Historical Fiction
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Book Review)
The Dance Tree from Kiran Millwood Hargrave is thoroughly modern and intensely historical. It’s a personal story about four women, all experiencing differing moments in life. But it’s also a commentary on religion, patriarchy, and hopelessness. There are only a few...
Trust by Hernan Diaz (Book Review)
Trust by Hernan Diaz is everything I want in a historical fiction novel. And it’s no wonder the book landed on so many “best of 2022.” Diaz writes from four interconnected points of view while telling the story of a financial wizard and philanthropist. Set in the...
Alias Grace — Margaret Atwood (Book Review)
Alias Grace is a character study written by Margaret Atwood. It also focuses on the burgeoning world of alienists, who pioneered the study of the mind, mental health, and psychology as we know it today. Just for good measure, Atwood throws in mysterious killings. This...
Sara Gruen — At the Water’s Edge (Book Review)
At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen is tepid historical fiction with unlikable characters in this fish out of water novel. Three feckless and privileged young Americans travel to a village in the Scottish Highlands to find the Loch Ness monster. Because of the journey,...
Babel by R. F. Kuang (Book Review)
Babel, or The Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution, is precisely what I expect from writer and historian R. F. Kuang. It’s complex and highly literate. Plus, the struggle between colonizers and those they oppress is at its...
Chinua Achebe — Things Fall Apart (Book Review)
The late writer Chinua Achebe originally published his remarkable book, Things Fall Apart, in 1959. That it still lands on “best books ever” lists is a testament to its lasting effect on readers. Late to the party, I just read it for the first time this year. The book...
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