Tag Archives: historical fiction

Feb10

The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe

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The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe

Abe, Shana. The Second Mrs. Astor: A Heartbreaking Historical Novel of the Titanic. Kensington Books, 2021. 336 pp. ISBN 978-1-4967-3204-0. $16.95

*****

My Mt. Everest obsession is rivaled only by the the Titanic disaster. This historical novel with romantic elements covers the courtship of business magnate, inventor, war veteran, and millionaire John Jacobs Astor IV with a socialite nearly thirty years his junior, a year after his divorce from first wife Ava. Madeleine Force first notices him on a Bar Harbor beach when she is a young teen, and four years later, catches his eye. Society is abuzz and her mother dubbed La Force Majeure as she tries to position her daughter to wed the colonel. They announce their engagement just after she turns eighteen in some effort to avoid scandal. Their wedding in the ballroom of Astors Newport mansion makes the society pages and amps up early twentieth century paparazzi. They escape to Egypt and then onto Europe for an extended honeymoon, and then the newly pregnant couple book passage to New York on the brand spanking new unsinkable ship of dreams: RMS Titanic.

The carefully constructed narrative moves back and forth in time and tense, opening shortly after the famous disaster at sea. The premise is that Madeleine is sharing the story of her and Jack’s love directly to her newborn son Jakey in first person, complete with occasional strike-throughs as she controls the narrative. The story then switches to third person, observational style. It’s amazingly well done, as is the writing. Even as the reader knows the inevitability of the staggering loss to come, the book is unputdownable. The vocabulary is rich with details of travel, food, fashion, and other trappings of Edwardian society. Madeleine’s close relationships with her parents and sister, and her antagonistic one with step-son Vincent, who is her age and does not approve of his father’s new wife, are deep, emotional and nuanced.

The research is meticulous; descriptions of the ship, the timeline of events, and the aftermath are drawn from primary sources. Much has been made of the end of Astor’s life: his devotion to his wife and her delicate condition, his promise to find her after, his assistance and kindness in his last hours. Madeleine chooses to be kind over everything else, with consistency. Themes of wealth, fame, and the role of women are beautifully integrated, and the marriage is presented as a love match, with chaste but sensual details. Though they never exchange “I love yous,” Madeleine and Jack do confess their love for one another.

This is a wonderfully romantic and tragic read for anyone caught up in Jack and Rose’s epic love story from the 1997 award-winning film Titanic directed by James Cameron, remastered and back in theatres this Valentine’s Day for its 25th anniversary.

Nov27

Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, & Jessica Spotswood

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Great or Nothing by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, & Jessica Spotswood

McCullough, Joy; Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, & Jessica Spotswood. Great or Nothing. Delacorte Press, 2022. 400 pp. ISBN 978-0593372593 $11.99

****

Four authors voice the infamous March sisters in this novel based on Little Women, set during WWII. Beth, already dead and gone, is present through verse and in her sister’s memories. The remaining three sisters have had a falling out that disperses them. While Meg stays home in Concord with Marmee, missing her fellow schoolteacher John; Jo is working in a factory building parts for airplanes; and Amy is supposedly in art school in Montreal but has actually registered for the Red Cross where she has been shipped out to London and is serving as a Doughnut Dolly. More modern subplots address Japanese interment, Jo’s lesbianism, classism, bullying, and coping with grief.

The story contains many period details–music, makeup, brands, hairstyles, books and movies, and slang–that position it during the 1940s. Many are just name dropped in without context. A fan of the original who is of a certain age or older will hear the Glenn Miller orchestra, or envision Victory Red lipstick, but a Gen-X or younger will skim over the references.

The authors skillfully blend in many details from Little Women, referencing the time Amy burned Jo’s manuscript, the time Laurie rescued Amy from falling through the ice, the time Beth got the piano from Mr. Lawrence. Other favorite scenes are incorporated into the present timeline: the time Laurie proposed, the time Sallie lent Meg a dress and Meg made a fool of herself at a party, the time Meg defended John to Aunt March, the time Amy fell for Laurie, the time Jo found a love of her own, the time Marmee confessed her own inner anger (although here, it’s Meg she’s confiding in, not Jo). The faith, hope, yearning and moral compass of the original is here too, and never saccharin.

Beth’s poem(s) at the end of each chapter are a heart-wrenching reminder of her loss. As if writing from heaven, her omniscience view encompasses the past and hints at the future.

The digital version of this book contains letters from the various characters to one another; I found the font difficult to read. The cover, showing the four sisters from the back, in period clothing, allow the reader to imagine herself as one of the faceless characters.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #GreatOrNothing from #NetGalley

Jan19

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger

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My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger

Kluger, Steve. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park. Dial/Penguin, New York: 2008 ISBN 978-0-8037-3227-8 $16.99 408 pp

****

Three juniors assigned to write about their “most excellent” year all choose the freshman year they became friends in this coming out/coming of age story that blends baseball, theatre, international politics, activism and Japanese internment. Told in a round robin style, motherless Anthony (a.k.a. Tick) is the lynchpin of the story – he and best friend Augie, a musical theatre fan, consider themselves to be non-biological brothers.  Augie directs the Freshman Follies and falls hard for a jock, who falls back while Tick crushes on Alejandra, who, ordained by her parents to attend Harvard and become an ambassador or diplomat, aspires to be a musical theatre star. The trio not only pull off a phenomenal stage shows, they also get a park at Manazanar dedicated to the teams that played there. Motherless Tick befriends a deaf orphan named Hucky who is convinced Mary Poppins is going to come and take care of him, and it is through the relationship he develops with Hucky that Ale sees him as something more than an impertinent Bostonian.

Kluger magnificently weaves together multiple storylines in this epistolary novel told in emails, instant messages, essays, conversations, and ephemera such as playbills, expertly revealing plot and character through these documents. It is evident that he has affection for his characters, as their personalities emerge strongly, revealing each teen in turn as clever, sensitive, introspective, passionate, confident, scared, and caring. Supporting adults are well-drawn–Pop doles out advice to his son that only backfires, but his own romance brewing with Tick’s school advisor is endearing and subtle.

The suburbs of Boston and streets of New York take on a life of their own, through dialect and landmarks, that culminates in Tick’s climatic trip to NYC to bring Hucky to meet his idol, Julie Andrews. Humor abounds, and balances out more serious issues. Augie’s homosexuality is refreshingly viewed with nothing but support–in fact, all the characters “know” long before he officially comes out–perhaps the obsession with divas of stage and screen gives it away.

A promotional website includes excerpts from the book and pages dedicated to clearing Buck Weaver’s name from the White Sox’s World Series fix, and bringing baseball back to Manzanar, two pet projects of Tick’s. Although it is far-fetched that plot events fall into place so perfectly, My Most Excellent Year is a story with so many moments of magic, it somehow works. My Most Excellent Year is sure to satisfy fans of Kluger’s most excellent novel, Last Days of Summer, and please new readers across many ages.

Aug19

Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant by Christopher Grey

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Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant by Christopher Grey

Grey, Christopher. Leonardo’s Shadow: Or, My Astonishing Life as Leonardo da Vinci’s Servant. Atheneum, 2008. ISBN 978-1416905448 400 pp. $13.99

Inspired by Leonardo’s Notebooks, author Grey creates a portrait of the famous painter and inventor, imaginatively seen through the eyes of his faithful young servant Giacomo. Much of the plot concerns the completion of the painting of the Last Supper. The artist, two years past deadline, cannot pay his ever more impatient creditors, and shrouds himself and his motivations in mystery, while glib Giacomo is left to make excuses to merchants, to aristocrats, and to the clergy. Meanwhile, Giacomo is struggling to find answers to his own questions, too: why won’t da Vinci teach him how to paint? What is the real reason for the delay of the Last Supper? And, most importantly, what is Giacomo’s true parentage? 

Giacomo’s voice is the major strength of this first novel. He recounts his adventures in 15th century Milan in a conversational way that makes the city come alive with sights, smells, and sounds. Historical details like what clothing people wore are woven into to a trip to the tailor shop. Giacomo’s wide-eyed observation and participation on everything from the annual street fight between servants and apprentices to how paint is made draw the reader in.

Grey cleverly brings in details of da Vinci’s real life, naming the servant Caterina after his mother, making his medusa-esque portrait a commissioned work that outrages the duke’s mistress, and alluding to the legend that the same model was used for Jesus and Judas.

The book is aesthetically pleasing too. Sketches of da Vinci’s decorate the verso of the title page, the cover has the look of an aged painting and the rough cut edges give an antique feel that fits the setting. Slip off the dustcover to reveal a print of the Last Supper to refer to as the denoument blossoms.

Even years after Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code (Doubleday, 2003), interest in the topic remains high; references to the infidelities within the Italian court and da Vinci’s questioned sexuality may be too earthy for younger readers in spite of the accessibility of the story and engaging narrative. 

An author’s note lists several text and web resources, and an excellent short film to promote the book is hosted at http://www.youtube.com/user/LeonardosShadow.

Apr5

The Pox Party: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, book one by M.T. Anderson

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The Pox Party: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, book one by M.T. Anderson

Anderson, M.T. The Pox Party: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, book one. Candlewick, 2008. ISBN 978-0763636791. 384 pp. $10.99

*****

Young Octavian–a black boy born to an African princess but a slave nonetheless–has his life chronicled in narrative, letters, diary entries, etc, detailing his upbringing in a wealthy household as a science experiment.

This particular title has won a Printz Honor Award as well as the  National Book Award for Young People’s literature, and quite deservedly so. Many librarians and educators question if teens will voluntarily pick up this tone, written in the formal educated speech of the late eighteenth century. Because the themes of the novel–identity, loyalty, duty– are YA issues, they will surely be of interest to YA readers. Once the reader gets into the cadence, the formal educated speech is a treasure; just as Feed’s inventive vocabulary required a certain level of deciphering, so does Octavian.

The voice  of an experiementally educated black in an historical time period is unique and clear, and a voice not yet heard in the canon of YA literature. The format is daring and innovative. The convention of the reader figuring out what is going on alongside the protagonist is effective showing not telling. When such unspeakable things happen to the narrator that he can no longer share his story, the novel switches to letter format that has a strong impact. The technique of using thick dark strike throughs to convey difficulty in expression is also brilliant. What is NOT being said reveals a great deal about the character.

Set during the American Revolution, the initial focus is a scientific society, rather than the rebellion. The accuracy is high; details are based in fact and meticulously researched. And the faintly hideous cover art hints at a dark event to come that is shudderingly real and very discomforting.

A must have for all collections, this can be cross-marketed to adults who may be fans of titles dealing with this time period.

Oct9

Incantation by Alice Hoffman

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Hoffman, Alice. Incantation. Little Brown, 2007. ISBN  978-0316154284. 192 pp. $8.99

****

Estrella deMadrigal is aware that she lives in dangerous times. Jews are designated with red circles on their coats and city is divided religiously, with Muslims in one corner and Jews in another. Set in Spain the 1500’s, Estrella’s tightly knit family appear at first to witches. Knowledgeable practitioners of folk medicine, they attend a special church and practice many customs that are different from their neighbors, who include Estrella’s best friend, Catalina. It isn’t until the Inquisition posts a list of characteristics of Jews that Estrella understands her own identity, and the locked doors to her family’s secrets are opened. When Estrella falls for Catalina’s cousin, a Catholic, her smart and jealous friend betrays the deMadrigal family, and Estrella’s life changes again.

Alice Hoffman’s books for teens have an allegorical feel to them, and Incantation is no exception. Her sentences are straightforward yet lovely, filled with imagery that can be symbolically interpreted, for example, Estrella’s name and the descriptions of the horrors the community experiences serve as an allusion to the Holocaust. This powerful historical novel about the Spanish Inquisition deserves a place on both school and public library shelves.

Review by Beth Gallaway

Jan22

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

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Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light. Clarion, 2019 (reprint). ISBN 978-0358063681 416 pp. $9.99

*****

Inspired by Dreiser’s classic-based-on-a-true-story An American Tragedy (New American Library, 1925), this historical novel about a 1906 murder in upstate NY is told from the point of view of young Mattie Gokey, a hotel waitress and aspiring college student saddled with caring for her motherless siblings and holding the family together. Mattie is spunky, resourceful, and truth-seeking, surrounded by believable, complex and dynamic friends, family and neighbors. She is best friends with a fellow word-lover and black boy whose mouth and temper sometimes get him into trouble. And she can’t believe that the most handsome and popular boy in town is courting her.

Mattie’s strong voice captures the period closely – neighbors work together to help one another, blacks are still not seen as full citizens by many, and girls aren’t always given their due. When a hotel guest slips Mattie a packet of letters to destroy, Mattie, a writer and bibliophile, can’t do it. The letters reveal the love and desperation of a sad young woman and call into question the circumstances of her death. They are the call to arms that Mattie needs to pursue her own dreams.

The author’s own passion and empathy for the victim of a famous murder case shines through this gem of a book. It is well-deserving of it’s Printz honor award, and is a quality book that is engaging to teens and will win a nod of approval from teachers as well–AND meet curriculum frameworks!

Review by Beth Gallaway

Another take on A Northern Light.

Aug4

Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken

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Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken

McCracken, Elizabeth. Niagara Falls All Over Again. Dial Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0385318372 320 pp. $25.99

Just as McCracken showed us the world of librarianship in The Giant’s House, here she offers a peep at the exotic traveling life of vaudeville in the early and mid 1900’s. Jewish Midwesterner Moses Sharp narrates his experience as the straight man professor to fat funnyman Rocky Carter on radio, stage and screen in a long and successful partnership that is wrought with argument, compromise, affairs, and hard work, like any marriage of two minds.

Although McCracken may limit her audience with her choice of topic and period references, every time I almost put the book down because I was tired of missing allusions, a laugh out loud funny scene came along, such as the radio scene where the sound man is drunk and uses hoofbeats for every audio effect. McCracken’s insightful gems are universal (“Love is an animal that can–with a great deal of patience–be taught to sleep in the house. That doesn’t mean it won’t kill you if you’re not careful.” p. 93), her humor is easily accessible (the Sharp and Carter bits are funny as Abbott and Costello), and she has a poet’s knack for stringing together words to create vivid imagery: “In the corner a young man with dark hair that fell into his eyes sat at a grand piano, his shoulders already up to his ears, his hands above the keyboard, as though her were a character in a Swiss clock, waiting for the hour to strike.” p. 161

A certain set of readers will love this book, but it may not find a wide audience in spite of its universal themes of marriage and relationships, and of maintaining humor and sanity in the face of devastating loss. Recommended for fans of John Irving.

Aug3

The Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan

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The Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan

Whelan, Gloria. The Impossible Journey. Harper Collins, 204. ISBN 978-0064410830 256 pp. $

Whelan revisits the Russian Revolution in this tale of two children who undertake a journey across Russia to Siberia to be reunited with their parents who are arrested following a 1934 rebellion. Resourceful artistic Marya and her demanding young brother Georgi fend for themselves against corrupt adults including neighbors and acquaintances, but also find friends in unlikely places, including a tribe of indigenous peoples who herd reindeer. The underlying message of hope and freedom make the large roles of coincidence and serendipity forgivable. Simple language and careful telling make this appropriate for strong readers in lower grade levels.

The idea that a Russian doctor would be fired for reading an American medical journal is as frightening as the thought of children reporting their parents as disloyal comrades. This historical novel serves as an excellent discussion point for the advantages US citizens take for granted, and may be a reminder in these patriotic and suspicious times of ours that it is easy for governments to use fear to mold behavior. Pair with Whelan’s companion novel Angel on the Square for a more complete picture of life in communist Russia.