Date Read: April 6 Author: Lorie Langdon Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4/5 Olivia Twist, who lived most of her young life disguised as a young boy named Oliver, has been taken in by her wealthy uncle. Now a member of high society, her life is still full of danger. Olivia Twist is action-packed, and perfectContinue reading “Olivia Twist”
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
Dragon Teeth
Date Read: April 5 Author: Michael Crichton Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4/5 In 1876, Yale student William Johnson sets out on a paleontology expedition with Professor Marsh. He finds himself in the treacherous Wild West, a completely unknown landscape. Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, weaves together historical figures with fictional characters in order to tellContinue reading “Dragon Teeth”
Homegoing
Date Read: April 2 Author: Yaa Gyasi Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 5/5 A multi-generational novel following two half-sisters and their families, Homegoing is a powerful novel. It balances emotions and the story, and the result is an incredibly well-written narrative. Evil begets evil. It grow. It transmutes, so that sometimes you cannot see that theContinue reading “Homegoing”
Code Name Verity
Date Read: April 1 Author: Elizabeth Wein Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 5/5 Code Name Verity is not a book for anyone looking to learn more about World War II, but it was still a good spy novel. I appreciated the focus on women – often WWII novels focus on the men, and if women makeContinue reading “Code Name Verity”
The Weight of Ink
Date Read: March 18 Author: Rachel Kadish Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 5/5 The Weight of Ink is set in London, but in the London of two different centuries. The story switches between modern-day historians examining letters and the story of when the letters were written. I enjoyed the format of the book, and the storyContinue reading “The Weight of Ink”
See What I Have Done
Date Read: March 5 Author: Sarah Schmidt Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 2/5 I had heard some good things about this book, but from almost the first page it felt boring, repetitive, and cliche. The characters were flat, and the book was at least 100 pages too long. How many years does it take to growContinue reading “See What I Have Done”
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Date Read: February 12 Author: Heather Morris Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4/5 A sad, and yet ultimately hopeful, story about a man and a woman during the Holocaust. If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day. – The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Underground Railroad
Date Read: February 11 Author: Colson Whitehead Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4/5 With his imaginative story, Whitehead imagines a history in which the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor, but rather a fully-functional rail system hidden under the South. The only way to know how long you are lost in the darkness is to beContinue reading “The Underground Railroad”
Washington Black
Date Read: February 8 Author: Esi Edugyan Genre: Historical Fiction Rating: 4/5 This was truly a magical historical fiction novel. George Washington Black is a young slave in Barbados, and his whole world is changed when his master’s brother takes an interest in him. From there, the novel travels around the globe from London toContinue reading “Washington Black”
Where the Crawdads Sing
Date Read: February 4 Author: Delia Owens Genre: Fiction Rating: 5/5 This novel has such a secretive narrator that even the reader seems to never know the truth. I wasn’t aware that words could hold so much. I didn’t know a sentence could be so full. – Where the Crawdads Sing
Zoey's Year in Books 2020 