Pam February 6th, 2009
The Morning Gift is a charming historical romance first published in the U.S. in 1985, and probably in England prior to that. In style, it has an old-fashioned feel, like something that may have been written right after WWII. The current edition was published by Speak, a teen imprint of Penguin-Puffin. They’ve also released several more of Eva Ibbotson’s historical romances, first published as adult books, for the YA market. I think these novels are a great addition to their list, and may introduce teen readers to this writer. Born in 1925, Ms. Ibbotson is still writing today–she published a book in 2008 called The Dragonfly Pool, more for a middle grade audience. It, too, takes place during the war. She is well known for her books Journey to the River Sea and The Secret of Platform 13, among many others.
Back to The Morning Gift. It tells the story of Ruth Berger, a young Jewish girl living in Vienna when Hitler first comes to power. She is left behind when the rest of her family flees, because of some political activism she had been involved in. In sweeps the dashing Quinton Somerville, brilliant scholar, paleontologist, and adventurer; and when all his other attempts to get her out of the country fail, he marries her. The marriage will be quickly annulled once Ruth is safely settled in Britain, since she is the devoted girlfriend of a soon to be world famous pianist. Continue Reading »
Tags: Eva Ibbotson, The Morning Gift, World War II Historical Fiction
Pam January 1st, 2009
A Curse Dark as Gold. What an intriguing title, and an intriuging read as well. I was curious about this book, because I knew it was a fantasy with the feel of historical fiction. My current project is historical fiction with fantasy elements, and I wanted to see how Elizabeth C. Bunce, the author, handled the fantasy/history combination and how the two melded in her book.
The setting is imaginary, as in most fantasies. However, it has the feel of an English village from long ago. In fact, Bunce, in her Author’s Note, says her fantasy world “…is strongly influenced by the real woolen industries of Britain and America during the early years of the Industrial Revolution (for our purposes, the late 1700′s).” Bunce’s novel shows a true understanding of not only the business end of running a mill, but a depth of knowledge about the machinery and even the cloth. Continue Reading »
Tags: A Curse Dark as Gold, Elizabeth C. Bunce, William C. Morris Award
Pam December 19th, 2008
I haven’t read anything by Chris Bohjalian since MIDWIVES. Not for any particular reason; I was just busy reading other things.
A few months ago, I listened to an interview with him about his newest book, SKELETONS AT THE FEAST. I was so taken with his description of the story and how he came to write it that I went out and bought a copy of the book the same day. Continue Reading »
Tags: Chris Bohjalian, Skeletons at the Feast, World War II Fiction
Pam November 12th, 2008
I recently finished The Red Queen’s Daughter, a YA historical with significant fantasy elements. The author is Jacqueline Kolosov.
The story centers on Mary Seymour, daughter of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. After his death, Catherine married Thomas Seymour. The Author’s Note at the end of the book explains that after her birth, there is no actual record of Mary’s life. So this is a big “what if.”
Mary is raised by a mysterious guardian who schools her in becoming a “white magician.” Her ultimate goal will be to assure the safety of Queen Elizabeth. Once Mary arrives at court, the action picks up. Because she is now surrounded by men and women vying for their share of power, Mary must always be on her guard. She first uses her power to help a young lady-in-waiting who is pregnant. Mary is able to marry her to the man she loves and send her away, thus assuring her own place at court. Continue Reading »
Tags: Catherine Parr, Queen Elizabeth's Court, Red Queen's Daughter, White Magician
Pam September 30th, 2008
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of research into Shakespeare’s young adult years. From the time he would have finished grammar (elementary) school, until he began to write and act in London, next to nothing is known about his life. (See my post “Shakespeare at Hoghton Tower.)
This opens new opportunities for fiction writers who may want to do some speculating about what exactly happened during that time. Did Shakespeare continue his studies? Did he work? Fall in love? Was he an athlete? Did he poach deer from Sir Thomas Lucy’s land? Since no one really knows, anything goes! Continue Reading »
Tags: Anne Hathaway, Historical Fiction, Shakespeare
Pam September 25th, 2008
I’m posting from Chicago, where I’m visiting my daughter for a few days. While it rained yesterday, today is supposed to be warmer and sunny–so I’m hoping for a walk along the lake to get my creative juices flowing!
I recently came across a really impressive middle grade historical novel. It’s CROOKED RIVER, by Shelly Pearsall. It was published a few years ago, but somehow I managed to miss it until now. Set in 1812, it’s the story of a family on the Ohio frontier and what happens when the father brings an Indian to their home to be imprisoned while he awaits trial for the murder of a trapper. The father is a cruel and vindictive man, with little empathy for anyone, even his own daughters. Continue Reading »
Tags: 1812, Crooked River, Historical Fiction, Ohio History
Pam August 29th, 2008
Tudor symbol
I recently finished reading Trust and Treason, by Margaret Birkhead. Originally, I intended to use it as a reference for Elizabethan language, grammar, phrases, and word usage, since I’m in the middle of researching that period. However, the story was so captivating, I was quickly drawn in. Continue Reading »
Tags: Margaret Birkhead, tudor fiction
