We all know how the story of Oscar Wilde ends, but Louis Bayard has brought us into the family, telling the story from the perspective of Oscar's wife, Constance, and, to a lesser degree, their two sons. The language is gorgeous. It evokes both the period and the witty and weighted conversation we would expect of the Wilde circle. Heartbreaking but also somewhat edifying, this novel gives voice to Constance, the woman who bore so much tragedy with grace and intelligence.
From the bestselling author of The Pale Blue Eye, Louis Bayard, comes Atonement meets The Paris Wife, a brilliantly original, profoundly empathetic story about Oscar Wilde's wife Constance and their two sons in the aftermath of the famous playwright's imprisonment for homosexuality, told against the backdrop of Victorian England and World War I.
In September of 1892, Oscar Wilde and his family retreated to the idyllic Norfolk countryside for a holiday. His wife, Constance, has every reason to be happy: two beautiful sons, a stellar reputation as an advocate for progressive causes, and a delightfully charming and affectionate husband and…
From the first pages of Joyce Carol Oates’ latest release, Butcher, on through to the surprising yet inevitable climax and conclusion, I was gobsmacked. This is a raw, driving, and brutal historical novel about one physician’s extreme and misguided hubris and the devastation it can wreak. Here is a taste of its miserable medicine: “It is unmistakable that the female body is, in certain respects, repulsive to examine too closely, a curse of the flesh which the wisest females accept as a debt inherited from Eve.” I was transfixed on its every page. And that JCO should deliver her novel at this particular cultural moment in America is either prescient genius or the most divine concordance. It is truly a tour de force.
From one of our most accomplished storytellers, an extraordinary and arresting novel about a women’s asylum in the nineteenth century, and a terrifying doctor who wants to change the world
In this harrowing story based on authentic historical documents, we follow the career of Dr. Silas Weir, “Father of Gyno-Psychiatry,” as he ascends from professional anonymity to national renown. Humiliated by a procedure gone terribly wrong, Weir is forced to take a position at the New Jersey Asylum for Female Lunatics, where he reigns. There, he is allowed to continue his practice, unchecked for decades, making a name for himself…
Midwife and healer Martha Ballard is thrust into the middle of a chilling mystery in 1789 Maine: who murdered the villager entombed in ice? She examines the victim and puts forth her theory, but a local physician undermines her conclusions. She is forced to investigate the murder on her own and struggle with her knowledge of a scandal long buried in the village. The Frozen River is a suspenseful read about a courageous woman largely forgotten by history.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.
"Fans of Outlander’s Claire Fraser will enjoy Lawhon’s Martha, who is brave and outspoken when it comes to protecting the innocent. . . impressive."—The Washington Post
"Once again, Lawhon works storytelling magic with a real-life heroine." —People Magazine
The Model Spy is based on the true story of Toto Koopman, who spied for the Allies and Italian Resistance during World War II. Toto was arguably the first woman to spy for the British Intelligence Service. Operating in the hotbed of Mussolini’s Italy, she courts danger every step of the way. As the war enters its final stages, she faces off against the most brutal of forces–Germany’s Intelligence Service, the Abwehr.
