The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon The unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology– amassing a psychological profile of the man they’re looking for based on the details of his crimes. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or “alienist.” On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan’s infamous brothels. On a cold March night in 1896 New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. The beloved American classic novel about a young girl’s coming-of-age at the turn of the century is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. A double murder ensues, the repercussions of which ripple through a community with spiritual roots in the Second Great Awakening. A Slant of Light by Jeffrey LentĪt the close of the Civil War, weary veteran Malcolm Hopeton returns to his home in western New York State to find his wife and hired man missing and his farm in disrepair. There Kim Sung Wha―laborer, patriot, revolutionary, aviator―envisioned building an airplane from ricepaper, bamboo, and the scrap parts of a broken-down bicycle, an airplane that would carry him back to his Korean homeland and to his wife and children. A Ricepaper Airplane by Gary Pakįrom a hospital bed a dying man unfolds the tale of an arduous life on the fringes of a Hawai‘i sugar plantation in the 1920s. She is both complex and devious, haunted by a terrible past and motivated by greed. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for “a reliable wife.” But when Catherine Land steps off the train from Chicago, she’s not the “simple, honest woman” that Ralph is expecting. The story of the Meisenheimer family is told by James, a third-generation American living in Beatrice, Missouri where his German grandparents-Frederick and Jette-found themselves after journeying across the turbulent Atlantic, fording the flood-swollen Mississippi, and being brought to a sudden halt by the broken water of the pregnant Jette. Set during the uncertain early days of World War II, this suspenseful story follows photojournalist Claire Shipley as she captures America’s race to develop life-saving antibiotics-an assignment that will involve blackmail, espionage, and murder. And because there is such a wealth of authors writing American historical fiction, I limited each author to one entry.) I also included historical fiction books that include a significant portion of historical setting even if it also takes place partly in present day or contemporary society. Usually where there was a question, I consulted a few other sources to determine the consensus as to whether a book is considered historical fiction. (What exactly is historical fiction? For the purposes of this list, I included books that were set at least 35-40 years before the publication date of the book. You’re bound to find something that rings your patriotic bells. How about instead one (or a dozen) of these must read works of historical fiction set in the US? Spanning from pre-America through the 1960s, these books (mostly novels, but at least one play) cover the width swath of both American history and geography. But 1,000-page tomes of dense history are not exactly conducive to beach or picnic reading. This Independence Day holiday week is a great time to read about America’s history. Harrison uses her sparse writing effectively, creating a mood well in line with the novel’s time and place.” -Molly Gillespie (Joseph-Beth Booksellers) Dulcy tries to immerse herself in her new identity, but the hovering specter of being discovered haunts around every corner. She escapes, crisscrosses the country by train and arrives in a small Montana town as the widowed Mrs. When Dulcy Remley’s father “misplaces” the profits of a mine sale, she is held captive by her ex-fiancée and father’s business partner until the missing fortune can be recovered. “Jamie Harrison’s compelling debut is a gothic mystery plunked down in the western frontier. historical fiction is sponsored by The Widow Nash by Jamie Harrison: When she's not ranting about comma usage for her day job as a corporate editor, she's usually got an audiobook in her ears and a puppy in her lap. She's always looking for an excuse to recommend a book, whether you ask her for one or not. Twice a year, she runs the #24in48 readathon, during which she does almost no reading. Rachel Manwill is an editor, writer, and professional nomad.
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