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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > Historical fiction
Strongheart is the final installment to the One Thousand White Women trilogy, a novel about fierce women who are full of heart and the power to survive. In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant the opportunity to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women, in order to marry them with his warriors and create a lasting peace. These women, recruited by force in the penitentiaries and asylums of the country, gradually integrate the way of life of the Cheyenne, at the time when the great massacres of the tribes begin. After the battle of Little Big Horn, some female survivors decide to take up arms against the United States, which has stolen from the Native Americans their lands, their way of life, their culture and their history. This ghost tribe of rebellious women will soon go underground to wage an implacable battle, which will continue from generation to generation. In this final volume of the One Thousand White Women trilogy, Jim Fergus mixes with rare mastery the struggle of women and Native Americans in the face of oppression, from the end of the 19th century until today. With a vivid sense of the 19th century American West, Fergus paints portraits of women as strong as they are unforgettable.
Shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize for Fiction 2022 A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2021 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 PEN AMERICA OPEN BOOK AWARD A Times Book of the Month One of Roxane Gay's Audacious Book Club Picks 'A feat of monumental thematic imagination' - The New York Times Book Review 'An elegantly layered, beautifully rendered tour de force that is not to be missed' - Roxane Gay Libertie Sampson was named by her father as he lay dying, in honour of the bright, shining future he was sure was coming. The only daughter of a prosperous Black woman physician, she was born free in a country still blighted by slavery. But she has never felt free. Shrinking from her mother's ambitions for her future, Libertie ventures beyond her insulated community, hoping that somehow, somewhere, she will create a life that feels like her own. Immersive, lyrical and deeply moving, Libertie is a novel about legacy and longing, the story of a young woman struggling to discover what freedom truly means - for herself, and for generations to come.
The next gripping and emotional historical fiction read from international bestseller, Mandy Robotham. Norway, 1942. War rages, and, under cover of darkness, Rumi Orlstad and her fellow resistance fighters smuggle British agents, fugitives and supplies across the North Sea into Nazi-occupied territory. One night, Rumi's fiance is lost to the dangerous waters when he braves a storm to complete an ill-fated mission. Broken-hearted, Rumi withdraws from the clandestine group, vowing never to let her loved ones put themselves in the line of fire again. But months later, Rumi stumbles across a Nazi secret that lays Hitler's plans for Norway bare, and she knows she has no choice but to risk her life for her country once more. She has lost everything to the Nazis. But now she fights back...
I loved this fresh take on the gothic genre. Vivid, haunting, surprising' STACEY HALLS 'A full-blooded gothic mystery with bite, great characterisation and heaps of atmosphere' EMMA STONEX 1852. Margaret Lennox, a young widow, is offered a position as governess at Hartwood Hall. She quickly accepts, hoping this isolated country house will allow her to leave the past behind. Margaret soon feels there's something odd about Hartwood: strange figures in the dark, tensions between servants and an abandoned east wing. Margaret is certain that everyone here has something to hide, and as her own past threatens to catch up with her, she must learn to trust her instincts before it's too late...
What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke remains a mystery, but the women who descended from Eleanor Dare have long known that the truth lies in what she left behind: a message carved onto a large stone and the contents of her treasured commonplace book. Brought from England on Eleanor’s fateful voyage to the New World, her book was passed down through the fifteen generations of daughters who followed as they came of age. Thirteen-year-old Alice had been next in line to receive it, but her mother’s tragic death fractured the unbroken legacy and the Dare Stone and the shadowy history recorded in the book faded into memory. Or so Alice hoped. In the waning days of World War II, Alice is a young widow and a mother herself when she is unexpectedly presented with her birthright: the deed to Evertell, her abandoned family home and the history she thought forgotten. Determined to sell the property and step into a future free of the past, Alice returns to Savannah with her own thirteen-year-old daughter, Penn, in tow. But when Penn’s curiosity over the lineage she never knew begins to unveil secrets from beneath every stone and bone and shell of the old house and Eleanor’s book is finally found, Alice is forced to reckon with the sacrifices made for love and the realities of their true inheritance as daughters of Eleanor Dare. In this sweeping tale from award-winning author Kimberly Brock, the answers to a real-life mystery may be found in the pages of a story that was always waiting to be written.
Two women--bound by blood, torn apart by circumstance--find together that true strength comes in many forms. In 1911, Mabel MacGinnis is Europe's strongest woman and has performed beside her father in the Manzo Brothers Circus her entire life. When he dies unexpectedly, she loses everything she's ever known and sets off in the company of acrobat Jake Cunningham in hope of finding the mother she thought was dead. Isabella Moreau, America's most feted aerialist, has given everything to the circus. But age and injury now threaten her security, and Isabella, stalked by old fears, makes a choice that risks everything. Then her daughter Mabel appears alongside the man who never wanted to see Isabella again, and she is forced to face the truth of where, and in what, she derives her worth. As Mabel and Isabella's lives become entangled beneath the glittering lights and flying trapeze of Madison Square Garden, their resiliency and resolve are tested as they learn the truth of what it means to be strong. "Kimberly Duffy not only delivers a beautiful escape, but she also adds layers of emotional depth to build a captivating story readers will love."--JULIE CANTRELL, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Perennials
An enchanting novel about fate, second chances, and hope, lost and found, by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Last of the Moon Girls. Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needle and thread. It's said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline's world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget. Decades later, while coping with her own tragic loss, aspiring gallery owner Rory Grant leases Soline's old property and discovers a box containing letters and a vintage wedding dress, never worn. When Rory returns the mementos, an unlikely friendship develops, and eerie parallels in Rory's and Soline's lives begin to surface. It's clear that they were destined to meet-and that Rory may hold the key to righting a forty-year wrong and opening the door to shared healing and, perhaps, a little magic.
Taking in the vineyards of New Zealand and the majestic landscape of Ireland, The Missing Sister is the seventh instalment in the multimillion-copy epic series The Seven Sisters, from the Sunday Times number one bestselling author Lucinda Riley. 'I've loved the Seven Sisters from the get-go and this latest in the series is just as great as the rest . . . As ever there's a brilliant historical subplot' - Daily Mail The six D'Apliese sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister? The search to find the missing sister will take them across the globe - from New Zealand to Canada, England, France and Ireland - uniting them all in their mission to complete their family at last. In doing so, they will slowly unearth a story of love, strength and sacrifice that began almost one hundred years ago, as other brave young women risk everything to change the world around them. *** Praise for The Seven Sisters series: 'The Seven Sisters series is heart-wrenching, uplifting and utterly enthralling' - Lucy Foley 'Well researched and compelling . . . on an epic scale' - Sunday Express 'There's something magical about these stories' - Prima 'Addictive storytelling' - Woman & Home 'A masterclass in beautiful writing' - The Sun
The acclaimed author of Finn "digs down to the bones of a classic and creates must-read modern literature" (Charles Frazier, New York Times bestselling author) with this "clever riff" (The Washington Post) on Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol that explores of the relationship between Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley. "Marley was dead, to begin with," Charles Dickens tells us at the beginning of A Christmas Carol. But in Jon Clinch's "masterly" (The New York Times Book Review) novel, Jacob Marley, business partner to Ebenezer Scrooge, is very much alive: a rapacious and cunning boy who grows up to be a forger, a scoundrel, and the man who will be both the making and the undoing of Scrooge. They meet as youths in the gloomy confines of Professor Drabb's Academy for Boys, where Marley begins their twisted friendship by initiating the innocent Scrooge into the art of extortion. Years later, in the dank heart of London, their shared ambition manifests itself in a fledgling shipping empire. Between Marley's genius for deception and Scrooge's brilliance with numbers, they amass a considerable fortune of dubious legality, all rooted in a pitiless commitment to the soon-to-be-outlawed slave trade. As Marley toys with the affections of Scrooge's sister, Fan, Scrooge falls under the spell of Fan's best friend, Belle Fairchild. Now, for the first time, Scrooge and Marley find themselves at odds. With their business interests inextricably bound together and instincts for secrecy and greed bred in their very bones, the two men engage in a shadowy war of deception, forged documents, theft, and cold-blooded murder. Marley and Scrooge are destined to clash in an unforgettable reckoning that will echo into the future and set the stage for Marley's ghostly return. "Read through to the last page of this brilliant book, and I promise you that you will have a permanently changed view, not just of Dickens's world, but of the world we live in today" (Elizabeth Letts, New York Times bestselling author).
"The reigning queen of historical fiction" -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over. 1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything--beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses--but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park's few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart. 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer...
Sunday Times Number One bestselling author Deborah Harkness returns to the spellbinding world she created in A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES with an unconventional love story. From human to vampire... Marcus Whitmore was made a vampire in the eighteenth century. Over two hundred years later, he finds himself in love with Phoebe Taylor, a human who decides to become a vampire herself. And with tradition enforcing separation from Marcus, Phoebe's transformation will prove as challenging now as it was for Marcus when he first encountered Matthew de Clermont, his sire. TIME'S CONVERT moves with epic sweep from the battlefields of the American Revolutionary War, through the treachery of the French Revolution to a bloody finale in New Orleans. 'Gripping and impossible to put down, this is TWILIGHT for grown-ups - a wonderful read!' Katie Fforde on A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES 'Thrilling . . . A captivating and romantic ripping yarn' E L James on SHADOW OF NIGHT 'Rich in arcane detail, fans will relish this exotic cauldron of romantic fantasy' Sunday Mirror on THE BOOK OF LIFE In Deborah Harkness's world of witches, daemons and vampires, watch as history comes to life.
The fourth heartwarming instalment in the Cornish Girls series, coming soon - pre-order now! Can the bonds of motherhood give them the strength they'll need to get through the war? St Ives, Spring 1943. After having given up her baby at seventeen, Sonya is inspired by her work at an orphanage to discover what happened to her daughter twenty-five years ago. Reunited, they struggle to bond whilst braving the war together. Nurse Lily has returned to St Ives to finish training as a midwife. But when old flame Tristan is brought in wounded, she must put the past firmly to bed in order to care for him. And working at Tristan's convalescent home, Mary longs for the romance she reads of in her novels. But her overprotective mother is making that more difficult at every turn... In times of war, the Cornish Girls can rely on one another to make it through. But can they lean on the bonds of motherhood for support too? A heart-warming tale of motherhood in wartime, for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas. Readers have been swept away by the Cornish Girls: 'Romance...friendship...orphans...family...women helping in any way they can...Don't miss this book' Reader Review 'A lovely historical war story. Can't wait to read what happens next in this saga...' Reader Review 'How nice it was to catch up with [the Cornish Girls]. I so hope [they] continue with their antics...' Reader Review 'Plenty of twists and turns, well written, likeable characters and easy to follow. I'm already looking forward to the next in the series...' Reader Review 'A great read - highly recommended' Reader Review 'A lovely five star read! I look forward to the next one!' Reader Review 'Much loved characters that will stay with you, due to their courage, determination and patriotic spirit - five stars from me' Reader Review
A special edition from Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning classics that make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. Featuring beautiful heritage wallpaper patterns from Jane Austen's own home in Hampshire, these collectable paperback editions are a must for all Jane Austen fans. Two sisters of opposing temperament but who share the pangs of tragic love provide the subjects for Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Elinor, practical and conventional, the epitome of sense, desires a man who is promised to another woman. Marianne, emotional and sentimental, the epitome of sensibility, loses her heart to a scoundrel who jilts her. A powerful drama of family life and growing up, Sense and Sensibility is at once a subtle comedy of manners and a striking critique of early nineteenth-century society. With original illustrations by the celebrated Hugh Thomson, this Macmillan Collector's Library edition also features bonus material by Jane Austen expert Sophie Reynolds.
Classically trained pianist and singer Natalie Curtis isolated herself for five years after a breakdown just before she was to debut with the New York Philharmonic. Guilt-ridden and songless, Natalie can't seem to recapture the joy music once brought her. In 1902, her brother invites her to join him in the West to search for healing. What she finds are songs she'd never before encountered--the haunting melodies, rhythms, and stories of Native Americans. But their music is under attack. The US government's Code of Offenses prohibits American's indigenous people from singing, dancing, or speaking their own languages as the powers that be insist on assimilation. Natalie makes it her mission not only to document these songs before they disappear but to appeal to President Teddy Roosevelt himself, who is the only man with the power to repeal the unjust law. Will she succeed and step into a new song . . . and a new future? Award-winning author Jane Kirkpatrick weaves yet another lyrical tale based on a true story that will keep readers captivated to the very end. "Reaching from New York to the American Southwest, this tale focuses on resiliency . . . Kirkpatrick's reflective and informative novel inspires readers to consider their own motives and choices and the sometimes unintended consequences of the help they give."--Booklist "Kirkpatrick's portrayal of Natalie's fight for equality and cultural preservation will resonate with readers. Those who enjoy the work of Francine Rivers should take a look."--Publishers Weekly
TO SAVE HER OWN LIFE, WILL SHE SACRIFICE ANOTHER? June 1940: the first summer of the war. Berlin is being bombed and nightly blackouts suffocate the city. Then France falls and a shadow descends. A shadow has fallen over Clara Vine's own life, too. She is an Anglo-German woman in a country that hates England. Then she is summoned to meet the Propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, who has decided that Clara should adopt a new role - as his spy. Much as she dislikes the idea, Clara realises this might be the chance to find an escape route to England. But Goebbels has other ideas and soon Clara is drawn into a web that threatens to destroy her. As everything she holds dear is taken as ransom, she must fight to protect her family - and to survive... Solitaire delivers brilliantly engrossing wartime fiction for fans of Sadie Jones, Rosie Thomas and Irene Nemirovsky. Praise for Jane Thynne's Clara Vine novels: 'An absolute cracker of a read...fast-paced and gripping from the start' Sunday Times 'A thoroughly enjoyable read: fast-paced, atmospheric and genuinely suspenseful' Mail on Sunday 'Terrific' Elizabeth Buchan
Dead Man's Walk is the first, extraordinary book in the epic Lonesome Dove tetralogy, in which Larry McMurtry breathed new life into the vanished American West and created two of the most memorable heroes in contemporary fiction: Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call. As young Texas Rangers, Gus and Call have much to learn about survival in a land fraught with perils: not only the blazing heat and raging tornadoes, roiling rivers and merciless Indians but also the deadly whims of soldiers. On their first expeditions--led by incompetent officers and accompanied by the robust, dauntless whore known as the Great Western--they will face death at the hands of the cunning Comanche war chief Buffalo Hump and the silent Apache Gomez. They will be astonished by the Mexican army. And Gus will meet the love of his life.
Vienna, 1913. Lysander Rief, a young English actor in town seeking psychotherapy, is caught up in a feverish affair with a beautiful, enigmatic woman--until she goes to the police to press charges of rape. Only a frenzied getaway plotted by two mysterious British diplomats saves him from trial. But after Lysander returns to a London on the cusp of war, the traumatic ordeal haunts him at every turn. The men who coordinated his escape recruit him to carry out a brutal murder. His lover shows up at a party, ready to resume their liaison. Suddenly plunged into the dangerous theater of wartime intelligence--a murky world of sex, scandal, and spies--Lysander must unravel a secret that threatens Britain's safety. Moving from Vienna to London's West End, from the battlefields of France to hotel rooms in Geneva, Waiting for Sunrise is a mesmerizing journey into the human psyche, a beautifully observed portrait of wartime Europe, a plot-twisting thriller, and a literary tour de force.
AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4s BOOK AT BEDTIME A Sunday Times, Times, Irish Independent, Spectator and Good Housekeeping Book of the Year 'Sensationally good' Sunday Times 'Remarkably, unusually vivid' The Times 'Brilliantly evokes wartime love and heartbreak.' Guardian Two sisters. Four nights. One City. April, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Following the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey - one engaged to be married, the other in a secret relationship with another woman - as they try to survive the horrors of the Belfast Blitz, These Days is an unforgettable novel about lives lived under duress, about family, and about how we try to stay true to ourselves 'Breathtakingly good . A novel of enormous heart; full of luminous passages of prose.' Observer 'Meticulously researched, perfectly imagined, full of compassion and emotional truth.' CLARE CHAMBERS
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