Reading on a Theme: Historical Fiction Inspired by Real Historical Figures

I'm always up for really good historical fiction, and lately I've enjoyed fictional accounts of the lives of real historical figures. I love how fiction can give us a sense of the day to day life of people of the past. In this collection, we have quite a few figures from British history and the incomparable Peggy Schulyer.

More historical fiction inspired by real historical figures here and here.


Princess Victoria:
Miss V. Conroy was one of the Princess Victoria's few childhood companions. As the daughter of John Conroy, the architect of The System and Victoria's nemesis, Miss V. was caught between two loyalties. In My Name is Victoria, the renowned British historian Lucy Worsley imagines what the relationship between the Princess Victoria and Miss V. might have been like. I'm an ideal audience for this book. I've been to Kensington Palace, and I am a huge fan of Masterpiece's Victoria. I liked this book, but I did find it a little dull in parts, but, I can't complain too much because The Princess Victoria's life was rather dull, isolated as she was from the world! Out May 8, 2018. Review copy from NetGalley. 


Peggy Schuyler:
Who isn't fascinated by Alexander Hamilton these days? L.M. Elliott's new book is about Peggy, the Schuyler sister who gets the least amount of air time in the musical. Turns out Peggy was a pretty fascinating person. She was the only one of the three now-famous Schuyler sisters who was living at home during the Revolutionary War, where perhaps she might have been privy to some of the work her father did as Washington's spy master. L.M. Elliott's historical fiction is always so well-researched, and she does an excellent job rooting her readers in the historical moment. Peggy is feisty and so bright. It was really fun to get to delve a little deeper into her story. Hamilton and Peggy! is out January 2, 2018. Review copy from Edelweiss.


Katherine Howard:
Elizabeth Rose Camperdowne is a Tudor maiden in the time of Henry VIII. Eliza may be fictional, but she is surrounded by characters who really lived and breathed. Through her eyes, we see the story of Katherine Howard unfold. Eliza trains with Katherine at the Duchess of Nothumerland's school and becomes a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves. Through Eliza, the reader sees the restrictions and expectations placed on the women of Henry VIII's court. I quite enjoyed this book by Lucy Worsley as well. Katherine Howard is one of the most misunderstood of Henry VIII's wives, and Eliza serves as a nice foil for that tragic tale. Maid of the King's Court is out March 14, 2017. Review copy from NetGalley.


John Milton:
Anne Blankman imagines that the 17th-century poet and political theorist, John Milton, had a fourth daughter, Elizabeth, and a remarkable secret that could shake the foundations of monarchy and all of Christendom. When her father is arrested, Elizabeth and the Italian scholar Antonio Vivani must decipher the clues her father scattered across England and encoded into his poetry. Traitor Angels might strike you as a 17th-century National Treasure or DaVinci Code. The book is full of real-life characters--Galileo, Charles II, Samuel Pepys, and, of course, Milton himself. It's a fast-paced, sophisticated, feminist version of the events surrounding the inception of Milton's most famous poem, Paradise Lost. Traitor Angels is out May 3, 2016. Review copy from Edelweiss. 


The Wives of Henry VIII: 
Fatal Throne is a collection of stories by seven authors about the wives of Henry VIII. I honestly loved them all, but some of my favorites were Candace Fleming's story about Katherine of Aragon, Jennifer Donnelly's story about Anne of Cleves, and Linda Sue Park's Catherine Howard tale. I will freely admit that I am the prime audience for a collection like this. I'm an historian. I'm fascinated by the Tudors, I've been to Hampton Court, and I love period dramas. That said, several of these stories are just beautifully written and so captivating stylistically. My plan was to read one story between other reads, but I was so engrossed I ended up reading them all back-to-back. Out May 1, 2018. Review copy from NetGalley.

Reading on a Theme: What the Dead Left Behind

What the Dead Left Behind is becoming a staple over here at Intellectual Recreation. Today we have five more beautifully written books about grief and loss after the death of a loved one. Be sure to have tissues handy.

More What the Dead Left Behind posts here.

TW: Several of these books deal with suicide and mental illness.


A Scar:
Klee is reeling from death of his father even these many months later. The reality is that Klee has never really dealt with the emotions that come with loss and trauma, and that becomes abundantly clear after a frightening incident in front of his former girlfriend lands him in a psychiatric hospital. Now with the help of therapists, medication, and his fellow patients, Klee is going to have to put his life back together. Told in alternating timelines, Gae Polisner's newest novel is gritty and emotional and not always easy to read because it is not a forgone conclusion that Klee will gain some emotional stability and accept that he needs help. In Sight of Stars is out March 13, 2018. Review copy from NetGalley. 


A Feather:
Leigh is convinced that when her mother died by suicide she turned into a beautiful red crane. And Leigh knows that what that red crane wants her to do is to travel to Taiwan to meet her mother's estranged parents for the first time. In Taiwan, Leigh doesn't quite fit in. She doesn't speak the language well, and she desperately wishes that her mother hadn't kept her from this side of her heritage. The Astonishing Color of After is a special blend of magical realism. I didn't always know if what Leigh was experiencing was really happening or not. Emily X.R. Pan's debut has depths. She explores mental illness, suicide, family ties, friendship, and loss. I really liked wandering the streets of Taiwan with Leigh. The Astonishing Color of After is out March 20, 2018.

A Ghost:
When Rose Asher was 11 her brother died, but he isn't really gone. He's a ghost, and Rose has been hanging out with him every afternoon for four years. Because of all the secrets, Rose's world shrunk after her brother's death, but when Jamie Aldridge, Rose's former friend and neighbor, returns to town, Rose begins to realize how much she's missed by isolating herself. Maybe now that Jamie's back she can get a second chance. I loved Invisible Ghosts. Jamie is definitely my kind of book boyfriend, and I loved the banter between him and Rose. Robyn Schneider's new book is so charming and heartfelt. I devoured it in two sittings. Invisible Ghosts is out June, 5, 2018. Review copy from Edelweiss.

A Band:
Shay, Autumn, and Logan are grieving the deaths of a sister, a best-friend, and an ex-boyfriend. The Beauty That Remains is a novel that explores the different manifestations of grief. It follows the perspectives of these three characters, who are seemingly unrelated, but it's in rekindling their connection that healing starts to become possible. Ashley Woodfolk crafted a really solid debut. I really liked how all three of the main characters are so different from one another and yet they all had a connection that dated from before the book's beginning. To me that signified the importance of understanding, empathy, and reaching out. The Beauty That Remains is out March 6, 2018. Review copy from NetGalley.  


A Painting:
Corey thought she would be returning to Lost Creek, Alaska after a semester at boarding school to visit her best friend. Instead she's coming for Kyra's funeral. Corey determines to get to the bottom of Kyra's death. But things aren't the same in Lost Creek. Corey is now considered an outsider and no one will talk to her. Meanwhile, the whole town speaks of Kyra with reverent tones. Corey is convinced that something very weird happened while she was gone. Before I Let Go is such a mind-bender of a book. Marieke Nijamp deals with issues of mental illness, suicide, death, loss, and fitting in through a creepy kind of magical realism. Before I Let Go is out January 2, 2108. Review copy from NetGalley.



 All books reviewed by JoLee.