As a reference librarian, I love doing research for myself and others. By reading a well-written historical novel, we can learn about the past and compare and contrast it to our present. All but the last of my choices have strong female characters who must overcome the customs of their time. The struggle goes on today. Let these books remind you of how far we have come and how far we have to go.
When little Lady Flora meets the Earl of Bellevue’s half-Shawnee son renamed Pearce Longleigh, she isn’t in the least afraid. To her, he represents adventure and freedom. Eagerly, she joins an expedition to the wilds of Ohio Territory in 1783 with her father, who is seeking a large land grant, and Pearce acting as their guide.
Tragedy and her capture by Pearce’s tribe lead to trust and a passionate lifelong love, producing ten children. Nine books follow in the Longleigh Chronicles telling of these children, each having a unique story.
When I was fifteen, I stayed up reading the end of this book under the covers with a flashlight because I could not put it down.
A scandalous bestseller in 1847, this was the first romance to feature an antihero. Mr. Rochester is far from pure and kind. He mocks Jane, who describes herself as small and plain and stands up to him. He has an immoral secret and when Jane learns of it, she leaves him. I doubt I would have.
Introduction and Notes by Dr Sally Minogue, Canterbury Christ Church University College.
Jane Eyre ranks as one of the greatest and most perennially popular works of English fiction. Although the poor but plucky heroine is outwardly of plain appearance, she possesses an indomitable spirit, a sharp wit and great courage.
She is forced to battle against the exigencies of a cruel guardian, a harsh employer and a rigid social order. All of which circumscribe her life and position when she becomes governess to the daughter of the mysterious, sardonic and attractive Mr Rochester.
Everyone knows the story of the proud and wealthy Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet who refuses his offer of marriage until she sees his better side. But read it for its wit and observations on society as well.
This book was a bestseller in 1813 and one to be read again and again as I have done.
Jane Austen's best-loved novel is an unforgettable story about the inaccuracy of first impressions, the power of reason, and above all the strange dynamics of human relationships and emotions.
Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated by Hugh Thomson and features an afterword by author and critic, Henry Hitchings.
A tour de force of wit and sparkling dialogue, Pride and…
I know it is no longer PC to love this book, but Mitchell did do awesome historical homework concerning the antebellum and reconstruction eras in Georgia.
It is far more than the romance between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler; rather, it is a portrait of a woman who goes from being a spoiled belle to one who will do anything to save her heritage—at the cost of love. It is not a romance, for sure.
This is another story of Reconstruction in the Deep South but told from a very different angle.
Three girls, the master’s daughter, his mulatto offspring, and his former slave who seeks to buy her small parcel of land, are totally dependent on the man for their futures, but he has disappeared into Texas. Despite their youth and sex, they go off to find him. The book begins in modern times and flashes back to this story.
I could not wait for the author to continue telling their tale.
From the author of the No.1, two million-copy bestseller Before We Were Yours comes a dramatic story of a family separated, their search for answers, and an epic journey to reunite the missing . . .
Louisiana, 1875: In the tumultuous aftermath of Reconstruction, three young women set off as unwilling companions on a perilous quest. For heiresses Lavinia and Juneau Jane, the journey is one of inheritance and financial desperation, but for Hannie, torn from her mother and siblings before slavery's end, the pilgrimage westward reignites an…
Newly released from juvenile detention, Emmett Watson finds nothing waiting for him but his little brother—and two friends who have escaped in the trunk of a car: Duchess, a born con man, and Wooly who claims that a large fortune awaits him in New York. They convince Emmett to go east on the Lincoln Highway, the Rt. 66 of the north rather than the west.
Told from many viewpoints, this picaresque adventure is hard to put down. I do love great historical research.
A spy school for girls amidst Jane Austen’s high society.
Daughters of the Beau Monde who don’t fit London society’s strict mold are banished to Stranje House, where the headmistress trains these unusually gifted girls to enter the dangerous world of spies in the Napoleonic wars. #1 NYT bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this exciting historical series "completely original and totally engrossing."
A School for Unusual Girls is the first captivating installment in the Stranje House series for young adults by award-winning author Kathleen Baldwin. #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Cabot calls this romantic Regency adventure "completely original and totally engrossing."
It's 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England's dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society's constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young…
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