Good Reads & Views

The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

What is it? After doing some research of my own, I found that much of Gregory's history is accurate. This book brings to life the little-known story of the sisters of Lady Jane Grey, Katherine and Mary. I found I could not put it down and am eager to listen by way of Audiobooks to her other series. The way their stories are told in first person makes for a fascinating read and makes clear the difficulties of survival of women in those troubled times.

Key insight: I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory, have been for years. I really enjoy her style of writing and when I listen by way of Audiobooks I like the woman's voice who does the reading. As with every book of hers that I've listened to, strong emotions are experienced as the story progresses. This book made me feel delighted but mostly angry with Elizabeth I or shocked by the actions she took to inflict pain to her poor cousins.

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The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland
Fiction

What it’s about: 14^th century England; the plague is spreading from village to village. There is a dwarf who was banished from his life as a jester, dead children and one alive wild woman retrieved from a shipwreck, superstition and holy relics, an apocalyptic cult, and the all-around breakdown of society.

Who it’s for: If you like dark and atmospheric, with interesting characters, give this one a try. It is a fascinating look at the Middle Ages and the ways society dealt with the Black Death and superstition.

Want a taste? “What I have to offer you cannot be bought with coins. I have a price, but it is not to be paid in gold or silver.”

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The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory
Fiction

What is it? The King's Curse, written by historical fiction writer Philippa Gregory, takes you into the world of Margaret Pole, the Countess of Salisbury and the cousin of Elizabeth of York. She was forced to marry the father of Henry the 8th, the infamous King of England. This story provides an intriguing perspective of the reign of King Henry VIII from one who would have intimately known it well.

Key insight: The reader should not lose sight of the fact that this is historical fiction. The author, as always, weaves these true historical facts and events with her own thorough and exhaustive research concluding ideas of what may conceivably have been the backstory, thoughts and actions of the women of that time period.

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Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry
Fiction

About the author:  Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times bestselling author. Her work has been included in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and blogs. Patti attended Auburn University for her undergraduate work and Georgia State University for her graduate degree. The mother of three children, she lives in both Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Bluffton, South Carolina, with her husband.

Reviewers say: "It's a novel. And it's a very good one. . . extraordinarily accurate. . . more accurate than most biographical essays that have been written about my mother" - Douglas Gresham, son of Joy Davidman, wife of C.S. Lewis (Read Aloud Revival).

You might also like: The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin or Love and Ruin by Paula McLain.

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The Mausoleum by David Mark
Fiction

What it’s about: The year is 2010. Two old women are waiting for a dying old man to wake up so they can find out what he knows. The women’s story is told in alternating narratives and skips back to 1967 when the women first met in the graveyard of an isolated village by the Scottish border. WWII, espionage, POWs, Nazis, betrayal, they are all part of the story.

Reviewers say: “Deft writing, a plot filled with strange and unexpected twists, vivid characters, and a constant feeling of foreboding make this a gripping and unusual read” (Booklist). “Mark is writing at the top of his game” (Publishers Weekly).

Author notes: Mark is also the author of an excellent series of police procedurals, starting with The Dark Winter, which introduces DS Aector McAvoy.

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The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
Fiction

What it’s about: Jonah Hancock, a widowed merchant, is shocked to learn one of his ship captains has traded the vessel for a “mermaid,” a shriveled wizened thing that is more horrifying than it is lovely. To make the best of this loss, Hancock agrees to show it for a fee; it becomes a sensation, throwing him from a quiet existence to the opulent heights and rowdy depths of Georgian London society, where he is smitten by the charming and compelling Angela Neal, a shrewd and accomplished courtesan.

Why you might like it: If you are looking for a witty, leisurely-paced, and sumptuous historical fiction with a dash of fantasy, this is it. You’ll be enchanted by the delightful relationship and unlikely partnership that develops between Jonah Hancock, the merchant, and Angela Neal, the prostitute who becomes Mrs. Hancock. And you’ll be dazzled by the language—for example, the robust Mrs. Chapell, the proprietor of the brothel, is “built like an armchair, more upholstered than clothed.”

You might also like: If you enjoy this book’s lively characters and richly detailed descriptions, try the historical fantasy Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, or the classic Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

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The Last Hours by Minette Walters
Fiction

What it’s about: Lady Anne despises her cruel husband and is hated by her spoiled daughter. After her husband succumbs to a deadly pestilence while away on business, she assumes control of his people and quarantines everyone inside the moat surrounding the house in order to protect them from the deadly sickness that is spreading in all of England.

Not for the squeamish: “The living conditions in Bradmayne are vile; one might think "Men urinated where they stood" would say it all about a village, but the author spares no detail in showing what grossness causes stench and attracts vermin. People seem not to connect these godawful conditions with the "killing sickness in the village" that carries "a deadly pestilence with putrid boils" and requires the digging of mass graves” (Kirkus).

Sequel note: The Turn of Midnight is coming out in August 2019 and continues where The Last Hours left off.

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The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths
Fiction

Starring: Magician Max Mephisto and his daughter Ruby, Christmas 1953 at the Brighton Hippodrome!

What it’s about: Girls linked to the Living Statues act which shares the bill are being found dead, elaborately posed in historical tableaux, and Max, Ruby, and the police all find their lives upended as they search for the killer.

Series alert: Fourth in the Magic Men mystery series

Dread Nation: Rise Up by Justina Ireland
YA Fiction

What it’s about: The dead rose up at Gettysburg just after the battle, and the nation is still recovering from the war and the zombie apocalypse. Now Jane McKeene is training to become a lady’s attendant (bodyguard) against the shamblers and trying to find out what happened to her ex-boyfriend’s sister and her family, but she makes powerful enemies in the process.

Why you should read it: This reads a bit like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets the Wild West. African-American Jane is smart, sassy, and ferocious, protecting those she cares about and commenting on the world as she knows it. Well worth finding on audio too.

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Someone by Alice McDermott
Fiction

What it’s about: Someone is like a shorter, more adult A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, following the life of Marie, an Irish girl growing up in Brooklyn in the 1930s. Marie starts off as a fiery, diffident young girl who enters adulthood reluctantly and takes to old age less than gracefully. Surrounding her are characters—family, friends, and neighbors—who have struggles of their own, both timely and timeless in nature.

Who it's for: This story will satisfy readers who enjoy slice-of-life tales with a historical flair. The novel does not follow a linear timeline; we are given vignettes of the different stages of Marie’s life, from young child to elder, that interplay with each other, but McDermott manages to do this in a style that is not jarring or confusing.  This calm, contemplative read will engage you with its strong sense of time and place, and keep you invested with its emotional pull.