Category Archives: Historical Fiction

Haven Point [Book Review]

June 3, 2021

Haven Point by Virginia Hume

Haven Point by Virginia Hume (cover) Image: a large home sits on a point of land overlooking the ocean

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (1944 to present day), Multi-generational Family Drama, Family Life, Maine

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks to #NetGalley @StMartinsPress for a complimentary eARC and @Macmillanaudio for a listening copy of #HavenPoint upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Originally from Minnesota, Maren works as a cadet nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center. The story begins in 1944 as she meets a handsome doctor who sweeps her off her feet. Oliver is from a prominent family who has a summer residence in a small, exclusive community on the coast of Maine. As a newlywed, Maren feels insecure as she tries to fit in with the tight-knit crowd of Haven Point residents. But Haven Point becomes part of their summer life and their children grow up for part of the year in Haven Point. In 1970, their oldest daughter Anne falls for a young man who doesn’t meet with the approval of Maren and Oliver. A tragedy occurs. In the present day (2008), Anne’s daughter Skye has a close relationship with her grandmother, Maren. In the end, Maren shares the whole truth with Skye about what happened in the summer of 1970.

My Thoughts:

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The Gown [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

June 3, 2021

The Gown by Jennifer Robson
#throwbackthursday

The Gown by Jennifer Robson (cover) Image: top view of the bride with her long train walking down the aisle

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Royal Wedding, 1940s England

In 2020, I decided to systematically revisit my older review posts and update them. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads. Today, I’m re-sharing a review of the fascinating story of the making of Princess Elizabeth’s royal wedding gown: The Gown by Jennifer Robson.

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

“The Gown is, in part, a behind-the-scenes story of the making of Princess (Queen) Elizabeth’s wedding gown. As the people of England endure a harsh winter and post war shortages and rationing, news of a Royal wedding brightens the country’s spirit. Told from two perspectives, we hear the imagined story of two young women who work for the famous fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Although the girls are accustomed to working on exclusive gowns for high profile clients and the Royal family, the newest assignment of a wedding gown for Princess (Queen) Elizabeth brings extraordinary pressure and excitement. A third perspective and modern timeline follows one of their granddaughters who travels to London a half century later to unravel her grandmother’s mysterious and secret past. There’s more to the story than the dress as the author gives us an idea of what life was like in 1940s London, and explores themes of friendship, family, and love.”

a wedding gown and so much more….

Continue here for my full review of The Gown …

 

QOTD:

Have you read The Gown or is it on your TBR?

The Warsaw Orphan [Book Review]

May 28, 2021

The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Kimmer (cover) Image: two children walk along the railroad tracks away from the camera

Genre/Categories/Settings: Historical Fiction, WW11, Poland, Jewish, Survival

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Welcome to my stop on the Summer 2021 Historical Fiction Blog Tour. Thank you for the invitation, Justine. Thanks #NetGalley @Harlequin @GraydonHouse for a complimentary eARC of #TheWarsawOrphan by Kelly Rimmer upon my request. All opinions are my own. Pub Date: 6/1/2021.

It’s 1942, and teenage Elzbieta lives in the middle of German-occupied Warsaw. She doesn’t like the Germans who patrol the streets, she resents the curfews, and she’s mostly uninformed about the hardships endured by her Jewish neighbors. On the other hand, she has heard about German brutality and is keeping a secret about her own true identity. Elzbieta makes two friends: her neighbor Sara who involves her in a dangerous world of smuggling children out of the Ghetto and Roman whose family lives in the Ghetto and is in great danger. This is a story of war, family, survival, and love.

My Thoughts:

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A Fall of Marigolds [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

May 27, 2021

A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
#throwbackthursday

A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner (cover) Image: white text on a blue backbround...marigolds peek into the edges of three corners

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Tragic Events, New York City

In 2020, I decided to systematically revisit my older review posts and update them. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads. Today, I’m re-sharing a review of the poignant and compelling A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner, a favorite title by this author.

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

“A beautiful scarf with a marigold design connects two women who experience traumatic and personally devastating events almost one hundred years apart. Clara witnesses the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911 in Manhattan while Taryn witnesses the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. Both young women suffer loss and experience the effects of PTSD. This is a story of their healing journey and their decision to risk love again.

“Love comes from Heaven. It is given to us not to hold on to or hide from, but to give away.
Love is the only true constant in a fragile world.
Don’t despair. Be happy. Choose hope.
The freedom to love and be loved, though it shook you to your core, made life exquisite.”

Continue here for my full review of A Fall of Marigolds …

 

QOTD:

Have you read A Fall of Marigolds or is it on your TBR?

Paper Hearts [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

May 20, 2021

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott
#throwbackthursday

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott (cover) Image: hand stitched title on a blue background...stitched star in upper left corner

Genre/Categories: WW11, Holocaust, Jewish, Young Adult, Poetry (free verse), Friendship, Survival

In 2020, I decided to systematically revisit my older review posts and update them. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads. Today, I’m re-sharing a review of the poignant and compelling Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott, a title on my lifetime favorites list.

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

“In Paper Hearts, two unforgettable girls find themselves tragically imprisoned at Auschwitz during the Holocaust and become friends. Through the bonds of friendship and a bit of defiance, Zlatka and Fania find threads of hope and a will to live. In this true story, Zlatka, along with the help of a few other girls, masterminds making a surprise birthday card for Fania. A secret project that would be a crime punishable by death if caught, each girl signed the paper hearts card with her hopes and wishes for happiness, love, and freedom. This heart is a symbol of defiance and is one of the few artifacts created in Auschwitz that has survived and can be seen today in the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre in Canada and in the image below.”

a beautiful, memorable, and gently written story of friendship and survival…

Continue here for my full review of Paper Hearts ….

Hamdmade collection of heartshaped paper: Holocaust artifact

QOTD:

Have you read Paper Hearts or is it on your TBR?

The Beantown Girls [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

May 13, 2021

The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey
#throwbackthursday

The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey (cover) Image: three young women look out the side serving windows of a WW11 truck

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, Red Cross Clubmobiles, Romance, Friendship

In 2020, I decided to systematically revisit my older review posts and update them. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads. Today, I’m re-sharing a review of The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey.

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

“In The Beantown Girls, three best friends conspire to serve their country during WW11 by joining the Red Cross as Clubmobile girls: Fiona is admired for her organizational and leadership skills; Viviana is adventuresome and outspoken; and Dottie is a shy music teacher. Healey uses a chronological timeline to tell the story from Fiona’s point of view, and we soon discover that Fiona’s primary objective in this venture is to find more information about her fiance who is missing in action. To qualify as Clubmobile girls, the young women were chosen for their inner strength and outer charm, but none of them were prepared for the realities of war or the front lines. In addition to the Clubmobile story line focus, there is a bit of romance for the girls, too.”

coffee…doughnuts…dancing…friendship…courage…determination…romance…

Continue here for my full review of The Beantown Girls ….

a black and white picture of servicemen lined up at a Clubmobile window

Image Source: National Public Radio

QOTD:

Have you read The Beantown Girls or is it on your TBR?

5 Fav Histfic Recs For Mothers

May 7, 2021

Happy U.S. Mother’s Day

To everyone who is celebrating this weekend!

5 Fav Histfic For You, Mom (text block surrounded by a collage of 4 pink floral pictures

Are you looking for a book gift for Mom or Grandma or a woman who’s been like a mother to you? Or to treat yourself?

Many readers who read a LOT, read historical fiction. So, if the woman you’re buying a gift for is an avid reader, chances are that she will like histfic.

Here are 5 of my recent favorite histfic reads!
All recent releases and 5 Star reads!

***This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Titles are links to my reviews.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

San Francisco Earthquake: A side of thriller and mystery in this one!

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner (cover) Image: blue-toned picture of a woman and young girl holding hands and walking down railroad tracks with backs to camerai

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Also a book about books and falling in love with reading. (WW11)

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (cover) Image: a young woman stands near shelf lined books next to a window holding an open book

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

History of Cuban revolution, New York City newspaper feuds, and inspirational women.

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton (cover) Image: a young woman in a long white dress stands next to a railing looking out over the ocean

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Code breaking, mystery, and intrigue in this one! (set in London, WW11)

a woman dressed in a rose dress stands with her back to the camera overlooking a balcony and a gold wall

The Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly

Slavery and nursing in the Civil War.

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly (cover) Image: a young woman in a long blue dress and bonnet walks down a country road with a handful of large sunflowers

If you need more recs, please ask in comments. Also, I’d love to hear your recs!

Paperwhite ereader electronic device

Mom might also like a paperwhite ereader!

mom and me mother's day

Mom and three-year-old me!

Happy Mother's Day (Image: a heard made of roses)

If your mother is in Heaven or if you’ve lost a child, I pray that your memories will comfort you.

candle for mom

 

thinking of you on mother's day

Be good to yourself today, Friends.

 

The Woman With the Blue Star [Book Review]

May 4, 2021

The Woman With the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff

Woman With the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff (cover) Image: the toes of red shoes sit on a cobblestone path, a cloth with a stitched blue star rests beside the shoes

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, WW11, Holocaust, Jewish, Krakow (Poland), Friendship

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Welcome to my stop on the Pam Jenoff Blog Tour for #TheWomanWithTheBlueStar. Thanks to #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks @HarperCollins @ParkRowBooks for my complimentary eARC upon my request. All opinions are my own.

The Woman With the Blue Star Blog Tour Banner

In 1942, eighteen-year-old Sadie and her parents are forced to flee the Krakow Ghetto to avoid being sent to a concentration camp. They seek refuge in the sewer system beneath the city. One day, Sadie looks up through the grate and makes eye contact with a young Polish woman, Ella. Putting her fears aside, Ella begins to aid Sadie by bringing her a bit of food. The story follows their friendship as Ella helps Sadie in any way that she can.

My Thoughts:

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The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba [Book Review]

May 3, 2021

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton (cover) Image: a young woman stands next to a railing looking out over a harbor

Genre/Categories/Settings: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Cuba

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Thanks to #NetGalley @BerkleyPub #BerkleyWritesStrongWomen #BerkleyBuddyReads for a complimentary eARC of #TheMostBeautifulGirlInCuba upon my request. All opinions are my own.

The real-life circumstances of Evangelina Cisneros (“the most beautiful girl in Cuba”), the Cuban fight for Independence, and a feud between two New York newspapers owned by Hearst and Pulitzer are at the center of this fascinating historical fiction story of 1896 Cuba and its revolution. The story transpires from three perspectives: Grace Harrington, a young woman breaking the glass ceiling in the cutthroat newspaper business; eighteen-year-old Evangelina Cisneros, unjustly imprisoned in Cuba; Marina Perez, a brave courier working secretly for the Cuban revolutionaries in Havana. With the help of Hearst’s newspaper and Marina, who had been forced into a Cuban reconcentration camp, Evangelina is rescued from prison and Grace travels to Cuba and writes the story of women who suffer from wrongful imprisonment.

Evangelina Cisneros

Evangelina Cisneros (photo sourse: Wikipedia)

My Thoughts:

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Woman 99 [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

April 22, 2021

Woman 99 by Greer Macallister
#throwbackthursday

Woman 99 by Greer Macallister (cover0 Image: a Woman in a red jacket and long blue skirt stands with her back to the camera looking out over a field

Genre/Categories/Settings: Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, 1888 Asylum, San Francisco, Sisters

In 2020, I decided to systematically revisit my older review posts and update them. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads. Today, I’m re-sharing a review of Woman 99 by Greer Macallister.

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary

“In the historical fiction thriller, Woman 99, two sisters living a life of privilege suddenly find themselves in a dire situation. Their parents have committed Charlotte’s older sister to an insane asylum because of her pattern of mood swings and a recent emotional outburst. Charlotte is on a quest to rescue her sister from the insane asylum. Inspired by real-life Nellie Bly, Charlotte manages to get herself committed to the asylum by staging a fake suicide attempt. Once inside she experiences troubling events, conducts a desperate search for her sister, decides to enlist help from a risky source, attempts a harrowing rescue, and risks her life.”

Continue here for my full review of Woman 99 ….

QOTD:

Have you read Woman 99 or is it on your TBR?