coast elite of yore. But hearing about it doesn’t do it justice. You have to see it for yourself to truly understand the wealth and ambition that went into creating the mansions that... Continue Reading →
Jessica Keener’s Strangers in Budapest may not *technically* be historical fiction, which is defined as taking place in a period before the author’s birth. Nonetheless, it is of considerable historical interest. It is set in the mid-1990s Hungary at the time of the transition from communism to capitalism, a process that is largely complete in... Continue Reading →
Disclaimer: This review is based on an advanced reading copy provided by the authors. In the summer of 1914, everyone thought that the “war to end all wars” would end within four months, and everybody would be home for Christmas. As we all know, that did not happen. The subsequent four years are the setting... Continue Reading →
