Historical Fiction

The Parisian (Hardcover)

By Isabella Hammad

$21.60

ISBN: 9780802129437

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Grove Press - April 9th, 2019

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Mikhat Kamal arrives in France from Nablus in 1914 to study medicine. By the time he returns to Palestine, he has been subtly & indelibly changed by his experience. The next 20 years of the story takes him through currents of early 20th century Arab nationalism, Jewish settlement, & British rule in the years before Israeli independence, all through the lens of his dominating father's pressure to marry &join the family business. The writing is expansive & poignant, the story both intimate & wide-ranging.

 

David

Lovely War (Hardcover)

By Julie Berry

$15.19

ISBN: 9780451469939

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Published: Viking Books for Young Readers - March 5th, 2019

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A tale of WWI narrated by Aphrodite. So original, so wonderful!

Robin

Blood Water Paint (Paperback)

By Joy McCullough

$8.79

ISBN: 9780735232136

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Published: Penguin Books - March 5th, 2019

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You may not have heard of Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman to be accepted into the Florence fine arts academy. But Joy McCullough brings her story to vivid life, from her days as a talented (but largely brushed aside) young artist\ to her assault by her mentor and her fight to get him convicted in court--a story that unfortunately still feels familiar today. This gorgeous, devastating, and ultimately uplifting novel-in-verse is the perfect pick for National Poetry Month.

Kate

The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel (Paperback)

By Helene Wecker

$16.99

ISBN: 9780062110848

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Published: Harper Perennial - December 31st, 2013

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In 1899 Manhattan, Chava is a golem who has unexpectedly lost her master, and Ahmad is a jinni who is accidentally summoned from the copper flask in which he was imprisoned. They form an odd and touching friendship, and together they navigate a strange new country and the return of an old sinister force. Part historical fiction, part mythological fantasy, and entirely wonderful.

Ari

Leading Men: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Christopher Castellani

$27.00

ISBN: 9780525559054

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Published: Viking - February 12th, 2019

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At the heart of Christopher Castellani’s latest novel, written with moving grace, is the complicated story of playwright Tennessee Williams and his lover of 15 years, Frank Merlo.  A backward glance to 1953 and Southern Italy, this exquisite narrative explores such themes as fame, fortune, fidelity, art, tragedy and above all, love.

Nathan

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2) (Hardcover)

By Mackenzi Lee

$15.19

ISBN: 9780062795328

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Published: Katherine Tegen Books - October 2nd, 2018

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This is the 18th-century women-in-science pirate girl gang you've always dreamed of, tearing down ideas of patriarchy and colonialism as they swashbuckle their way across Europe and the Atlantic. Felicity is fierce, funny, and whip-smart. I didn't think I could love a book as much as Gentleman's Guide, but this one is just as good--and it's a companion novel, so you can pick this one up even if you haven't read the first one yet!

Kate

Little: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Edward Carey

$27.00

ISBN: 9780525534327

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Published: Riverhead Books - October 23rd, 2018

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This historical novel about Madame Tussaud is dark and delightful. It's the story of a young girl who wends her way through the streets of Paris and the chaos of the French Revolution to become a skilled wax worker. Edward Carey's illustrations are equally eerie and fascinating. One of my favorite books of the year!

Heather

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings #2) (Hardcover)

By Mackenzi Lee

$15.19

ISBN: 9780062795328

Availability: On Our Shelves Now

Published: Katherine Tegen Books - October 2nd, 2018

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This is the 18th-century women-in-science pirate girl gang you've always dreamed of, tearing down ideas of patriarchy and colonialism as they swashbuckle their way across Europe and the Atlantic. Felicity is fierce, funny, and whip-smart. I didn't think I could love a book as much as Gentleman's Guide, but this one is just as good--and it's a companion novel, so you can pick this one up even if you haven't read the first one yet!

Kate

Bellewether (Paperback)

By Susanna Kearsley

$16.99

ISBN: 9781492637134

Availability: Available at Warehouse

Published: Sourcebooks Landmark - August 7th, 2018

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This novel moves between two timelines: a current-day historian is putting together an exhibit at a Long Island house museum (which seems to have a friendly but persistent resident ghost), while during the French and Indian War, a farm family plays host to a captured soldier. Delightfully satisfying romances in both timelines, plus a well-handled discussion of Northern slavery in the 1700s.

Sarah

The Mercy Seat (Hardcover)

By Elizabeth H. Winthrop

$26.00

ISBN: 9780802128188

Availability: Available at Warehouse

Published: Grove Press - May 8th, 2018

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A quiet, powerful, and brilliant novel, based on the historical case of a black man wrongfully sentenced to death for rape in 1943 Mississippi. The entire story unfolds over a 12-hour period, with chapters alternately assuming the perspectives of a number of people with different relationships to its events - the defendant, his father, the prosecutor, the executioner, the priest, and many others. It is about both overt and subtle prejudice, reflexive vitriol, muted decency, and the profound ugliness and complexity of race in the Jim Crow south.

David