Archive for Historical Novel

The Women of the Copper Country book cover

Review: The Women of the Copper Country

By Jan
 on February 27, 2020

The Women of the Copper Country

The Women of the Copper Country book coverAuthor: Mary Doria Russell;
Genre: Historical fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Cassandra Campbell;
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (2019);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

Ancestors of mine were copper miners in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so I was excited to read this one. This was a character study of several people involved in a mine strike in Houghton County, Michigan in 1913. The main character was Annie Clements, a miner’s wife who did everything she could to help her community and make life better for the miners and their families.

The story was well-written and the characters were interesting. I got bogged down in the middle of the long strike and the struggles of the townsfolk and I skipped some of the second half, but it was an interesting story of early labor struggles and there were several side stories. For anyone interested in early labor union history of the United States, this would be a great read.

As many other listeners of the audiobook have mentioned, the narrator mispronounced several place names, which was distracting. Otherwise she did a good job, but shouldn’t you ask first before you try to pronounce names?

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel Tagged with ,
Days Without End cover

Review: Days Without End

By Jan
 on January 4, 2020

Days Without End

Days Without End coverAuthor: Sebastian Barry;
Genre: Historical fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Aidan Kelly;
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.;
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

This is a fascinating story of a young Irish immigrant to America who joins the US Army in the 1850s. We follow Thomas and his friend—and lover—John through the Indian Wars and then the Civil War, surviving life-changing circumstances, and adopting a young Native American girl to form a sort of family.

There are plenty of uncomfortable scenes filled with violence and brutality, including realistic depictions of war. The main character makes some questionable decisions, but has a good attitude toward life in general, reflecting his background.

The writing is lovely, with great descriptions and good plot movement, and Kelly’s narration was excellent.

The homosexual aspect of the relationship is barely explored, which makes me wonder why it was included at all. Is this another attempt to jump on the LGBT bandwagon?

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel
Wives and Daughters cover

Review: Wives and Daughters

By Jan
 on November 23, 2019

Wives and Daughters coverWives and Daughters

Author: Elizabeth Gaskell;
Genre: Victorian Novel;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Nadia May;
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc. (2005)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5).

Absolutely stunning narration by Nadia May really kept this long listen alive for me. Her timing and accents were wonderful.

It’s a character-driven Victorian novel about young woman named Molly, the daughter of a doctor in an English country town, who has to deal with changes in her life. She’s only one of the many fun characters that Gaskell brought to life.

This was the author’s final novel and was unfinished, but don’t let that stop you; the afterword wraps up the story very well. The writing contains lots of subtle humor and pokes fun at society, which reminded me of Jane Austen’s work.

Highly recommended!

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel Tagged with , ,
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek cover

Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

By Jan
 on September 19, 2019

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek coverThe Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Author: Kim Michele Richardson;
Genre: Historical Novel;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Katie Schorr;
Publisher: Blackstone Audio (2019);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

Set in 1930s Kentucky, this was a fascinating story about a young woman who delivers books to rural homes. She rides a mule as she works for the Kentucky Pack Horse library service, a short-lived, but important literary outreach to the isolated poor. The people of the hills are starving, both in body and soul, and she considers it a privilege to provide them with books and magazines to feed their intellect.

Cussie Mary is one of the rare blue-skinned people of that area of the country. She’s considered a “colored” and is treated as bad—or worse than—blacks. Themes include physical abuse, black lung disease, and labor struggles, but also redemption, forgiveness, and compassion. And love of books and reading, of course.

It’s not a fun read with those dark topics, but the novel is written wonderfully. The description is outstanding, and I felt the cold wind and smelled the wood smoke. There wasn’t a time during the story that it dragged, which is unusual for a novel this long (9.5 hours of the audiobook and 320 pages in the paperback). The characters are all unique and interesting, too.

The narration by Schorr is first-rate; her accents sounded authentic and her pacing was excellent. This is a perfect example of why listening to a book, versus reading text, is so valuable and enjoyable.

 

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel, Reading Tagged with
The Sisters Brothers cover

Review: The Sisters Brothers

By Jan
 on September 19, 2019

The Sisters Brothers coverThe Sisters Brothers
Author: Patrick deWitt;
Genre: Western, satire;
Format: Ebook;
Publisher: Ecco (2011);
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5).

Damn that cover.

It drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. The designer was Suet Yee Chong at Harper Collins, and she perfectly captured the contents of this story.

It’s dark, it’s violent, and it’s quite silly at times. I laughed aloud at least twice, which is saying something… so to speak. It’s a western that involves a lot of drinking and shooting and stealing. You’re not supposed to actually like the protagonists, and you won’t, but you will at least pity Eli, the narrator. He doesn’t really enjoy killing, but he follows Charlie because, well, he’s his brother. And that’s enough . . . until it’s not.

The prose was an interesting mix of mid-19th-century language delivered in a sort of stream-of-consciousness, first-person viewpoint. Wow, that sentence used a lot of hyphens.

Not for the squeamish. I’m talking to you, animal lovers. Step away.

In categories Book Covers, Book Review, Historical Novel Tagged with ,
Lady Audley's Secret cover

Review: Lady Audley’s Secret

By Jan
 on August 16, 2019

Lady Audley’s Secret

Lady Audley's Secret coverAuthor: Mary Elizabeth Braddon;
Genre: Novel, Mystery;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Olivia Poulet;
Publisher: Audible Studios (2019);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

A lovely and compelling Victorian sensational novel, published in 1862. This isn’t a light read, as it contains a lot of mid-19th-century angst as the aristocratic protagonist agonizes over the disappearance of his best friend and what he should do about it. But this is no soap opera, and themes include deceit, murder, betrayal, familial and fraternal love, the marriage market, the advantages of beauty, and class struggle.

The plot is classic and almost perfect, although the purple prose of the era might turn off some modern readers. However, you might be surprised by the strength of some of the women in the book; Braddon obviously wanted to encourage her female readers to better themselves, but with a moral caveat (wink).

The book contains some wonderful bits of Victorian humor, too, which British readers may relate to more, but which I enjoyed immensely. In that respect, it reminded me of Jane Austen, who didn’t take her stories too seriously and tamped down the drama with some fun Regency self-aggrandizement.

Robert Audley makes a good character because his personality grows throughout the book. I didn’t think much of him at the beginning; he’s lazy and devil-may-care, thanks to his wealth and station. But this changes as he investigates the mystery; he realizes how, on the one hand, people can be very cruel and evil, and on the other hand, how much his friends and family mean to him.

Bandwagon Warning: Although modern readers might jump to conclusions about romantic or sexual issues between the protagonist and his bff, don’t fall for this. Relationships between (at least) aristocrats of the same sex at the time of this novel were more intense and sentimental, and it doesn’t mean the characters were gay.

DO NOT give up on this book because you think you know the solution to the mystery. The author adds some twists at the end that will satisfy you.

The audiobook was narrated by Olivia Poulet, who read it at such a quick pace that some of the wit escaped notice. If you often find yourself speeding up your audiobooks, you won’t have that problem here. Her accents were excellent, and the character voices were distinctive.

Highly recommended to readers of historical novels and mysteries, and gothic thrillers.

You might also enjoy: “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield, “The Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins, “The Clockmaker’s Daughter” by Kate Morton

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel Tagged with , ,
A Land Remembered cover

Review: A Land Remembered

By Jan
 on January 7, 2019

A Land Remembered

A Land Remembered coverAuthor: Patrick D. Smith;
Genre: Historical Fiction;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: George Guidall;
Publisher: Recorded Books (2011);
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5).

This is truly enjoyable historical fiction story about a couple who moved from Georgia to Florida in the 1850s and literally cut a living out of the wilderness. Dirt poor, the MacIveys found a way to exploit the wild around them by capturing wild cattle, driving them across the state, and starting a small empire. Bit by bit, they fought nature, the Civil War, competitors, and fate to make a living.

The story continues in the second generation as their son carries on that way of life as long as he’s able. The third generation, however, doesn’t appreciate the wilderness that meant so much to the family.

That extended family includes interesting characters, even the not-so-good ones. The easygoing relationships between whites, blacks, and Native Americans seemed like a bit of wishful thinking on the part of the author, but I wanted to believe it.

The story contains blood, sweat, and tears, but almost no sex, no foul language, and only applicable violence. It also contains interesting bits of history about the settling of the Sunshine State.

The pacing was great and I had a difficult time choosing when to take a break. George Guidall did his normal fantastic narration and his timing was perfect.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel
Redeeming Love cover

Review: Redeeming Love

By Jan
 on August 31, 2018

Redeeming Love

Redeeming Love coverAuthor: Francine Rivers;
Genre: Christian Historical Romance;
Format: Audiobook;
Publisher: Recorded Books;
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5).

So, this is one of those books that I think could have been so much better. The story is basically about Christian redemption, but the book is much too long for the story.

In a (loose) retelling of the biblical book of Hosea, a young girl, Sara, is sold into prostitution and bullied and abused by her pimp. Ten years later, during the Gold Rush, Sara/Angel/Amanda is beaten to a pulp and agrees (sorta) to marry a simple Christian farmer, Michael, to escape the situation. Michael is basically a saint, but Angel/Amanda keeps running away from him and from her feelings.

NOTE: Apparently, there are at least two versions of this book; one includes much more graphic violence and sex. This audiobook was not that version. However, the story is about a prostitute and does include many references to that trade and it’s risks.

The Biblical Hosea was one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament; the book of Hosea is seen as an analogy of God’s punishment and redemption of Israel. There are references throughout the novel that might confuse readers not familiar with the Bible story. A single example is the fact that Sara/Angel/Amanda sheds her clothes on one important scene that has nothing to do with her job as a prostitute. In case you need them, these are the Cliff’s Notes (seriously) for Hosea.

The main character of this novel is definitely Sara/Angel/Amanda, not Michael. She was mistreated, I get it. She was not in control of her life, I get it. Michael is her chance at redemption, I get it. There was no need to continue to pound those facts into my head over and over, with multiple examples and side stories to assist. The story can basically be told in a single paragraph, but this novel took over 17 hours.

I see some reviews here on GR that gush about this book, and maybe it’s because I’m not the target audience (although I am a Christian). But I found it repetitive and overlong.

The narrator, Kate Forbes, does a fine job with the material. There are both male and female voices in the story and her tone and inflection changed just enough to tell who was speaking.

In categories Audiobooks, Book Review, Historical Novel Tagged with
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