Good Reads & Views

A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott
Fiction

What it’s about:  In 1871, photographer Meg Pero insists on fulfilling the contract her father signed to serve on an Army survey of the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the expedition’s leader is the man she once refused to marry. Ben has his own ulterior motives for leading the survey. As dangers from the natural and human worlds crop up, Meg and Ben must find a way to work together to stay alive and maybe fall in love again.

Reviewers say:  “… the grandeur of the canyon contrasts sharply with Ben and Meg's laser-focused awareness on the threats they face and their reawakened desire, resulting in both a saucy tone and suspenseful thrills” (Booklist).

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Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

What it’s about: This is an entertaining work of historical fiction. The story is conveyed from the view of Margaret Tudor, the older sister of King Henry VIII. It includes Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII, and Mary Tudor, his younger sister, but Margaret Tudor is at the heart of this story.

Why you might like it: I love books written by this author, especially the ones that have to do with the Tudor family and that time period. I’ve investigated Gregory’s method of research which affords me to trust that when she needs to fill in the gaps, it’s safe to assume accuracy which allows me to feel as if I’m there experiencing it.

You might also like: The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

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The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Fiction

What it’s about: Belle da Costa Greene has a secret. She’s passing for white in the rarified world of museums and libraries in 1906. A lover of the printed word, Belle is encouraged by a friend to apply for a job as personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, who needs someone to help him acquire and curate antique books and manuscripts for his personal collection. This determined young woman navigates the delicate handling of her imperious employer and high-stakes art auctions with growing skill. As we follow Belle through the next twenty years, she shines as a woman in a male-dominated society, all the while keeping the secret of her birth, knowing that exposure would cost her her job and her ability to support her family. Based on the real-life Belle da Costa Greene, this story is a look back at a time both strangely different and uncomfortably similar to our own.

Reviewers say: “An excellent piece of historical fiction that many readers will find hard to put down” (Library Journal); “Benedict and Murray do a great job capturing Belle's passion and tenacity as she carves a place for herself in a racist male-dominated society” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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The Heiress by Molly Greeley
Fiction

What it's about: If you’ve ever wished to spend more time in the Pride and Prejudice universe, Molly Greeley gives a good tour. She makes a lush and evocative novel around the elusive character Anne de Bourgh, Darcy’s cousin the family expects him to marry. When Anne was a fussy baby, she was prescribed laudanum, and now as a young woman, she is addicted to it. Her controlling mother, Lady Catherine, insists she is too delicate to do without it, and Anne spends her days drifting through a haze. But finally, when her mother is away, Anne takes advantage of her absence to escape to a cousin’s home in London and quit laudanum. Once off laudanum she starts to get the experiences other young women have as a matter of course: going to dances, reading novels, and shopping. Anne forms a romantic attachment to another young lady, Eliza Amhurst, and must learn to hide her discovered queer sexuality. Greeley finds a way to be true to the period while making a way for Anne to find happiness.

Reviewers say:  “Greeley  is faithful to the original story, while creating an imaginative and vivid inner life for the beleaguered Anne” (Booklist); “Greeley ’s expert imaginings of the life of Anne de Bourgh reveal the hidden depths of her character and highlight the societal restrictions of 19th-century women as Anne seeks to overcome her mother’s domineering persona and find happiness” (Kirkus Reviews).

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The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris
Fiction

What it’s about: In a small Georgia town during the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, residents grieve their losses. George and Isabelle Walker are mourning the death of their soldier son Caleb. Recently emancipated brothers Prentis and Landry, after struggling to survive in the wilderness, find refuge working for the Walkers. But the growing friendship between the brothers and the Walkers disturbs the local white residents, and the resentful feelings come to a head when yet another broken soldier returns from the War.

Critics say: “Harris' first novel is an aching chronicle of loss, cruelty, and love in the wake of community devastation” (Booklist); “Harris writes in intelligent, down-to-earth prose and shows a keen understanding of his characters, and while the plot leads to several tragic events, there’s a tinge of hope at the end. This character study is credible and deeply moving” (Publishers Weekly).

You might also like: For more lyrical, haunting historical fiction, try Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Water Dancer or The Prophets by Robert Jones.

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The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

What it’s about: This is a very engaging novel focusing on Hannah Verde/Green. She is a young (secretly) Jewish girl who had just escaped the Spanish inquisition to England with her father, who is a bookseller. In an unusual twist, her father, to protect her, disguises her as a boy. The author makes it clear how difficult it was to be Jewish in Tudor England.

Why you might like it: It's a view from someone who must hide in full view; completely unfamiliar to the courtly lifestyle, who must figure out which alliances to cling to, and which secrets to keep all to save her life as she becomes increasingly part of this new world.

You might also like: The next book in this series, The Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory.

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Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce
Fiction

Read it for: The unexpectedly plucky and resilient characters you’ll care deeply about, the swashbuckling adventure and deadpan humor, and the uplifting tale of female solidarity and friendship.

What it’s about: It’s 1950, and domestic science teacher Margery Benson has had enough of being underappreciated and made fun of, so she sets off on an expedition to find the mythical golden beetle of New Caledonia. She is an unlikely adventurer, a mid-forties spinster with no experience of the world. She is joined by an even less likely assistant (not her first choice), the loud and brassy blonde bombshell Enid Petty, who is hiding some secrets about her past. But Enid is surprisingly capable and kind when Margery falls very ill with seasickness, and they begin to develop a respectful friendship that may help them weather the many obstacles they face—language barriers, passport fraud, their inexperience with jungle conditions, and the obsessed man who is stealthily following them.

What critics say: “If you’ve been longing for a book about fully realized women helping one another grow through kindness and acceptance, this 'happy' book with a lot of depth is exactly what you need” (Bookreporter); “There are delightful flashes of humor in this novel... they fight, they bicker, they betray each other. Secrets and hurt from their past threaten to jeopardize their present. Joyce is excellent at depicting their pain and revealing their failings, and she has no qualms about repeatedly placing her characters in harm’s way“ (The Star Tribune).

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The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
Fiction

1942: 4 women are competing in a cooking contest. The winner will become cohost of a British radio program, “The Kitchen Front,” teaching women how to use their rationed food in thrifty, nutritious, inventive ways. The contestants are widowed mother Audrey, her haughty sister caught in an abusive marriage, a kitchen maid who dreams of freedom, and an ambitious chef in a man’s field. As these diverse women strive to win, they strike up heartwarming friendships. But will the contest that is supposed to bring a community together end up pulling it apart?

Reviewers say:  “A positively uplifting read that is as soothing as a warm cup of Earl Grey on a gloomy morning. The perfect book for fans of The Great British Baking Show” (Booklist); “Readers with an appetite for homefront WWII novels will find this deeply satisfying” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

What it’s about: In this book Gregory’s focus is on Kateryn Parr, Henry VIII’s last queen who, by the age of 30, was twice widowed. Kateryn is then offered the toxic charge of becoming Henry’s next wife. Like any woman Henry wanted, she didn’t have a choice but to accept. She survives a terrifying abusive marriage, raises 2 stepdaughters (hugely ignored because they came from a previous marriage), while living in a royal court, all while determined to study and fulfill her thirst for knowledge. She became the first woman to publish a book in England.

Why you might like it: If you like historical fiction, then Philippa Gregory is the author for you! I love her "Tudor" series for its characterizations and views into what a royal court and lifestyle was like.

You might also like: The next book in this series, The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory.

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The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Fiction

What it’s about: Caroline is taking her 10 year anniversary trip to London alone after finding out her husband has been cheating on her. While out with a tour group in the River Thames, she discovers a glass vial, etched only with the likeness of a bear. After doing some digging at the library, she learns more about the vial and discovers even more about herself.

What sets it apart: This is not only the story of modern-day Caroline. There are 3 narratives happening simultaneously. Caroline, yes, but also Nella, an apothecary shop owner living in 18th-century London, who dispenses poisons to women, looking to harm the oppressive men in their lives. And also Eliza, a 12-year old girl, sent to retrieve poison from Nella. All three of their lives become tangled in this suspenseful tale of revenge.

You might also like: The Necklace by Claire McMillian or The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor.

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