Home » Historical Fiction (Page 12)
Category Archives: Historical Fiction
Good News and More Good News!
Good News:
Congratulations to “doraquilts” who won the book giveaway for The Other Einstein. I’ll be contacting her to make arrangements for the publisher to send her a copy of the book.
More Good News:
For a limited time the ebook version of The Other Einstein is on sale.
Last Day for The Other Einstein Book Giveaway!
This is indeed the last day to participate in the “no strings attached” giveaway for a copy of The Other Einstein.
The Other Einstein is a really good historical novel. The author uses research to fill in the gaps of what might have occurred in developing the theory of relativity. Einstein’s first wife was also a brilliant scientist in an age where women were not encouraged to use their brains. How much influence did she have? Click here to read the review if you missed it.
Click here for details on the giveaway and to enter.
The Other Einstein–Book Giveaway!
I reviewed a book in mid-October that I enjoyed so much that I decided to host a book giveaway. The publisher, Sourcebooks, is giving away a copy of The Other Einstein to one of my readers.
Here are the guidelines for this giveaway:
- You must be a resident of U.S. or Canada.
- You must be 18 years or older.
- Winner will be selected by random drawing.
- Only one entry per person.
- The closing date is Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, at 6:00 P.M. CST.
One winner will be chosen and announced on November 21, 2016 on this blog using the winner’s blogging name. The winner will also be notified via email. - If after 10 days the winner has not responded, a second random drawing will occur.
- The book will be shipped by the publisher, Sourcebooks, after the winner has provided shipping details (name and shipping address) which I will forward to Sourcebooks.
The fine print: No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Sourcebooks is providing this product and shipping free of charge. I was not recompensed in any way for posting this giveaway on my blog.
To participate in the giveaway all you need to do is add a comment below. Seriously, it’s that easy! Thank you for participating.
If you want to read my review of The Other Einstein, just click here!
(In the coming week, I will also publish a question and answer I posed to the author, Marie Benedict. I found her response enlightening and I think you will too.)
The Girl from Venice–WWII setting
The Girl from Venice
by Martin Cruz Smith
The Girl from Venice is the tale of Cenzo, a very versatile and capable Italian fisherman, and Giulia, a young Jewish lady. Their lives intertwine in World War II in 1945 in Venice in the midst of conflicting players: Nazi soldiers, Mussolini’s Blackshirts, and the equally deadly Partisans. This work of historical fiction is a combination of thriller and mystery with a little romance thrown in.
I had conflicting feelings about The Girl from Venice. The plot has some interesting twists and turns. Part of this novel revolves around the many different ways of fishing in the lagoons near Pellestrina. I thought the story was a little slow in its extended descriptions of the art of fishing, but many of the details were essential in the plot progression. They explain how Cenzo and Giulia were able to deceive the Nazis searching for Giulia as well as how Giulia transformed from a wealthy, highly educated Italian Jew into a skilled fisherman in her own right.
The author had a lot of decisions to make about the reader’s background knowledge concerning Italy and its politics in 1945. He did a good job of supplying necessary details without oversimplifying or being pedantic.
The setting varies between city and fishing village. There are complicated family relationships involving Cenzo, his mother, two brothers and sister-in-law, and through those relationships we discover more about each character. The character of Giulia, however, is mostly undeveloped. We want to know more but are left unsatisfied.
As the story ended, so did its unfulfilled promise. The idea was a good one, the setting was interesting, but none of the characters were particularly engaging or well-developed. There was one major twist in the plot, but otherwise it seemed to just keep plodding along. It took me many days to read it just because nothing kept drawing me back. Not one to usually comment on a book’s cover, I must say the cover was outstanding–dramatic and perfect for this book.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Other Einstein–Did Albert Have Help with his Theory of Relativity?
The Other Einstein
by Marie Benedict
Fascinating! I found the story of The Other Einstein to be a very different and fascinating reading experience: this historical novel is like none other I have read. The author, Marie Benedict, examines the facts that exist about Albert Einstein’s first wife, Maleva Marić, an outstanding physicist and mathematician in a time when women were rarely admitted to universities. Some speculate that her contributions to Einstein’s Nobel Prize winning theory of relativity may have been significant.
The book traces Maleva’s journey from Serbia to the Polytechnic campus in Zürich where, as a woman, she must struggle to be recognized as a serious and capable student. To that end she tries to maintain a collegial relationship with fellow student Albert Einstein who has more romantic inclinations. The author is able to weave a convincing tale of how this dedicated female student deviated from her professional goals as a result of various circumstances, including the death of their daughter born out of wedlock, Maleva’s physical health, her lack of acceptance (because of a physical disability, her intelligence, and her ethnicity) by many in society including Albert’s family, and the self-centered behaviors of Albert Einstein himself. Maleva struggles to be everything Einstein wants–totally devoted to his needs, the perfect housewife and mother, and a scientific collaborator. She finds the task impossible, especially in the face of Einstein’s professional and personal betrayals of her.
The Other Einstein ends with an epilogue which gives Maleva a chance to reflect upon her life and gives the reader a few details about her life after she and Einstein are divorced. The author adds an interesting and helpful section on her own motivations in writing the book, her research, and the extent of fictionalization. She includes sources for readers who want to pursue the story further, including original correspondence discovered in the 1980’s. She follows with a Reading Group Guide of questions that could be the catalyst for excellent discussions. The book ends with an author interview which provides more background information on the writing of The Other Einstein.
Although there are a lot of references to various specific theories of physics, a physics background is definitely not necessary for full enjoyment of this book. As a personal opinion, I think women would tend to relate better to Maleva’s difficulties and struggles than men. This book enthusiastically receives my highest recommendation.
This book is scheduled for publication on October 18, 2016.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Sourcebooks for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
A Changed Agent–a good historical romance
A Changed Agent
by Tracey Lyons
Waterfall Press, a Christian publishing branch of Amazon, released a new historical romance on July 19, 2016. A Changed Agent by Tracey Lyons, who has written a number of historical novels, is well-written and has an engaging storyline and characters. Set in the 1890’s in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, this tale draws together a beautiful and kind schoolteacher, a Pinkerton detective, and his recently orphaned niece and nephew.
The “spinster,” Miss Elsie Mitchell, has strong Christian values and faith and feels led by the Lord to help Will Benton with his new charges as he settles into what she believes is his new job as a lumber foreman in her hometown. There are, of course, relationship issues as these characters come together, and danger bubbles beneath the surface as Will hunts for an unknown railroad bond thief.
Grab a copy of this book if you are looking for a fast-paced read that you won’t want to put down. It has characters you will like, set in a time removed from our age of technology, with enough adventure to transport you out of the confines of your world and back in time to a small town with muddy streets, a saloon with ladies of questionable repute, and an annual church picnic.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Waterfall Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
_________________________________________________________________
Admission: Yes, I left the book cover picture REALLY big because I am a PURPLE freak.
Collision of the Heart–good historical romance
Collision of the Heart
by Laurie Alice Eakes
Collision of the Heart is a historical romance set in 1856 in frigid winter in Michigan, the author’s home state. Laurie Alice Eakes gives us a story in which the main characters have to ultimately decide if their love for each other is strong enough. Does Mia love Ayden more than the opportunity to become a professional writer? Does Ayden love Mia more than a successful, secure career surrounded by loving extended family? Just when all seems predictable, the author twists the plot twice with surprises.
In Collision of the Heart, Eakes uses words as brush strokes with her well written descriptions of cold winter nights that draw the reader in to experience the evenings as the characters do. For example, Eakes writes of an upset Ayden that “His footfalls crunched on the frozen snow, loud in the quiet of the night.” The author arouses our senses with “The wind carried the scent of wood smoke with its promise of warm fires, hot soup, and hotter coffee.” In another passage, the author uses repetition of “ached” to good advantage to drive home both the thoughts and emotions of Ayden as he tries to work through his feelings for Mia.
Collision of the Heart is an easy going, enjoyable romance which captures the reader’s interest immediately with a train wreck, leaving passengers hurt and stranded in a small town for many days. We witness the kind and generous responses of most of the townspeople and follow the intrigue of an abandoned child. I recommend this book which will be released by Waterfall Press on August 23, 2016.
I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Waterfall Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
education pathways 