February 2023 MBR The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Historical Fiction Shelf

Within These Walls of Sorrow
Amanda Barratt
Kregel Publications
2450 Oak Industrial Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49505
www.kregel.com
9780825447013, $17.99, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Within-These-Walls-Sorrow-Poland/dp/0825447011

Synopsis: Zosia Lewandowska knows the brutal realities of war all too well. Within weeks of Germany's invasion of her Polish homeland, she lost the man she loves. As ghetto walls rise and the occupiers tighten their grip on the city of Krakow, Zosia joins pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz and his staff in the heart of the Krakow ghetto as they risk their lives to aid the Jewish people trapped by Nazi oppression.

Hania Silverman's carefree girlhood is shattered as her own family is forced into the ghetto. Struggling to survive in a world hemmed in by walls and rife with cruelty and despair, she encounters Zosia, her former neighbor, at the pharmacy. As deportations winnow the ghetto's population and snatch those she holds dear, Hania's natural resiliency is exhausted by reality.

Zodia and Hania's lives intertwine as they face the griefs and fears thrust upon them by war, until one day, they are forced to make a desperate choice -- one that will inexorably bind them together, even as they are torn apart.

Critique: Set in World War II Poland, with the publication of "Within These Walls of Sorrow", novelist Amanda Barratt's meticulous research and lush, award-winning writing result in an emotionally moving story about a group of unsung heroes who fought for hope and humanity in the most harrowing of times. A timely reminder of the evils of Nazism in view of the rising presence of authoritarianism in America over the past few years, "Within These Walls of Sorrow" is especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Historical Fiction collections. With a special appeal to readers with an interest in World War II and the Holocaust, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Within These Walls of Sorrow" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Amanda Barratt (www.amandabarratt.net) is the Christy Award-winning, ECPA best-selling author of several novels and novellas, including My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Lost Love. She is also a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and a two-time FHL Reader's Choice Award finalist.

In the Shadow of a Queen
Heather B. Moore
Shadow Mountain Publishing
P.O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130-0178
www.shadowmountain.com
9781639930500, $26.99, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Queen-Heather-B-Moore/dp/1639930507

Synopsis: Princess Louise's life is upended after her father's untimely death. Captive to the queen's overwhelming mourning, Louise is forbidden to leave her mother's tight circle of control and is eventually relegated to the position of personal secretary to her mother -- the same position each of her sisters held until they were married.

Already an accomplished painter, Louise risks the queen's wrath by exploring the art of sculpting, an activity viewed as unbefitting a woman. When Louise involves herself in the day's political matters, including championing the career of a female doctor and communicating with suffragettes, the queen lays down the law to stop her and devotes her full energy to finding an acceptable match for her defiant daughter.

Louise is considered the most beautiful and talented daughter of Queen Victoria, but finding a match for the princess is no easy feat. Protocols are broken, and Louise exerts her own will as she tries to find an open-minded husband who will support her free spirit.

"In the Shadow of a Queen" is the story of a battle of wills between two women: a daughter determined to forge her own life beyond the shadow of her mother, and a queen resolved to keep the Crown's reputation unsullied no matter the cost.

Critique: While a deftly crafted work of fiction, it should be noted that "In the Shadow of a Queen" is based upon real people and true historical events. An inherently fascination and fully engaging read with fully realized characters and unexpected plot twists, "In the Shadow of a Queen" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to community library Historical Fiction collections. For the personal reading lists of those with an interest in the Queen Victoria era, it should be noted that "In the Shadow of a Queen" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212014359, $31.95, CD).

Editorial Note: Heather B. Moore (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_B._Moore) is the author of more than seventy publications, including The Paper Daughters of Chinatown. She has lived on both the East and West Coasts of the United States, as well as Hawaii, and attended school abroad at the Cairo American Collage in Egypt and the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel. She loves to learn about history and is passionate about historical research.

Phaedra
Laura Shepplerson
Alcove Press
www.alcovepress.com
9781639101535, $17.95, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Phaedra-Novel-Laura-Shepperson/dp/1639101535

Synopsis: Phaedra has been cast to the side all her life: daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster, and now unwilling bride to the much-older, power-hungry Theseus. Young, naive, and idealistic, she has accepted her lot in life, resigned to existing under the sinister weight of Theseus's control and the constant watchful eye of her handsome stepson Hippolytus.

When supposedly pious Hippolytus assaults her, Phaedra's world is darkened in the face of untouchable, prideful power. In the face of injustice, Phaedra refuses to remain quiet any longer: such an awful truth demands to be brought to light. When Phaedra publicly accuses Hippolytus of rape, she sparks an overdue reckoning.

The men of Athens gather to determine the truth. Meanwhile, the women of the city, who have no vote, are gathering in the shadows. The women know truth is a slippery thing in the hands of men. There are two sides to every story, and theirs has gone unheard. -- Until now.

Timely, unflinching, and transportive, Laura Shepperson's novel "Phaedra" carves open long-accepted wounds to give voice to one of the most maligned figures of mythology and offers a stunning story of how truth bends under the weight of patriarchy but can be broken open by the force of one woman's bravery.

Critique: All the more impressive when considering that "Phaedra" is author Laura Shepperson's debut as a novelist, this historical work of exceptional fiction will have a special appeal to readers with an interest in Greek folklore, legends and myths. A fascinating, entertaining, and thought-provoking read from cover to cover, "Phaedra" is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Ancient History based fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Phaedra" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Editorial Note: Laura Shepperson (https://laurashepperson.com/aboutme.html) has been fascinated by myths and myth retellings since studying Classical Studies at university, and her current novel updates the story of Phaedra, sister of the Minotaur. In 2017 she was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize for Fiction. Laura holds a Master of Studies in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge.

The Mitford Affair
Marie Benedict
Sourcebooks Landmark
c/o Sourcebooks Inc.
1935 Brookdale Road, #139, Naperville, IL 60563
www.sourcebooks.com
9781728229362, $27.99, HC, 352pp

https://www.amazon.com/Mitford-Affair-Novel-Marie-Benedict/dp/1728229367

Synopsis: Between the two World Wars, the six Mitford sisters (each more beautiful, brilliant, and eccentric than the next) dominate the English political, literary, and social scenes. Though they've weathered scandals before, the family falls into disarray when Diana divorces her wealthy husband to marry a fascist leader and Unity follows her sister's lead all the way to Munich, inciting rumors that she's become Hitler's mistress.

As the Nazis rise in power, novelist Nancy Mitford grows suspicious of her sisters' constant visits to Germany and the high-ranking fascist company they keep. When she overhears alarming conversations and uncovers disquieting documents, Nancy must make excruciating choices as Great Britain goes to war with Germany.

Probing the torrid political climate in the lead-up to World War II and the ways that seemingly sensible people can be sucked into radical action, "The Mitford Affair" follows Nancy's valiant efforts to stop the Nazis from taking over Great Britain, and the complicated choices she must make between the personal and the political.

Critique: A fun and absorbing read from cover to cover, "The Mitford Affair" showcases author Marie Benedict's genuine and impressive flair for originality, memorably crafted characters, and the kind of narrative storytelling style that keeps her readers total and rapt attention from beginning to end. While unreservedly recommended for community library General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Mitford Affair" is also available in a paperback edition (9781728282091, $16.99), and in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.54).

Editorial Note: Marie Benedict (https://www.authormariebenedict.com) is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in history and art history and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. Marie, the author of The Other Einstein, Carnegie's Maid, The Only Woman in the Room, and Lady Clementine, views herself as an archaeologist of sorts, telling the untold stories of women.

A Woman of Valor
Fred Skolnik
Addison & Highsmith Publishers
c/o Histria Books
www.histriabooks.com
9781592111435, $34.99, HC, 650pp

https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Valor-Fred-Skolnik/dp/1592111432

Synopsis: "A Woman of Valor" by Fred Skolnik is a monumental family saga that is in effect a history of the Jews in the twentieth century.

"A Woman of Valor" centers around a heroine who grows up in Bialystok, survives the Holocaust fighting in the Underground, and rebuilds her family in Israel. This is a unique and profoundly moving story.

Rarely has ordinary family life been depicted with such verisimilitude, and certainly not in the shadow of an horrendous war of Jewish extermination. The triumph of the Lefkovitzes is not only the triumph of a family. It is also the triumph of a nation.

Critique: A massive, detailed, and engaging saga of a novel, "A Woman Of Valor" by author Fred Skolnik is a deftly crafted and extensive work of literary fiction that will be of special interest to readers with an appreciation of complex, compelling, and narrative driven storytelling. While a valued and recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections, it should be noted that "A Woman Of Valor" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Editorial Note: Fred Skolnik (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Skolnik) was born in New York City and lives in Israel. He attended the City College of New York and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, working over the years as an editor and translator and at various times operating a farm, managing a hotel, and serving as financial comptroller of a textile firm. He is the author of six previous novels.

The Sound of Light
Sarah Sundin
Fleming H. Revell Company
c/o Baker Publishing Group
6030 East Fulton, Ada, MI 49301
www.revellbooks.com
9780800742591, $29.99, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Light-Sarah-Sundin/dp/0800742591

Synopsis: When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden.

American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research -- her life's dream. While printing resistance newspapers, she hears stories of the movement's legendary Havmand (the merman) and wonders if the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse has something to hide.

When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech -- or in silence.

Critique. With the publication of "The Sound of Light", Sarah Sundin (Bestselling author of more than a dozen WWII novels) offers pens still another riveting story of ordinary people responding to extraordinary circumstances with faith, fortitude, and hope for a brighter future. Highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library World War II fiction and Historical Christian Romance collections, it should be noted that "The Sound of Light" is also available in a paperback edition (9780800736385, $17.99) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99).

Editorial Note: Sarah Sundin (https://www.sarahsundin.com) is the author of When Twilight Breaks, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, and the popular WWII series Sunrise at Normandy, among others. She is a Christy Award finalist and a Carol Award winner, and her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and have appeared on Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years".

We Are All Together
Richard Fulco
Wampus Multimedia
9798985035322, $17.99 Paper/$8.49 Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/Are-All-Together-Richard-Fulco/dp/B0BL2XKYX8

We Are All Together is a novel set in the 1960s during the Summer of Love. It doesn't open with love; but with a violent confrontation between musicians in a Topeka, Kansas dive bar in 1963.

Twenty-one-year-old Stephen Crane finds his young life taking a step backward when his band falls apart and he must move back home to live with his Christian mother. Rebelling against the dissolution of his musical ambitions, he decides to go to New York City with his former friend and fellow musician Dylan John, who is spearheading a brand new brand of psychedelic music.

Always on the cutting edge of change, however, Dylan then becomes involved in civil rights issues, handing the baton of potential success to Stephen, who finds that his life's ambition and visions do not deliver as expected.

Richard Fulco creates a story that captures the atmosphere, ideals, challenges, and struggles of not just a young man's growth, but a nation under siege from its own youngsters. His ability to interpret these times for modern minds involves a special brand of description and insight that proves enlightening and engrossing even for readers already well versed in novels set in the 60s.

Fulco's descriptions allow a deeper "you are here" feel than most accounts of the times: "Janis Joplin attacked Big Mama Thornton's "Ball and Chain" as if she had lived every lyric, as if it were the only song she knew, as if her life depended on it, as if she sang it with just the right amount of soul and gusto that when she died Hades himself would welcome her to the underworld and personally dust off her throne next to his.

When Big Brother and the Holding Company's mesmerizing, four-song set had ended, every single hippie on the fairgrounds, which must have been close to eight thousand, experienced a spiritual awakening." Fueled by vivid experiences of the past that challenge Stephen's trajectory and life, We Are All Together's deeper value lies in capturing a sentiment of uniformity and humanity that is essentially a missing ingredient in modern America. The result is a journey, a reminder, and a historical exploration steeped in musical interludes as it pairs a coming-of-age story with the coming-of-age of America.

Book club groups interested in literary works about the 60s will find much food for thought and discussion here, while libraries looking for representative stories of growth and evolving social and political changes will appreciate the opportunity to include We Are All Together in their collections.

The Fugitives of Gethsemane
D. S. Lliteras
Rainbow Ridge Books
http://www.rainbowridgebooks.com
c/o Square One Publishers
115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040
www.squareonepublishers.com
9781937907747, $16.95, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fugitives-Gethsemane-Three-Following-Crucifixion/dp/1937907740

Synopsis: With the publication of "The Fugitives of Gethsemane: The Three Days Following the Crucifixion of Jesus", novelist D. S. Lliteras explores the paradox that wanting believers must overcome while struggling to understand the essence of the Christian faith.

It is a creed that cannot be learned -- it must be experienced by those pondering the complexity of its teachings. "The Fugitives of Gethsemane" does not attempt to explain the unexplainable. But it does dramatize the efforts of four disciples hoping to find trust and belief in the Lord, Jesus.

So the reader is invited to disregard their ordinary reason. "The Fugitives of Gethsemane" presents the ancient mystery of belief, as it was in the time of Jesus and continues on to this very day.

Critique: A carefully crafted, thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining work of fiction, "The Fugitives of Gethsemane: The Three Days Following the Crucifixion of Jesus" is an extraordinary and memorable read from first page to last. Simply stated, "The Fugitives of Gethsemane" is highly recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections and personal reading lists.

Editorial Note: D. S. Lliteras (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._S._Lliteras) is the author of sixteen books that have received national and international acclaim. His short stories and poetry have appeared in numerous national and international magazines, journals, and anthologies.

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