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The Past is Prologue: 10 New Historical Novels
These notable romans à clef delve into the lives of Lady Diana Spencer, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and flapper Colleen Moore / BY Nathalie Atkinson / November 23rd, 2023
Our pick of notable recent forays into history span 18th-century New England, Gilded Age Boston, Jazz Age Manhattan, the dawn of Hollywood, early Palestine and mid-century Greece — and shed light on the present by illuminating the past.
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1Arrested SongThe Russian-born Montrealer’s novel, set on the Greek island of Lesbos, is about a headstrong, feminist schoolmistress, Calliope Adham, who is recruited by the Germans as a liaison officer during the Second World War, and covers the arc of the country’s history from the Nazi occupation through a civil war to the end of a right-wing dictatorship in1974.
The Russian-born Montrealer’s novel, set on the Greek island of Lesbos, is about a headstrong, feminist schoolmistress, Calliope Adham, who is recruited by the Germans as a liaison officer during the Second World War, and covers the arc of the country’s history from the Nazi occupation through a civil war to the end of a right-wing dictatorship in1974.
2The Jazz Club SpyThe bestselling Vancouver, B.C.-based writer conjures the prejudice faced by a Jewish cigarette girl in 1939 Manhattan, and the ghost of trauma when the refugee recognizes a soldier who burned down her family’s Russian village during a 1920 pogrom. In seeking justice, she becomes embroiled in a political conspiracy on the eve of the Second World War.
The bestselling Vancouver, B.C.-based writer conjures the prejudice faced by a Jewish cigarette girl in 1939 Manhattan, and the ghost of trauma when the refugee recognizes a soldier who burned down her family’s Russian village during a 1920 pogrom. In seeking justice, she becomes embroiled in a political conspiracy on the eve of the Second World War.
3The Lioness of BostonSome may be familiar with the name Isabella Stewart Gardner because her Venetian-style palace is an eccentric Boston museum; this dazzling account from Franklin, the American author of more than 20 novels, spans the later 19th-century and fictionalizes the unconventional life of the art collector.
Some may be familiar with the name Isabella Stewart Gardner because her Venetian-style palace is an eccentric Boston museum; this dazzling account from Franklin, the American author of more than 20 novels, spans the later 19th-century and fictionalizes the unconventional life of the art collector.
4The Red BalconySet in British Mandatory Palestine of 1933, this detailed period noir by the British-born, Massachusetts-based professor is based on true events. It covers the fallout from the assassination of Jewish community leader Haim Arlosoroff, and explores the cultural and political forces at work in Palestine, the ethics of compromise and the historic roots of the ongoing conflict.
Set in British Mandatory Palestine of 1933, this detailed period noir by the British-born, Massachusetts-based professor is based on true events. It covers the fallout from the assassination of Jewish community leader Haim Arlosoroff, and explores the cultural and political forces at work in Palestine, the ethics of compromise and the historic roots of the ongoing conflict.
5The PrincessThe former Tatler magazine editor delivers a credible imagining of Lady Diana Spencer’s early life as a lonely young girl at boarding school. The novel begins in 1981 as Diana prepares for her glittering, fairy-tale royal wedding and recounts to a friend the story of her recruitment as wife for the Prince of Wales.
The former Tatler magazine editor delivers a credible imagining of Lady Diana Spencer’s early life as a lonely young girl at boarding school. The novel begins in 1981 as Diana prepares for her glittering, fairy-tale royal wedding and recounts to a friend the story of her recruitment as wife for the Prince of Wales.
6The Frozen RiverThis historical mystery (touted as perfect for Outlander fans) takes inspiration from the life and diary of 18th-century American midwife and healer Martha Ballard, whose journals were the subject of the Pulitzer Prize-winning history, A Midwife’s Tale. Although based in Tennessee, Lawhon writes evocatively of historic rural Maine, where her protagonist must uncover the truth about a dead man accused of rape, in order to take the witness stand. (Dec. 5)
This historical mystery (touted as perfect for Outlander fans) takes inspiration from the life and diary of 18th-century American midwife and healer Martha Ballard, whose journals were the subject of the Pulitzer Prize-winning history, A Midwife’s Tale. Although based in Tennessee, Lawhon writes evocatively of historic rural Maine, where her protagonist must uncover the truth about a dead man accused of rape, in order to take the witness stand. (Dec. 5)
7The Roaring Days of Zora LillyA Greta Garbo dress in a present-day museum fashion exhibition about bygone Hollywood glamour rewinds this story to 1924, and to the life of the struggling seamstress who created it. The Washington-based novelist leads readers through Zora’s life as she lifts herself out of poverty, begins to move among the denizens of Prohibition-era speakeasies and her ambitions blossom.
A Greta Garbo dress in a present-day museum fashion exhibition about bygone Hollywood glamour rewinds this story to 1924, and to the life of the struggling seamstress who created it. The Washington-based novelist leads readers through Zora’s life as she lifts herself out of poverty, begins to move among the denizens of Prohibition-era speakeasies and her ambitions blossom.
8From Dust to StardustRooney’s extraordinary 2017 novel, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, was inspired by pioneering copywriter Margaret Fishback. Her new heroine, silent film actress Doreen O’Dare, is likewise a fictional character, but hews closely to the life of the original flapper Colleen Moore, a mostly forgotten star who rose to fame in early Hollywood alongside her friends Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish. Rooney’s narrator is an astute observer, and the book is a carefully researched rendering of Moore’s life and the culture of greed and sexism that shaped the burgeoning motion-picture industry.
Rooney’s extraordinary 2017 novel, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, was inspired by pioneering copywriter Margaret Fishback. Her new heroine, silent film actress Doreen O’Dare, is likewise a fictional character, but hews closely to the life of the original flapper Colleen Moore, a mostly forgotten star who rose to fame in early Hollywood alongside her friends Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish. Rooney’s narrator is an astute observer, and the book is a carefully researched rendering of Moore’s life and the culture of greed and sexism that shaped the burgeoning motion-picture industry.
9All You Have to Do Is CallLike the recent novel, Looking for Jane, the American writer of The Paris Bookseller draws from the true story of the Jane Collective, the clandestine organization of activists who helped women access abortion services in the years before the Roe v. Wade.It is a thought-provoking and timely consideration of what’s at stake in the renewed fight for reproductive freedom.
Like the recent novel, Looking for Jane, the American writer of The Paris Bookseller draws from the true story of the Jane Collective, the clandestine organization of activists who helped women access abortion services in the years before the Roe v. Wade.It is a thought-provoking and timely consideration of what’s at stake in the renewed fight for reproductive freedom.
10The First LadiesThe partnership between civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, born to enslaved parents, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is captured in alternating points of view in this novel from the American co-writers of The Personal Librarian. They tell the story of the crusading women, who forged a friendship across racial lines that began in 1927 and continued through to 1945, as they vote for the Charter of the United Nations and help form the foundation of the modern civil rights movement.
The partnership between civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, born to enslaved parents, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt is captured in alternating points of view in this novel from the American co-writers of The Personal Librarian. They tell the story of the crusading women, who forged a friendship across racial lines that began in 1927 and continued through to 1945, as they vote for the Charter of the United Nations and help form the foundation of the modern civil rights movement.