Tag: historical fiction

Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

It’s the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours of King George IV’s impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower – an event that only occurs once every few decades.

When newly widowed Elizabeth arrives in Edinburgh to live with her late husband’s aunt Clementina, she’s determined to put her unhappy past in London behind her. As she settles into her new home, she becomes fascinated by the beautiful Botanic Garden which borders the grand house and offers her services as an artist to record the rare plant’s impending bloom. In this pursuit, she meets Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.

Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don’t last long in this Enlightenment city . . .

And when they are revealed, they can carry the greatest of consequences.

My thoughts: this was a marvellous, marvellous book. I loved it, the characters, the story, the whole thing basically.

I love books that bring women to the forefront in historic settings – just like this one, and a mix of ladies of leisure and working class lasses too. From Elizabeth – a widow dependant on her late husband’s cousin, Belle Brodie, courtesan and perfumier, Mhari McDonald, whiskey distiller, and so many cooks, housekeepers, maids, mothers, daughters, Ladies (with a capital L) and the denizens of Edinburgh.

There are some men too, but apart from McNab, Walter Scott, Johann, and Reverend Brunton, they’re not very interesting and only really incidental to things. They don’t carry the story, but the women do, their relationships to each other, their courage and determination to get ahead – on their own terms, is at the heart of it. As is a rare plant that only flowers every thirty years or so.

Plants and their properties bring Belle and Elizabeth together, one intrigued by the oils and scents that can be extracted, and the other as an illustrator – pre-cameras, skilled artists produced stunning sketches of plants and several of them were women.

The story is delightful, full of ups and downs, the characters feel real and are tremendously entertaining – Sir Walter Scott is as charming and as excitable as you might imagine, but Lady Clementina Rocheid is my favourite. A grand dame, raised in Germany, who mostly lives in the past, slowly getting confused but still full of life and passionate about clothes and parties and food. I loved her, a real delight. The perfect person to show Elizabeth some light and joy. Belle and Elizabeth are both entirely fictional but I loved them too, their instant friendship, a fragile bond, but heartwarming. I was rooting for them to stay in each other’s lives forever. Because friendship is so vital. I imagine them as older ladies, reminiscing in front of the fire, giggling as whispering “do you remember the summer when they moved the trees and the King came to town?”

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

At the heart of the Ottoman Empire, in the ancient city of Smyrna, a devastating moment determines
the fates of four families.

On an orange-tinted evening in September 1905, Scheherazade is born to an opium-dazed mother in
the ancient city of Smyrna. At the very same moment, a dashing Indian spy arrives in the harbour
with a secret mission from the British Empire. He sails in to golden-hued spires and minarets, scents
of fig and sycamore, and the cries of street hawkers selling their wares. When he leaves, seventeen
years later, it will be to the heavy smell of kerosene and smoke as the city, and its people, are
engulfed in flames.

But let us not rush, for much will happen between then and now. Birth, death, romance and grief are
all to come as these peaceful, cosmopolitan streets are used as bargaining chips in the wake of the
First World War.

Told through the intertwining fates of a Levantine, a Greek, a Turkish and an Armenian family, this
unforgettable novel reveals a city, and a culture, now lost to time.

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Defne Suman was born in Istanbul and grew up on Prinkipo Island. She gained a Masters in sociology from the Bosphorus University and then worked as a teacher in Thailand and Laos, where she studied Far Eastern philosophy and mystic disciplines. She later continued her studies in Oregon, USA and now lives in Athens with her husband. The Silence of Scheherazade was first published in Turkey and Greece in 2016 and is her English language debut. Twitter Instagram Website

My thoughts: set during an extremely tumultuous time in Smyrna (now Izmir), this is both the story of the city and of a girl, who lives under more than one name, whose life, like the city, undergoes great change and tragedy.

Born to a Levantine French teenager, raised by Ottoman Greeks, rescued by a Turkish family and given a new name, her story unfolds as the leadership of Smyrna goes back and forth and its people – Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Levantines, Europeans, are divided and turn against their neighbours.

Parts of this story are heartbreaking, there’s so much tragedy and death, the city burns to the ground and lives are lost pointlessly as the Ottoman Empire falls apart. Scheherazade’s life is filled with both joy and terrible tragedy and sadness. She loses her family more than once as she passes through the different communities of the city, ending her days in a tall tower in a crumbling mansion.

Beautifully written and translated, this is a moving and richly evocative story, conjuring a lost world where religious and ethnic lines didn’t matter as the people were all one, and a child like Scheherazade could be from any background. With stunning imagery and a sense of timelessness, like the Scheherazade of myth she’s named for, this tale weaves an enchanting spell.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

When your dreams finally seem to be coming true, it’s hard to trust them.

It’s been four years since seventeen-year-old Ruth set eyes on her fiance. After surviving near-starvation, revolution and a long trip across the stormy ocean, she can’t help but wonder: Will Abraham still love her? Or has America changed him?

Nowhere’s as full of change as 1909 New York. From moving pictures to daring clothes to the ultra-modern Triangle Shirtwaist Factory where she gets a job, everything exhilarates Ruth. When the New World even seems to rejuvenate her bond with Abraham, she is filled with hope for their prospects and the future of their war-torn families.

But when she makes friends and joins the labor movement—fighting for rights of the mostly female workers against the powerful factory owners—something happens she never expected. She realizes she might be the one America is changing. And she just might be leaving Abraham behind.

The Girl in the Triangle is an immigration story that will appeal to fans of Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and The Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani. It questions what it means to be an American, and what is the true meaning of strength.

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Excerpt

He stood outside the dressing room with his arms crossed. "I was starting to fear I'd need to send in a search party."
"I'm sorry," Ruth said. "I met the sister of one of your friends."
"Chayele," Abraham chuckled. "That explains it. That girl could talk the hind legs off a donkey."

He steered her to the line for the stairs and gestured for her to open her bag to be examined. "They fear people stealing scraps for sewing at home."

Ruth held her bag open wide as the guard poked through. Eventually he nodded, and they exited through the door to the stairs.
"Chayele seemed really nice. She introduced me to her friends as well. She said you were good friends with her brother?"

"Yankel," Abraham nodded. "He's good folk. He took me under his wing when I got here. Makes me get out and have some fun from time to time."
Ruth pondered that for a moment and considered Chayele's painted face. "She's not a—what do you call it? Floopsy, is she?"
Abraham laughed. "No, Chayele’s not a floozy, though she might be the center of any party. She's just been here awhile and has embraced America."
"America encourages painted faces?"

Abraham tilted his head and thought before answering. "America encourages fun, at least in your free time. Not like in Russia where you just go to work and come home."
"How do you spend your free time?"
Abraham turned to face her with a twinkle in his eye. "All kinds of ways. Seeing performers singing in shows, going to the circus, heading out to Luna Park."
"What's Luna Park?"
"An amusement park in West Brighton Beach. You can ride a roller coaster and see recreations of villages from all over the world—it's amazing. I'll take you one weekend."

Ruth mulled over this new word, weekend. She had no clue what a roller coaster was, but it sounded exciting. Everything Abraham mentioned was foreign and strange. They'd sung as a family around the piano or even in the street with neighbors on holidays. But shows? Performers? These were novel ideas.

Abraham glanced over at her with a mischievous smile. "Still love running?"
Ruth smiled.
"Race you home!" he shouted and took off ahead.
"You gonif! You still cheat!" she shouted and took off after him.

His laughter floated back to her as she ran. The cityscape flew by as she weaved in and out of people on the sidewalk, some shouting insults in response. They rolled right off Ruth. Her exhaustion evaporated, the caress of cool air on her face sweeping away her lethargy. She dug deep to run faster, her competitive instincts kicking in. She'd never felt so happy and free. 

Growing up in New York, she always loved exploring the city, particularly the Lower East Side. This led to her discovery of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and the stories it holds.

She currently lives in Northern Virginia where she takes in the sights of DC with her two kids and husband.

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My thoughts: being British I was only vaguely aware of the infamous Triangle factory fire, and this novel, based on historical facts, filled in the gaps. We have our own share of horrific factory tragedies here, and sadly it’s not all in the past.

Ruth and her family are Russian Jews, who moved to America to escape poverty and prejudice like so many did in the early 1900s. Torn between tradition and all that America has to offer, Ruth goes to work at the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory on the production line. She wants to help pay for her fiance Abraham’s family to join them in New York.

Ruth is swept up in unionisation, the women’s suffrage movement and starts to become more American, dressing in the new fashions and styling her hair like a Gibson girl. Her younger sister Ester wants to keep their old traditions and preserve the Yiddish they speak at home.

The book was a fascinating look at the struggles immigrants still face, torn between tradition and the ways of their new home, and also the horrific treatment of workers in the factories that helped build America.

Reading this made me think of the scandals of last year, when, during a pandemic, garment workers here in the UK were still suffering in similar ways to those of Ruth and her friends. Inadequate ventilation, poor management, lack of PPE, abuse of power and other injustices. Things that should be confined to the past, long since stopped through the work of men and women like Ruth, pushing governments to introduce laws to protect workers. It’s a sad and strange fact that sometimes it feels like nothing has changed, Ruth would be outraged.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Carlo Gesualdo, prince, composer and murderer has his wife and her lover killed in Naples in 1590.
The wife’s maidservant,Laura Scala, witnesses the events and vowes to avenge her mistress.
The princess, Donna Maria d’Avalos, rescued Laura in Sicily after she had been raped at the age of thirteen. Laura devotes her life to her saviour and after the murders she spends years of her life trying to be revenged on the musical prince.
The scene moves from Sicily to Naples and Venice, back to Naples and finally to the New World.
Laura believes she is carrying a curse. Everyone she becomes involved with appears to suffers misfortune and death.
A Jewish girl in the Venetian ghetto is kidnapped and sold into the Sultan’s harem, Laura’s daughter is placed in an orphanage without her knowledge, the artist Caravaggio uses Laura as a model and meets a tragic end.
Three beautiful pearls given to Laura by her mistress play a part in the story. Is Laura really cursed – or is it her connection with the murderous prince who dabbles in the occult?
A gypsy woman is burned at the stake, a Venetian gondolier meets a mysterious fate and Laura becomes a skilled herbalist and poisoner by default before the story ends in the New World. The background to these events is the strange and compelling music of Gesualdo.

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Frances Kempton is a reclusive writer fleeing from the clutches of Jane Austen.
She has an obsession with Italy. This is the first book in an Italian trilogy.

My thoughts: based on real historical figures, this gives maidservant Laura a story and a voice. After her mistress is brutally murdered she flees the palace and so a series of tragic events unfolds as she pledges revenge on the prince.

Most history books focus on events and usually on men, and even more so on wealthy and important men, so it’s always good to hear a woman, and in this case a woman at the bottom of society’s ladder, speak out. Laura Scala was a real person, but being a servant, literally nothing is known about her beyond her name and place in Gesualdo’s household.

The fictional Laura is brave and resilient but her desire for revenge drives her to do terrible things and she believes herself to be cursed. She struggles to find a place for herself, and every time she thinks she has found happiness – a lovely husband, a good job, a baby – it is ripped away from her in terrible ways. She pursues Gesualdo across Italy, but never finds the courage to actually take her revenge until it’s almost too late. Moving, tragic but ultimately redemptive.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.

Greed and ambition threaten to tear the north apart.
War rages between the two kingdoms of Northumbria. Kin is pitted against kin and friend becomes foe as ambitious kings vie for supremacy.
When Beobrand travels south into East Angeln to rescue a friend, he unwittingly tilts the balance of power in the north, setting in motion events that will lead to a climactic
confrontation between Oswiu of Bernicia and Oswine of Deira.
While the lord of Ubbanford is entangled in the clash of kings, his most trusted warrior, Cynan, finds himself on his own quest, called to the aid of someone he thought never to see again. Riding into the mountainous region of Rheged, Cynan faces implacable enemies who would do anything to further their own ends.
Forced to confront their pasts, and with death and betrayal at every turn, both Beobrand and Cynan have their loyalties tested to breaking point.
Who will survive the battle for a united Northumbria, and who will pay the ultimate price for lord and land? Amazon UK

Matthew Harffy grew up in Northumberland where the rugged terrain, ruined castles and rocky coastline had a huge impact on him. He now lives in Wiltshire, England, with his wife and their two daughters.

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My thoughts: you wouldn’t think I’d enjoy this sort of historical fiction what with all the fighting and violence. But when it’s as well written and researched as this is, it’s hard not to like it. I feel like writers who do really know their subject matter go a long way to fill in the blanks, as it were. I know so little about this time in our history – and that’s a shame.

The characters do a lot of travelling across the country and it’s interesting to see how the Christians and Norse religion exist alongside each other, there’s no real hostility, although Beobrand is reluctant to engage too much with the Christ followers.

The novel hinges on a crucial conflict that will settle the ruling of Northumbria – and do terrible damage to the fragile peace between people. The men are not lords or kings but they bear the brunt of this battle for land and power. Beobrand might be a warrior but he cares for his people and the men under his command – he doesn’t take any losses easily. All of the political machinations are fascinating – history at school pretty much goes Romans to Norman invasion as though all these kings and their conflicts didn’t happen so I enjoyed the feeling of learning a bit more but in a more informal way. I think I need to brush up on my geography though!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.