March 2023 MBR The Historical Fiction Shelf

The Historical Fiction Shelf

Pull of the Moon
Joanne C. Parsons
Independently Published
9781734943634, $11.99 Paper/$3.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/Pull-Moon-strangers-heartache-ultimately/dp/1734943637

Edmund Kenney is not the kind of man to push a woman around. Even in the 1800s, the setting of Pull of the Moon, he's a poor Irishman with dreams beyond struggling to survive. Maybe that's why he moves from a Massachusetts home and family to embark on a journey that moves him from shame and life between households and countries to new possibilities: "I stood tall despite my trembling legs as my feet touched land after the long voyage. No longer the mangey Irish greenhand, I was Edmund Kenney, whalehunter."

Frances Foster is an orphaned Irish immigrant who left her home with family in search of a better life, only to find herself indentured and trapped in poverty and servitude. Her new life in America feels like "lambs going for slaughter" as she and her sister, fifteen and sixteen, find themselves alone and buffeted in a world that requires them to be linked to a man, whether by marriage or in servitude.

Where is God when Frances needs him? Apparently nearby, because she is called upon to help the frail Lenora and care for her newborn. Everything changes as she is "sold like a cow" and ensnared in a different manner than Lenora, who is married to Edmund.

Pull of the Moon follows the journey of three strangers, who each suffer broken promises, heartache, and ultimately, for some, the courage to start over. It does so with a special gift for profiling different characters, their motivations, and the rationale behind their perceptions and actions, giving the story a strong psychological depth that keeps readers thoroughly immersed.

The strata of social standing in the Irish immigrant community in America come to life as James Wilson confronts the "shanty Irish Catholic" who would wed his daughter, and Edmund in turn thinks little of Wilson's heritage: "You're a waste of my time. Find another fish to hook. I'd be lowering myself to marry into your family. A bunch of fallen Catholics who didn't have the courage to stand by their faith." He sneered, "All for money." Little about their beginning relationship has to do with love. It's a practical arrangement that evolves into something more complicated than Edmund, his father-in-law James, or Frances ever could have imagined.

Joanne C. Parsons does an outstanding job of probing concepts of greed, slavery, and cultural influences that move from Ireland to Massachusetts and into forays around the world. The story moves between third- and first-person discussions, involving readers in different ways as the entwined lives and loves of Lenora, Edmund, and Frances come to life.

Especially notable are the discussions of women's and men's roles in a world where love, fairness, and servitude aren't readily defined as they are today. Each character is in thrall in different ways, both by their heritage and by their perceptions of themselves and their roles in life. The result will heavily draw historical fiction readers especially interested in the Irish community and its strata of relationships and social standings, providing strong literary writing that blends high drama with choices and consequences that invite understanding and new realizations.

Parsons creates a compelling story of three very different yet entwined lives whose choices, secrets, heritage and objectives bring them together in complicated ways. Libraries looking for powerful stories of the 1800s Irish community in America and especially for tales replete with social and psychological inspection will find Pull of the Moon especially compelling in how it portrays these disparate lives and the forces that influence not just their progression, but their relationships and how they perceive opportunity from angst and repressive circumstances.

The Rose of Washington Square
Pat Wahler
www.patwahler.com
Evergreen Tree Press
9781732387690, $15.99, PB, 391pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Washington-Square-ONeill-Creator/dp/1732387699

Synopsis: Self-taught artist Rose O'Neill leaves the Midwest for New York in 1893, determined to become an illustrator in a field dominated by males. Mindful of her duty to the impoverished family she left behind, Rose's obligations require her to yield to the men who hold the reins of her career; as well as the men she grows to love.

Yet despite every obstacle facing her, she excels at her craft, eventually designing a new character, the Kewpie. Her creation explodes into a phenomenon, but Rose's disenchantment with the status quo fosters new ambitions. She must decide whether to remain within the boundaries dictated for her, or risk everything she's gained to pursue the creative and personal passions that ignite her soul.

With grit and tenacity, Rose O'Neill blazed an unforgettable path as artist, writer, suffragist, and philanthropist during the turbulent times of the early 20th century.

Critique: Although a work of deftly crafted fiction, "The Rose of Washington Square" by Pat Wahler is based upon the real life and accomplishments of one Rose Cecil O'Neill (June 25, 1874 - April 6, 1944) who was an American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer. She rose to fame for her creation of the popular comic strip characters, Kewpies, in 1909, and was also the first published female cartoonist in the United States. This fictional biography is a fully entertaining read that is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Biographical & Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Rose of Washington Square" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99).

Editorial Note: Pat Wahler (www.patwahler.com) is a winner of Western Fictioneers' Best First Novel of 2018, a Walter Williams Award winner, and the winner of Author Circle Awards 2019 Novel of Excellence in Historical Fiction for I am Mrs. Jesse James. She has also authored a three-book contemporary romance series-the Becker Family Novels, and two holiday-themed books; all named Five-Star Readers' Favorites. A frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, Pat is an avid reader with a special passion for historical fiction, women's fiction, and stories with heart.

Angels and Bandits
Brodie Curtis
www.brodiecurtis.com
Westy Vistas Books
9781733783521, $10.95, PB, 364pp

https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Bandits-Brodie-Curtis/dp/1733783520

Synopsis: On the eve of World War II, working-class Eddy Beane is a flight instructor in London. He successfully completes dangerous espionage missions for Air Commodore Keith Park and takes on society-girl June Stephenson as a student. Her ex-fiance, Dudley Thane, is also a flyer, but upper-class and Cambridge-educated. When the German Luftwaffe attacks England in 1940, Eddy and Dudley end up serving in the same Spitfire squadron. Aerial combat is intense, and both men show their skills and courage, but can they set aside jealousy and class differences to become fighting brothers for the defense of Britain?

"Angels and Bandits" by novelist Brodie Curtis takes place as the air battle over Britain rages and two young RAF pilots from very different stations in life must somehow find common ground -- and staying alive in this lethal conflict where, in paraphrased words of Winston Churchill, 'So many owe so much to so few'.

Critique: With a very special appeal to readers who are fans of World War II themed action/adventure stories, "Angels and Bandits" is a rewarding read from first page to last. Showcasing the narrative driven storytelling style author Brodie Curtis, "Angels and Bandits" is unreservedly recommended for community library WWII Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "Angels and Bandit" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Editorial Note: Brodie Curtis (www.brodiecurtis.com) is the author of "The Four Bells", a novel of The Great War, which is the product of extensive historical research, including long walks through the fields of Flanders, where much of the book's action is set. His second novel, "Angels and Bandits", takes his protagonists into The Battle of Britain. A lover of history, particularly American history and the World Wars, Curtis reviews historical fiction for the Historical Novels Review.

Somebody's Business
Irene Bennett Brown
Five Star Publishing
c/o Gale Cengage Learning, Inc.
20 Channel Center Street, Boston, MA 02210
https://www.gale.com/five-star
www.cengageptr.com
9781432895433, $25.95, HC, 217pp

https://www.amazon.com/Somebodys-Business-Nickel-Hill-3/dp/1432895435

Synopsis: Jocelyn Pladson buys the livery stable in Skiddy to aid the widow of the previous owner. Citified newcomers with shady pasts and newly invented motorcars, Maretta Rudd and J. L. Cochran intend to replace the livery with a motorcar business. Fools, who ignore too soon the need for horses and mules in transportation and farm work.

Maretta preaches the livery is smelly, antiquated. J.L. aims for a seat on town council to bolster their plan. While Jocelyn persuades others to not vote for him, he arranges a 4th of July celebration to win votes. A mad dog running through the frightened crowd ends the festivities early.

When a horse race J.L. bet a fortune on is canceled. Rom, the teenage boy Jocelyn took in and raised, offers a race between his mule and J.L.'s Oldsmobile. The winner?

J.L., furious, hires hoodlums to demolish Jocelyn's livery, expecting blame to land on them alone. No dice. Prison for J.L. looms, and Maretta leaves town. Jocelyn plans to keep the Skiddy property, the land, for a promising future.

Critique: A fun read from cover to cover, "Somebody's Business" showcases author Irene Bennett Brown's impressive and narrative driven storytelling skills. Original, entertaining, this Five Star Publishing edition of "Somebody's Business" is unreservedly recommended for personal reading lists and community library Historical Fiction collections. It should be noted by librarians that "Somebody's Business" is also available in a large print paperback edition (Wheeler Publishing Large Print, 9781432895440, $$26.99).

Editorial Note: Irene Bennett Brown Brown (http://www.irenebennettbrown.net) is a longtime member of Western Writers of America and is a founding member of Women Writing the West.

Marvelous
Molly Greeley
https://www.mollygreeley.com
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
www.blackstoneaudio.com
9780063244092, $32.00, HC, 416pp

https://www.amazon.com/Marvelous-Novel-Molly-Greeley/dp/0063244098

Synopsis: 1547: Pedro Gonzales, a young boy living on the island of Tenerife, understands that he is different from the other children in his village. He is mercilessly ridiculed for the hair covering his body from head to toe.

When he is kidnapped off the beach near his home, he finds himself delivered by a slave broker into the dangerous and glamorous world of France's royal court. There "Monsieur Sauvage," as he is known, learns French, literature, and sword fighting, becoming an attendant to the French King Henri II and a particular favorite of his queen, the formidable Catherine de' Medici. Queen Catherine considers herself a collector of unusual people and is fascinated by Pedro -- and determined to find him a bride.

Catherine Raffelin is a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl whose merchant father has fallen on hard times and offers up his daughter to Queen Catherine. The queen will pay his debts, and his daughter will marry Monsieur Sauvage.

Catherine meets Pedro for the first time on their wedding day. Barely recovered from the shock of her father's betrayal, she soon finds herself christened "Madame Sauvage" by the royal courtiers, and must learn to navigate this strange new world, and the unusual man who is now her husband.

Critique: A magnificent work of carefully crafted historical fiction, "Marvelous" by Molly Greely is based upon a real character in 16th Century France whose name was Petrus Gonsalvus (c. 1537, Tenerife - c. 1618), famous during his lifetime because of his medical condition -- hypertrichosis. His life at various courts in Italy and France has been well chronicled. "Marvelous" is a compelling portrait of an unusual marriage and the story of a remarkable, resilient family. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical/Biographical Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Marvelous" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798212206808, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Molly Greeley (https://www.mollygreeley.com) is also the author of "The Clergyman's Wife" (2019) and "The Heiress" (2021).

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: Set in World War II Poland, "Within These Walls Of Sorrow is the story of Zosia Lewandowska, a woman who 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 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 deportation 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: A compelling and deftly written work of extraordinary literary fiction from first page to last, novelist Amanda Barratt's meticulous research and lush, award-winning writing shine once again in "Within These Walls Of Sorrow", a moving story about a group of unsung heroes who fought for hope and humanity in the most harrowing of times now known to us at the Holocaust. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), "Within These Walls Of Sorrow" is a significant and unreservedly recommended addition to community library World War II era historical fiction collections.

Editorial Note: Amanda Barratt (www.amandabarratt.net) is the Christy Award-winning 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.

Memoirs of Spurius
D. Laszlo Conhaim
www.dlaszloconhaim.com
Broken Arrow Press
9780984317547, $TBA

At first glance, contemporary readers - particularly those who are not intrinsically attracted to the genre of historical fiction - might not realize the gem they hold in their hands with Memoirs of Spurius. The story features a figure who lived in second-century BCE Rome, and whose actions crushed the cult of Bacchus. It will take an open mind to new possibilities in historical writing and one able to spot connections between the ancient and modern world to uncover the delights embedded in Memoirs of Spurius. The novel draws many parallels between the past and present, from cultism and terrorism to the actions of a leader whose choices not only influence but transform his world.

D. Laszlo Conhaim's efforts in recreating and depicting the times are particularly notable, given the dearth of information about these events. Close attention to the historical record and archaeological evidence helped fill in many gaps. Our narrator, Spurius Postumius Albinus, thus comes to life as a believable character whose actions as Rome’s consul are understandable within the context of his circumstances and which surprisingly foreshadow the politics of today.

One way Conhaim makes his story so vivid and relevant, even for readers with little to no prior familiarity with ancient Rome, is in the use of the First Person to bring Spurius to life as he recounts and ponders his duties in bringing order to a threatened society:

"Still rivaled by neighbors on the Italian peninsula, the state was weaker then, but by the age of my consulship we had subdued every major enemy at home and also abroad. Thus, when we suddenly discovered the state threatened by an internal foe, some of my colleagues in the Senate suggested that the gods were punishing us for having neglected public morals at home in favor of building the empire. Now, if the gods’ method of exposing our slippage was indeed to threaten Rome with a false and pestilent religion, then they had consequently made me the champion of her moral revival."

The political and social struggles that unfold, and the moral and ethical questions that arise, offer countless discussion topics for book clubs.

For example:

"As the cult gained in popularity and influence throughout Italy so did the amount of chattel offered to the god for the maintenance and enjoyment of his rites. Thus the wealth of the sect burgeoned to a size comparable with the treasury of a small state. Through free will or coercion, people began signing away whole estates and bequeathing legacies to or through the cult, in effect giving Italy away to the Bacchanalians..."

Indeed, so many thought-provoking talking points arise from this novel that it would be impossible for one review to detail them all. Nor would it be wise to expose all the elements of surprise and insight embedded in this powerful exploration.

Suffice it to say that Memoirs of Spurius shatters any notion that a work about ancient Rome will be one weighed down by plodding facts. Under Conhaim's hand, Memoirs of Spurius is lively, timely, and holds so many possibilities for debate that it earns top recommendation for libraries and readers alike.

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