Good Reads - Fiction
Historical Novels: Stories from the Past
F/ALLENDE
Allende, Isabel - Daughter
of Fortune - 1999,
399p.
19th century, Chile and California
Heroine Eliza, an orphan
raised in luxury in the British colony in Valparaiso, Chile,
falls in love with a young
man who is far below her on the social scale. When he heads
for California and the Gold Rush, the pregnant Eliza follows,
encountering harsh conditions en route as well as in the
gold camps. With the help of Chinese cook/physician Tao
Chien, she survives and discovers both her independence
and true love. A satisfying multi-generational, multi-ethnic
saga that offers rich details of life in mid-nineteenth
century Chile, California, and even China.
F/BELLE
Belle, Pamela - Wintercombe - 1988, 528p.
17th century, England
Civil war has raged across England
for two years while a beautiful Puritan lady guards her
husband's ancestral
home, Wintercombe. When enemy troops invade the house and
a maniacal Lieutenant terrorizes the family, Silence St.
Barbe begins a hopeless love affair with the Royalist captain
who defends her honor and protects her children.
F/BELLONCI
Bellonci, Maria - Private
Renaissance - 1989,
462p
16th century, Italy
Peopled with famous Renaissance figures
from Machiavelli to Leonardo da Vinci, this first-person
account reveals
the personality and influence of Isabella d'Este,
the powerful and influential Marchesa of Mantua, who was
a patroness of the arts as well as a diplomat. A densely
written, provocative picture of an exceptional woman in
exceptional times.
F/BIRKHEAD
Birkhead, Margaret - Trust
and Treason - 1989,
384p.
16th century, England
Caught in the web of political machinations,
the Woodfall family, true allies of Elizabeth and the Crown,
falls victim
to a false accusation of treason and is ruined. Only Robert,
a bastard son, kidnapped as a child and now a trained espionage
agent, can help—if love for his family can overcome
his training.
F/CHADWICK
Chadwick, Elizabeth - The
Wild Hunt - 1990,
370p.
12th century, England
A Welsh border lord battles political
foes at the king's
court as well as rival barons during the reign of William
Rufus. As Lord Guyon struggles to maintain his holdings,
he contracts a marriage with Judith of Ravenstow, a bride
who brings both money and land to her new husband. As their
marriage founders on the rocks of political expedience,
Judith and Guyon face death and danger in this novel of
love and adventure.
F/CORNWELL
Cornwell, Richard. - Sharpe's Regiment - 1986, 301p.
19th
century, England
Richard Sharpe rises through the ranks
of Lord Wellington's
Peninsular Army in this series of 12 military adventures,
each depicting a particular campaign in the Napoleonic
Wars. Historical notes at the end of each novel confirm
the accuracy of the details.
F/GEORGE
George, Margaret - Mary
Queen of Scotland and the Isles - 1992, 870p.
16th century, Scotland
A Catholic queen in a Protestant
country, Mary attempts to balance the opposing religious
forces and becomes the
pawn in a desperate political game of power that ends in
her destruction. Her coming of age, the birth of her child,
and a doomed love affair with the Earl of Bothwell are
intertwined with her attempts to rule a Scotland that rejects
a Papist queen and remains under the stringent rule of
John Knox and the Presbyterians. The mystery surrounding
Mary's relationship to the Earl and the murder of
her first husband holds the key to her personality and
helps define her place in history. A compelling journey
into the heart and mind of a most fascinating woman.
F/GOLDMAN
Goldman, James - Myself
as Witness - 1979,
340p.
13th century, England
King John, reviled in legend and history,
emerges as a complex, thoughtful figure, caught in a web
of political
intrigue and uncertainty in this haunting portrayal. As
seen through the eyes of a monk who is John's chronicler,
friend, and "witness," John's character
is revealed through his relationships with his wife; his
half-brother and military commander William Longsword;
the barons, who beleaguered his reign; and the Church.
F/HAASSE
Haasse, Hella S. - In
a Dark Wood Wandering - 1989, 574p.
15th century, France
This book chronicles the lives of Louis,
Duke of Orleans and his son Charles, both of whom served
Louis' brother,
the sometimes mad King Charles VI of France. The Orleans' trials
in dealing with their enemies— the Dukes of Burgundy
and Charles VI's nasty queen, Isabeau, as well as
the English King, Henry V, and the Maid of Orleans—create
a provocative backdrop for the intrigues and alliances
of 15th century France.
F/JOHNSON
Johnson, Mary Ellen - The
Lion and the Leopard - 1985, 305p.
14th century, England
A young woman's life is intertwined
with the bastard brother of King Edward II during a struggle
for power and
the English throne. As Edward mismanages his kingdom, his
wife, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, plot
his overthrow, and Maria Rendell and her family are caught
in a web of deceit that ends in murder.
F/JONES
Jones, Cleo - Sister
Wives - 1984, 474p
19th century, United States
At the behest of their parents,
two young women travel to Utah to marry in the Mormon tradition.
After a harrowing
journey, they become plural wives in a strict household.
When the oldest sister Callie rebels, her behavior has
far-reaching consequences that coincide with events in
the history of the early Mormon church.
F/JONES
Jones, Douglas C. - Elkhorn
Tavern - 1980,
311p.
19th century, United States
With father Martin away fighting
with the Rebels and this corner of Arkansas constantly
raided by Bushwhackers from
the South and Jayhawkers from the North, survival is more
important than questions of political alliance for the
Hansford family during the first year of the Civil War.
These hill country people face extraordinary difficulties
as they struggle to exist from day to day. The reality
of war interrupts their lives with the arrival of a wounded
Union soldier who has survived the Battle of Pea Ridge.
This is the first in a series of books featuring young
Roman Hansford.
F/LAKER
Laker, Rosalind - The
Golden Tulip - 1991,
585p.
17th century Holland
While Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Vermeer
raise Dutch art to heights never again equaled, Francesca
Visser studies
for her own career as an artist, first in her father's
studio and then with Vermeer. Romance, political intrigue,
artists and the art world provide the backdrop for this
vividly-drawn depiction of Dutch life as seen through the
eyes of a talented young girl.
F/LIDE
Lide, Mary - Fortune's Knave - 1992,
269p.
11th century, England
William the Conqueror, born a bastard
and left to defend his dubious birthright while still a
child, comes of age
at the French court, rife with treachery and betrayal.
Matilda of Flanders, his hard-won consort, fans the flame
of his ambition as they plan a future that will change
the course of English history.
F/MACCOUN
MacCoun, Catherine - The
Age of Miracles - 1989,
318p.
14th century, England
Raised in a convent since the age
of four, Ingrid Fairfax at age 18 is more than ready for
romance. When Jacques
Brigand des Coeurs arrives at the convent seeking help
and female companionship, Ingrid is ensnared. However,
missed connections after they leave the convent force Ingrid
to face the world alone until Jacques discovers her again
and then must rescue her from a charge of witchcraft.
F/MACKIN
Mackin, Jeanne - The
Queen's War - 1991,
452p.
12th century France
Eleanor of Aquitaine and her three sons
join forces with King Louis of France to wage war against
Henry II—Eleanor's
philandering husband and her avowed enemy. As seen through
the eyes of Lucie, a serf who becomes a maid in Eleanor's
court; and Sophie, a highly educated astronomer, Eleanor's
love-hate relationship with Henry and their sons' struggle
to wrest the throne from their father provide the historical
background for the story of women's roles in life
and politics during this period.
F/MOKIN
Mokin, Arthur - Ironclad - 1991, 272p.
19th century, United States
Gideon Welles, an editor from
Hartford, Connecticut, is named by Lincoln to be Secretary
of the Navy and tries
to negotiate the murky waters of Civil War politics in
Washington D. C. This factual account of the first iron-clad
warship features the Monitor (derisively described as a "cheesebox
on a raft"), the Merrimack, and the political infighting
surrounding their first battle.
F/MOSS
Moss, Robert - Fire
along the Sky - 1992,
349p.
18th century, United States
On a bet, young Irishman Shane
Hardacre finds himself traveling to the new America. There
he meets his cousin,
Sir William Johnson, who manages Indian Affairs for the
Crown and involves Hardacre with the administration of
lands for the Mohawks. Adventures and romance follow Hardacre,
as he travels deep into Mohawk territory in this action-filled
tale set in Colonial times.
F/O'BRIAN
O'Brian, Patrick - The
Letter of Marque - 1990, 284p.
19th century, England
Elegantly drawn characters and accurate
historical detail highlight this series of novels which
feature British Navy
Captain Jack Aubrey and his companion, Stephen Maturin,
a surgeon and intelligence agent. Admiral Nelson's
navy and early 19th century England come alive in adventure-filled
battle scenes as well as discussions of the moral and social
issues of the day. In this episode, Aubrey's friends
work to get him restored to the Navy List.
F/PARGETER
Pargeter, Edith - The
Brothers of Gwynedd - 1989, 821p.
13th century, England and Wales
Two Welsh brothers battle
the English King and each other for the Welsh crown. After
treachery and betrayal on both
sides, the brothers finally unite only to face the wrath
of King Edward and the might of the English army. The royal
family of Wales struggles to survive as their fate and
the dream of an independent Wales hang in the balance.
This book is a collection of four novels: Sunrise in the
West, The Dragon at Noonday, The Hounds of Sunset, and
Afterglow and Nightfall.
F/PENMAN
Penman, Sharon Kay - The
Sunne in Splendour - 1982, 936p.
15th century, England
Maligned by history, Richard III,
the last king to reign from the House of York, lives and
dies in the shadow of
the Wars of the Roses. His love and loyalty to his brother,
King Edward IV, and the passionate love he shared with
his wife, Anne Neville, belie the traditional view of this
controversial figure. His final stand at Bosworth Field
is an unforgettable climax to a century-old struggle for
the English crown.
F/PRESSFIELD
Pressfield, Steven - Gates
of Fire - 1998,
386p.
480 BC, Greece
Told through the eyes of a Spartan survivor,
this account of the Battle of Thermopylae also explores
the nature of
the Spartan warriors, their training as well as their psychological
and emotional motivations, and their families. Details
of the actual battle are secondary to the greater story
of the Spartans who fought and died, as well as the implications
of their defeat for Greece, for the victorious Persians,
and for history.
F/PRICE
Price, Eugenia - Savannah - 1983, 595p.
19th century, United States
Journeying from Philadelphia
to Savannah after the deaths of his beloved father and
aunt, shipping heir Mark Browning
makes a new life for himself. Through Robert Mackay, whose
mercantile firm he joins, Mark finds friendship and becomes
part of the Mackay family. Life in Savannah and the South
as well as details of the War of 1812 provide the setting
for this leisurely paced novel. Subsequent titles in this
series, To See Your Face Again, Before the Darkness Falls,
and Stranger in Savannah, take the Browning and Mackay
families through the Civil War.
F/RILEY
Riley, Judith Merkle - A
Vision of Light - 1989,
442p.
14th century, England
When Margaret of Ashbury decides to
write a book chronicling her tumultuous life, she hires
Brother Gregory, a mysterious
Carthusian friar, to accomplish this nearly heretical deed.
Later, when she is threatened by a forced marriage, Gregory
feels compelled to act in her defense. Margaret and Gregory
continue their adventures in a second book, In Pursuit
of the Green Lion.
F/RIPLEY
Ripley, Alexandra - New
Orleans Legacy - 1987,
435p.
19th century, United States
When Mary MacAlister turns 16
and is ready to graduate from a Pennsylvania convent, she
learns of her father's
death. Her stepmother confiscates the entire family fortune,
and Mary is left destitute. Alone in the world, she finds
adventure and endures adversity as she travels to New Orleans
in search of her real mother's family.
F/ROBERSON
Roberson, Jennifer - Lady
of the Forest - 1992,
593p.
12th century, England
This classic Robin Hood story is told
through the eyes of Lady Marian, a young woman making her
way through the
labyrinth of love and politics during the difficult reign
of Richard the Lionheart. The King is in captivity, his
traitorous brother John is pressuring the barons to join
his rebellion, and Robert of Locksley becomes an unwilling
outlaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham aligns himself with
John. The adventures of Robin and his Lady Marian follow
the political upheaval in the country, and the less-than-idyllic
life and times of Medieval England are made painfully clear
in this tumultuous love story.
F/ROBSON
Robson, Lucia St. Clair - Tokaido
Road - 1991,
513p.
18th century, Japan
When her samurai father is forced to
commit suicide, Lady Asano finds her own life in danger.
Pursued by her father's
murderer and posing as a samurai, Asano travels the Tokaido
Road from Edo to Kyoto to locate her former teacher and
seek his assistance in her quest to restore her family's
honor. Feudal Japan is the backdrop for this tale of adventure
and revenge.
F/SIENKIEWICZ
Sienkiewicz, Henryk - With
Fire and Sword - 1884, 1135p.
17th century, Russia and Poland
Nobleman and soldier Yan
Skshetuski and his comrades march across Poland, Lithuania,
and Russia in this epic tale
of adventure, politics, intrigue, and even romance. Featuring
a varied cast of characters from kings to peasants and
focusing on the strife between peasants and gentry, this
Polish classic vividly depicts these turbulent times.
F/WENDORF
Wendorf, Patricia - Double
Wedding Ring - 1989,
485p.
19th century, United States
Rhoda Greypaull comes to the
New World in the mid 1800's
to marry her beloved cousin's husband and take care
of his child after her cousin's death. Rhoda tells
their story through her journal which details the struggles
of immigrants trying to establish themselves in the New
World and describes the courage and perseverance they possessed
to make a life for themselves and their children.
F/WILLIAMS
Williams, Jeanne - No
Roof but Heaven - 1990,
450p.
19th century, United States
Adventure and romance abound
in the post Civil War Kansas prairie, where young Susanna
Alden confronts hardships
and misunderstanding as she attempts to establish a prairie
school.
F/WOLF
Wolf, Joan - The
Edge of Light - 1990,
371p.
1st century, England
Set during the Dark Ages of England
when the Danes were invading and the Saxons faced oblivion,
this story follows
Alfred the Great and his queen Elswyth. Alfred's
task of uniting fractious allies and creating a defense
that could withstand the Danes, as well as the intimate
look at a marriage of convenience that becomes a tender
love match, makes for an intricate tapestry of history
and relationships.
F/WOOLLEY
Woolley, Persia - Child
of the Northern Spring - 1987, 428p.
Arthurian Britain
A romantic retelling of the Arthurian
legend from Guinevere's
point of view, this first book of a trilogy follows Guinevere's
idyllic childhood in her father's Celtic court through
her reluctant marriage to Arthur and their blossoming love
for one another. Queen of the Summer Stars and Guinevere complete the trilogy.
Prepared by Sheila Guenzer; Lynn McCullagh; Sue O'Brien;
Joyce Saricks; Ellen Smith; Becky Townsend; and Carol Yarmolich,
May 1994 |
