Best New Historical Fiction - September 2024
The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin
Publisher: Hanover Square Press
Release Date: September 10, 2024
Synopsis:
A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.
In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job. She and her beloved daughter Olivia have always managed just fine on their own, but with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she's left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots' Booklover's Library to take a chance on her with a job.
When the threat of war in England becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In the wake of being separated from her daughter, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, and a renewed sense of purpose through the recommendations she provides to the library's quirky regulars. But the job doesn't come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing and the work at the lending library forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.
As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.
Why We Recommend It!
A poignant tale of resilience and connection, The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin weaves the lives of a mother and daughter with the unifying thread of literature during the tumultuous times of WWII in Nottingham, England, showcasing the enduring power of books to heal and unite.
Mademoiselle Eiffel by Aimie K. Runyan
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Release Date: September 10, 2024
Synopsis:
From the author of The School for German Brides and A Bakery in Paris, this captivating historical novel set in nineteenth-century Paris tells the story of Claire Eiffel, a woman who played a significant role in maintaining her family's legacy and their iconic contributions to the city of Paris.
Claire Eiffel, the beautiful, brilliant eldest daughter of the illustrious architect Gustave Eiffel, is doted upon with an education envied by many sons of the upper classes, and entirely out of the reach of most daughters. Claire's idyllic childhood ends abruptly when, at fourteen, her mother passes away. It's soon made clear that Gustave expects Claire to fill her mother's place as caregiver to the younger children and as manager of their home.
As she proves her competence, Claire's importance to her father grows. She accompanies him on his travels and becomes his confidante and private secretary. She learns her father's architectural trade and becomes indispensable to his work. But when his bright young protégé, Adolphe Salles, takes up more of Gustave's time, Claire resents being pushed aside.
Slowly, the animosity between Claire and Adolphe turns to friendship...and then to something more. After their marriage in 1885 preserves the Eiffel legacy, they are privileged by the biggest commission of Eiffel's career: a great iron tower dominating the 1889 World's Fair to demonstrate the leading role of Paris in the world of art and architecture. Now hostess to the scientific elite, such as Thomas Edison, Claire is under the watchful eye not only of her family and father's circle, but also the world.
When Gustave Eiffel's involvement in a disastrous endeavor to build a canal in Panama ends in his imprisonment, it is up to Claire to secure her father's freedom but also preserve the hard-won family legacy.
Claire Eiffel's story of love, devotion, and the frantic pursuit to preserve her family's legacy is not only an inspired reflection of real personages and historical events, but a hymn to the iconic tower that dominates the City of Lights.
Why We Recommend It!
Based on the real history of one of the world's most iconic landmarks, Mademoiselle Eiffel by Aimie K. Runyan weaves the life of Claire Eiffel into the fabric of Parisian history, revealing the untold story behind the Eiffel Tower through the eyes of a woman whose strength and dedication helped shape an era.
Katharine, The Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: September 10, 2024
Synopsis:
She helped her brothers soar... but was the flight worth the fall?
It all started with two boys and a bicycle shop. Wilbur and Orville Wright, both unsuited to college and disinclined to leave home, jumped on the popular new fad of bicycle riding and opened a shop in Dayton, Ohio. Repairing and selling soon led to tinkering and building as the brothers offered improved models to their eager customers. Amid their success, a new dream began to take shape. Engineers across the world were puzzling over how to build a powered flying machine--and Wilbur and Orville wanted in on the challenge. But their younger sister, Katharine, knew they couldn't do it without her. The three siblings made a pact: the three of them would solve the problem of human flight.
As her brothers obsessed over blueprints and risked life and limb testing new models on the sand beaches of North Carolina, Katharine became the mastermind behind the scenes of their inventions. She sourced materials, managed communications, and kept Wilbur and Orville focused on their goal--even when it seemed hopeless. And in 1903, the Wright brothers made the first controlled, sustained flight of humankind.
What followed was the kind of fame and fortune the Wrights had never imagined. The siblings traveled the world to demonstrate their invention, trained other pilots, and built new machines that could fly higher and farther. But at the height of their success, tragedy wrenched the Wright family apart... and forced Katharine to make an impossible choice that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
From internationally bestselling author Tracey Enerson Wood, Katharine, the Wright Sister is an unforgettable novel that shines a spotlight on one of the most important and overlooked women in history, and the sacrifices she made so that others might fly.
Why We Recommend It!
A compelling tale of ambition and sacrifice, Katharine, The Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood unveils the pivotal yet unsung role of Katharine Wright in her brothers' quest to conquer the skies, blending family loyalty with the uncharted heights of early aviation.
A Hope Unburied by Kimberley Woodhouse
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release Date: September 24, 2024
Synopsis:
In the bustling world of paleontology in 1916, Eliza Mills defies societal expectations to pursue her passion. Having published her early groundbreaking papers anonymously, she has finally earned her place at the Carnegie Museum and seizes the opportunity to work at Dinosaur National Monument with a renowned paleontologist. But things in Jensen, Utah, aren't what they appear. When Eliza gets the chance to dig up bones at a ranch with a dark history, it sparks a chain of events that will rock the very fabric of her carefully constructed world.
Devin Schmitt, Eliza's closest friend since childhood, harbors unspoken feelings for her but knows he will never be able to win her heart. Just as he vows to give her up for good, Eliza begs him to visit her in Utah for another grand adventure. He reluctantly agrees, and within a few days of his arrival, he and Eliza find themselves entangled in a web of danger where the stakes are much higher than they ever anticipated. In a race against time, Devin and Eliza must hold on to God as their hope as they navigate a treacherous terrain of betrayal to unbury the truth and save Eliza from those who wish to see her fail.
Bestselling author Kimberley Woodhouse sweeps you away on a breathtaking journey through the perilous landscapes of the Bone Wars era, where love and ambition collide.
Why We Recommend It!
A gripping tale of ambition and courage, A Hope Unburied by Kimberley Woodhouse weaves the early 20th-century thrills of paleontology with a deep-seated mystery in Jensen, Utah, capturing the trials of Eliza Mills as she unearths more than just dinosaur bones.
The Whisper Sister by Jennifer S. Brown
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release Date: September 3, 2024
Synopsis:
The author of Modern Girls delivers an atmospheric coming-of-age story set in Prohibition-era New York, tracing one immigrant family's fortunes and a young girl's journey from the schoolyard to the speakeasy.
The streets of New York in 1920 are most certainly not paved with gold, as Minnie Soffer learns when she arrives at Ellis Island. Her father, who left Ukraine when Minnie was a toddler, feels like a stranger. She sleeps on a mattress on the kitchen floor. She understands nothing at school. They came to America for this?
As her family adjusts to this new life, Minnie and her brother work hard to learn English and make friends. When her father, Ike, opens his own soda shop, stability and citizenship seem within reach. But the soda shop is not what it seems; it's a front for Ike's real moneymaker: a speakeasy.
When tragedy strikes the Soffers, Minnie has no choice but to take over the bar. She's determined to make the speakeasy a success despite the risks it brings to herself, her family, and her freedom. At what price does the American dream come true? Minnie won't stop until she finds out.
Why We Recommend It!
A vivid journey of resilience and reinvention, The Whisper Sister by Jennifer S. Brown weaves the story of a young immigrant girl's rise from New York's tenements to the helm of a speakeasy during the roaring Prohibition era, challenging the era's gender norms and organized crime to secure her family's American dream.
