Historical Fiction
Mistress of the Ritz
Melanie Benjamin
ON ORDER AUDIO DISC
Historical Fiction
In March 1940, the Nazis sweep Paris and immediately take up residence in one of the city's most iconic sites: The Hotel Ritz. There, under a roof legendary for its unprecedented luxury and for its fabled residents--including Coco Chanel, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Cole Porter, Hemingway, Balanchine, Doris Duke, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and now Hermann Göering--the Nazis rule over a paralyzed city. But two residents of the Ritz refuse to be defeated: its director, Claude Auzello, and his beautiful American actress wife, Blanche. They not only oversee the smooth workings of the hotel, but both Blanche and Claude throw themselves fearlessly into the dangerous and clandestine workings of the French Resistance. This is a true-to-life novel of a courageous woman and her husband who put their marriage--and ultimately their lives--in jeopardy to fight for freedom. Intimate, fearless, and moving, it spins a brilliantly and unforgettably vivid human portrait at a time of unimaginable crisis and sacrifice.
The Chelsea girls : a novel
Fiona Davis
eAUDIO
Historical Fiction
"From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City's creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home--a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine's Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom. Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel"--
Fiona Davis is known for her historical fiction stories that tell the story of iconic buildings and the people who live there. This story focuses on the Chelsea Hotel, Broadway and the age of McCarthyism. -Kara
The American agent : a Maisie Dobbs novel
Jacqueline Winspear
FICTION ON DISC Winspear, Jacqueline
Historical Fiction
When Catherine Saxon, an American correspondent reporting on the war in Europe, is found murdered in her London digs, news of her death is concealed by British authorities. Serving as a linchpin between Scotland Yard and the Secret Service, Robert MacFarlane pays a visit to Maisie Dobbs, seeking her help. He is accompanied by an agent from the US Department of Justice--Mark Scott, the American who helped Maisie get out of Hitler's Munich in 1938. MacFarlane asks Maisie to work with Scott to uncover the truth about Saxon's death. As the Germans unleash the full terror of their blitzkrieg upon the British Isles, raining death and destruction from the skies, Maisie must balance the demands of solving this dangerous case with her need to protect Anna, the young evacuee she has grown to love and wants to adopt. Entangled in an investigation linked to the power of wartime propaganda and American political intrigue being played out in Britain, Maisie will face losing her dearest friend--and the possibility that she might be falling in love again.
The American Agent, the newest in Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series, finds Maisie traveling between London and her country home during the blitzkrieg of WWII. When an American correspondent is murdered and British authorities are concealing the crime, Scotland Yard asks Maisie to investigate. -Kara
The Island of sea women
Lisa See
eAUDIO
Historical Fiction
"A new novel from Lisa See, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, about female friendship and family secrets on a small Korean island"--
Island of Sea Women is a coming of age novel by Lisa See, who continues her tradition of telling compelling stories about women, relationships, family and home. The story is set in a matriarchal society on a Korean island, beginning in the 1930’s, and covers many decades. Jennifer Lim’s narration is excellent. -Kara
All for one
Melissa De la Cruz
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Delacruz Melissa
Historical Fiction
"Alex & Eliza's household continues to expand as they prepare for an arrival of their own, but new developments in their lives bring unforeseen consequences"--
I'm looking forward to reading this final book in the Alex & Eliza biographical fiction trilogy in the Young Adult collection. In this book, Eliza and Alex prepare for their first child with the backdrop of the American Revolution. -Kara
Love & war : an Alex & Eliza story
Melissa De la Cruz
eAUDIO
Historical Fiction
"As the end of the American Revolution nears, newlyweds Alex and Eliza are faced with new trials and temptations"--
This is the second book in a trilogy about Eliza Schuyler Hamilton and Alexander Hamilton. This book is set at the beginning of their marriage. -Kara
Alex & Eliza : a love story
Melissa De la Cruz
eAUDIO
Historical Fiction
"Before the world knew them as Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, young Alex and Eliza fell in love amidst the turmoil of the American Revolution"--
This fun story, the first of a trilogy and written for young adults, explores the courtship of Eliza Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton with the American Revolution as a backdrop. -Kara
My dear Hamilton : a novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton
Stephanie Dray
eAUDIO
Historical Fiction
"A general's daughter... Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington's penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she's captivated by the young officer's charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton's bastard birth and the uncertainties of war. A Founding Father's wife... But the union they create--in their marriage and the new nation--is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all--including the political treachery of America's first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness. The last surviving light of the Revolution... When a duel destroys Eliza's hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband's enemies to preserve Alexander's legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she's left with one last battle--to understand the flawed man she married and the imperfect union he could never have created without her..."--Dust jacket.
This is the story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton who is a dedicated revolutionist and wife of Alexander Hamilton. This biographical fiction novel brings Eliza's story to life. -Kara
Sweep : the story of a girl and her monster
Jonathan Auxier
jFICTION Auxier Jonathan
Kids, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
In nineteenth-century England, after her father's disappearance Nan Sparrow, ten, works as a "climbing boy," aiding chimney sweeps, but when her most treasured possessions end up in a fireplace, she unwittingly creates a golem.--
Added by Morgan
Once upon a river : a novel
Diane Setterfield
FICTION Setterfield, Diane
Fiction, Suspense, Historical Fiction
On a dark midwinter's night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, a wounded stranger carries in the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later the girl stirs, and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Magic? As the days pass the child remains mute and unable to answer questions. Three families are keen to claim her: the wealthy mother of a kidnapped daughter missing for two years; a farming family sure it is their son's secret daughter; a parson's housekeeper, reminded of her younger sister. Each family has secrets, must be revealed before the girl's identity can be known. -- adapted from jacket
I loved this book! It has everything I want in a good read: great writing, a crescendo of narrative, interesting characters with intertwined lives, a sense of place, and an absorbing mystery--all wrapped up in historical fiction. This is a story about storytelling--the characters tell stories, the narrator tells stories, so if you like feeling very much the reader--feeling like you are listening to someone tell you a story, this is a good pick for you. It will get you through the last few weeks of winter. -Anne M
Another historical fiction story with a hotel as a backdrop that brings the story of the 1940 Nazi sweep of Paris and the French Resistance to life. -Kara