Author: Olivia Hawker
WWII, German family in small community, based on real people and events

1942 Germany, a widow places an ad in the paper for a husband, she's having difficulty raising three children alone. A friar, no longer able to continue that work in Nazi Germany, answers the ad. The plot follows their struggles to become a family and the real and psychological struggles to maintain dignity and faith in a country ruled by hatred. 

Hawker's writing is described as "beautiful prose," and her writing is excellent.  Her characters are thoughtful and conflicted people, and narrative takes you into their mind as they live with guilt and fear. If you read for action, you might want her to get to the point. But if you enjoy the use of words to set you in time and place, you'll appreciate her work. 

As a bonus, we learn the entire books is based on real people and actual events. It reminds us of people's resilience and power during during horrendous times... and that is a great reason to read this book.   

Author: Amy Harmon
Historical fiction/romance- 1853, a 20 year old widow on the Oregon Trail

Most novels are about struggles-- with nature, people, self. The characters in Where the Lost Wander experience all of these as they cross through the harsh conditions of the Oregon Trail.  

Naomi, a young widow, and John, half-Pawnee, are drawn to each other through their strength, circumstance, and need to belong. And yes there's a little romance. But the dominant theme is resilience-- the fight with nature that is both giving and deadly, the conflicts with culture and families, and the struggles with self to accept and move forward. 

The author takes you through their struggles with a tight plot that keeps you reading well past when you should put the book to sleep, eat, or work.  But it will be worth you "sacrifice." 

Author: Christina Baker Kline
Historical fiction; England, Australia, women's struggles

Christina Baker Kline, also author of Orphan Train, writes compelling stories that are sometimes difficult to read. In this novel we are taken to 1840's prisons in England that retain women for minor offenses. Ships of lascivious men take these same women to Australia.  And Australia where they spend years imprisoned when the real crime is being poor and female. 

As in Orphan Train, Kline creates emotion and understanding through the characters and the narrative. I knew Australia was colonized with exiles from England, I hadn't thought what that experience would be for the women or the Aboriginal people involved. Good historical fiction takes you there and creates an understanding, and  that's what this novel does. 

Author: John Larison
Western fiction, female heroine

It's 1885, the American west, orphaned and abandoned, 17 year old Jessilyn remakes herself into Jess.  Her chances of making it as a female would have been slim but as a guy who is skilled with a gun, she is determined to find only kin--her outlaw brother. That's how it starts, the adventure continues from there.

The plot is definitely interesting. The written language of the novel needs acquired appreciation as it is spoken in Jess's authentic voice-- verb tense and all other grammar rules are set aside. But it is the language, her phrasing and comparisons, that will draw you in and put you into the story. 

I appreciated this book for the author's imagination, the unique language, and the grit and determination of the characters-- a reminder of who made our history.

    

Author: Chanel Cleeton
Drama, 1935 Florida, strong female characters

Follow the lives of three very different women in this drama/romance set in a time period of Florida rich in unknown history-- at least history unknown to me. A storm organically weaves the characters lives together, a setting provides a turbulent backdrop, and a time creates plot elements that will be new and refreshing to most readers.  

Cleeton knows how to create a plot that is engaging and educates the reader in cultural and historical aspects.  Not only are you entertained, you feel time well spent in gaining an understanding.  If you enjoy this novel, Cleeton has also written a novel which takes the reader to 1958 Cuba and the build up to the revolution.  Next Year in Havana also delivers in aspects of suspense, romance, and historical fiction that takes you to that setting and time. 

Author: Paula McLain
Strong women; Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's 3rd wife 

This is Paula McLain's second book that follows a wife of Ernest Hemingway, the first was The Paris Wife and followed the life of his second wife, Hadley.  Love and Ruin follows Martha Gellhorn and her time with Hemingway. 

McLain is a strong writer, the people are real and you experience what is happening to them.  Gellhorn was impressive on her own, without her connection with the famous Hemingway. She was very independent and a celebrated war correspondent at a time when women were expected to report on recipes and child rearing. 

The strongest parts of the novel follow Gellhorn's career and experiences in different wars. Where the book lags is when she's waiting for Hemingway, for his moods, his boyish pursuits, his ego to recover. At first I was bothered by the attention to Hemingway, but in the end you realize so was Gellhorn. 

Author:  Natalie Jenner
Historical fiction, post WW2; feel-good story; required reading of Austen fans

The setting is Chawton, England, Jane Austen's final home. The storyline follows five people, connected by their desire to preserve Austen's home. Of course they each have other life issues but all are so likeable it's hard to leave them when the story ends. 

The author gives Jane Austen fans a wonderful gift. Scattered throughout  are references to Darcy, Elizabeth, Elinor, Marianne, Anne Elliot, and every plot from "Emma" to "Northanger Abbey." You become an insider, catching the reference and enjoying the moments of Austen's books all over again.  This was just a joy to read!

Author:  Sue Monk Kidd
Historical fiction, women in the 1st century

This from Amazon: "Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her."

Sue Monk Kidd imagines what if Jesus were married like every other man in his 20s during that time? And then she writes His wife Ana's story. Kidd's research places you completely in that moment, and the narrative matches that of the time period. You are there, experiencing what Ana, Mary, and the other women lived through.  And although He is not a central character in the novel, you also witness the day to day humanity of Jesus.

This book is not biblical fiction, it does not follow every event in the life of Jesus. It is a fictional account of a woman during that time period who the author imagines as His wife. If you are able to stretch your imagination, be prepared for an engaging story of the strength of women and what they will do for the people they love. When I finished the book I was in awe of where words can take you and the talent of authors with that power. 

Author: Laila Ibrahim
Historical Fiction, 1920s, California & China
​FREE with Kindle download with Amazon Prime

In China, her arranged marriage starts with her family's deception.  In California, she learns her husband has secrets of his own.  Throughout the same questions emerges, "What would you do to survive? What would you do to save those you love?" 

The Paper Wife is a powerful, haunting story. The reader is taken into the mind and soul of women in this culture, during this time period.  You see the resilience and strength.  While there are parts difficult to take, it is a book you should read as it takes the reader closer to understanding.  And understanding is necessary for empathy, the core of what makes us a civilized society. 

Author: Ellen Marie Wiseman
​Historical mystery, 1930s and 1960s

The novel follows two stories-- an albino girl, hidden in her family's attic, who is sold to the circus, and a young woman years later who inherits the family estate.  The circus is brutal, the girl is alone. Over the course of the next 20 years, her story develops into one of resilience with hope always being almost within her reach. The young woman who inherits the estate has her own struggles.  Each story is compelling alone, together they create a separate mystery. 

The story saddened me by the cruelness of people and parents. It also gave more incidences of support, comradery, love, and hope.  Ellen Marie Wiseman knows how to weave a plot that makes the reader feel while being absorbed in the story.  Other books equally as good to check out by this author-- What She Left Behind, and The Orphan Collector.