Historical novels abound this fall for those of you who enjoy a compelling tale with crisp details that enliven the story and make the characters seem real whether they are based on fact or completely fictional.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is all the rage right now for readers of historical novels. As London is emerging from the shadow of World War II, writer Juliet Ashton discovers her next subject in a book club on Guernsey (in Great Britain. The letters comprising this small charming novel begin in 1946 and what makes this novel so appealing is its delightful wit, quirky characters that truly care about one another, and its celebration of the written word as a means of bringing people together. If this interests you, give us a call (781-246-6334, x102) to place your name on this popular request list.

Louis Bayard’s The Black Tower is a French mystery starring real-life Eugène François Vidocq, who lived from 1775 to 1857. Detective Vidocq tracks down the most challenging adversary of his career, a case with ties to the missing son of Marie Antoinette. Bayard keeps the reader guessing until the end, though the puzzle aspect is less prominent than in his previous novel, The Pale Blue Eye, which featured Edgar Allan Poe as sleuth (and is being discussed on October 14 by Supper Sleuths, Beebe Library’s mystery group).

Known as a true master of the historical, Arturo Perez-Reverte’s latest Alatriste adventure, King’s Gold, is set in Seville, Spain in 1626. Captain Alatriste and his protege, Inigo Balboa, have returned from war–battle-weary, short of cash, and with few prospects for honest work. But it’s not long before Alatriste receives an intriguing offer of short-term employment. He and Inigo must recruit a dozen swordsmen and mercenaries for a risky job involving a dazzling amount of contraband gold and a heavily guarded Spanish galleon returning from the West Indies. The offer comes from the king himself, for at stake is nothing less than the Spanish Crown, and its dominion over the wealth of the Americas. If you are unfamiliar with this author, now is the time to pick up one of his mystery (The Flanders Panel) or historical titles (Captain Alatriste and The Club Dumas).

In another novel about Spain’s history, C.W. Gortner’s The Last Queen, Juana of Castile is just thirteen when she witnesses the fall of Moorish Granada and the uniting of the fractured kingdoms of Spain under her warrior parents, Isabel and Fernando. Intelligent, beautiful and proud of her heritage, Juana rebels against her fate when she is chosen as a bride for the Hapsburg heir–until she arrives in Flanders and comes face-to-face with the prince known as Philip the Fair, a man who will bring her the greatest of passions, and the darkest despair. Emotional and political tensions soar as Juana’s loyalties are tested to their limits and disturbing royal secrets and court manipulations wickedly twist this brilliantly told, enthralling story.

Frances de Pontes Peebles’ The Seamstress takes place in 1930’s Brazil, when a vigilante gang invades the home of two seamstresses, kidnapping one of them. In this good “read-alike” for fans of Isabel Allende, the kidnapped sister, Luzia, gains notoriety as a female outlaw called “The Seamstress.” The narrative weaves back and forth between Luzia’s brutal life, accounts of which Emilia, the sister left behind, sometimes reads in the newspapers, and Emilia’s comfortable but empty existence, which Luzia sees depicted in out-of-date society pages. This impressive first novel illuminated by the backdrop of Brazil seduces with its sweeping story, strong characterization, and extraordinarily vivid detail.

In a layered historical novel reminiscent of A.S. Byatt’s Possession, author Katie Hickman (Courtesans) introduces the world of splendor and intrigue of the Ottoman Empire in “The Aviary Gate.” Past and present intertwine as a modern-day scholar researches the 400-year-old story of Celia Lamprey, a sea captain’s daughter who survived a shipwreck only to be imprisoned in the sultan’s harem. If you enjoy adventure stories rife with authentic period detail, you won’t be disappointed by this thrilling book.

Set in New England, presumably in the 19th century, Hannah Tinti’s first novel, “The Good Thief” follows one-handed orphan Ren’s not quite rags-to-riches tale. When rugged, tall-tale spinning con man Benjamin Nab strolls into Ren’s orphanage one day and claims Ren as his brother, it seems too good to be true, and it is. Benjamin, along with boozy partner-in-crime Tom, lead Ren throughout New England, using the endearing, crippled orphan to open doors and make their hustling life easier. The novel, rich with sensory details, surprising twists and living, breathing characters to root for, is full of scams, shams and underhanded deals and populated by hustlers, thieves and grave robbers and is an adventure yarn that is tough to beat.

In this story of a slave family buying its freedom, Breena Clarke illuminates and personalizes a dreadful part of our nation’s past. In “Stand the Storm, ” skilled needle worker, Sewing Annie at Ridley Plantation in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, trains her son, Gabriel, so well that at the age of 10, he’s hired out to a tailor in Georgetown (also the site of Clarke’s best-selling debut “River, Cross My Heart”). Gabriel is successful enough to buy manumission in 1854 for himself and his family when District of Columbia slaves are decreed free with their owners eligible for compensation. Clarke’s knowledge of the period, appealing characters and the novel’s dense, deliberate narrative create a poignant story about the intricacies of human bondage and its dissolution, built around a family’s unshakable faith in one another.

You can place holds for any of these titles by using your library card and a PIN number that any service desk will be happy to provide to you the next time you are in the library.

Categories: Authors, Book Reviews, Historical Fiction, Library News
Tags: books, fiction, historical, novels