Mrs. Poe (Lynn Cullen)

Lynn Cullen's Mrs. Poe is historical fiction at its finest.  Cullen certainly did her research in crafting this tale about Edgar Allan Poe, his wife Virginia, and his lover Frances Osgood.  While an author needs to be extremely careful about not tarnishing someone's name who is not here to defend himself, most of the events in Mrs. Poe have been thoroughly documented.

The mysterious Edgar Allan Poe has just published "The Raven" to astounding success.  Frances Osgood is a struggling writer who has been left by her philandering husband.  When her publisher discovers that people are craving Poe’s dark works, he gives Frances the task of parodying Poe's writings.  She gradually falls in love with Poe through interviewing him and his wife for Margaret Fuller's newspaper.  The sickly Virginia is less-than-kind when she finds out about their passionate affair, finding all types of ways to get her revenge.  Suspense then builds to a very satisfying conclusion.

I've reviewed a lot of historical fiction on 1776books, and this is one of the best.  It's very well written, thoroughly researched, and filled with historical characters from the past.  Most of the time, these well-known people are seamlessly woven into the text.  However, what's keeping this book from getting a 5 is the sometimes lame name dropping (a character referring to Hawthorne writing a book called the Scarlet something is an example). Other than that, Cullen does an exceptional job at filling in the blanks about one of America's greatest writers. 

MY RATING - 4

The Mysterious Death of Miss Jane Austen (Lindsay Ashford)

What could Jane Austen have accomplished if she lived past her way-too-young death at 41? In her short life, she became one of the most widely read authors in all of English literature and wrote some of the most beloved books of all time.  In British crime writer Lindsay Ashford's novel of historical fiction, she has come up with a new theory on why Austen died so young and backs it up with some compelling evidence in her author's note.  Was Austen murdered by way of arsenic poisoning?

Anne Sharp is the teacher of Edward Austen's (brother of Jane) daughter, Fanny.  Edward's wife, Elizabeth, treats her as the hired help and is not too happy when Jane and Anne become friends.  Anne begins to suspect that Henry, another Austen brother, is having an affair with Elizabeth and it does not take long for her to discover that Henry is leading a double life. Many of the Austen siblings, in-laws, and children make an appearance in this novel, and it can be difficult to keep them, their familial relationships, and secrets straight. When these secrets are threatened to be revealed, things become dangerous, and it is through this
that the theory of Jane Austen's death becomes magnified through Ashford's lens.

I had mixed feelings about this book.  Ashford obviously did her research thoroughly, and at times, I truly couldn't stop reading.  However, I felt like Ashford was spoon feeding her readers and didn't allow us to make enough interpretations on our own.  The ending can be seen coming from a mile away.  But Austen fans will revel in the history and seeing their heroine in such a bright light.

MY RATING - 3

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (Susanna Calkins)

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate is Susanna Calkins's absorbing debut novel.  Just a warning that time WILL easily slip away as you become engrossed in this historical fiction mystery.  I was pleasantly surprised that this is deemed Book 1 of the Lucy Campion Mysteries; if there's a Book 1, there has to be a Book 2, right?  So I look forward to reading Calkins's future tales.

It's set in the mid-1600s right around the beginning of the plague's entrance into London.  Lucy is a young servant girl living in the kind magistrate's household.  A series of murders, including of someone very close to Lucy, soon makes the area a dangerous place to be.  Calkins expertly combines not only a "whodunit" but also great suspense as the plague creeps ever closer.

With this novel, Susanna Calkins proves herself to be a literary talent and her protagonist is interesting enough to star in future books. Calkins is off to a rip-roaring start with A Murder at Rosamund's Gate.

MY RATING - 4

NOTE:  This book will be released on April 23, 2013.

The Alienist (Caleb Carr)

As a huge fan of historical fiction, especially that which takes place in the late 1800s/early 1900s, it's hard to believe it's taken me this long to discover Caleb Carr.  He was recommended to me by my friends at Goodreads, and I am so glad that he was!  While The Alienist is not a quick read and took me a long while to get through, it is well worth it for those who love this time period.

John Moore, the narrator and a police reporter with The New York Times, is asked by his psychologist friend, Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, to join in on an investigation.  A mass murderer is on the loose in New York City, one who focuses on wayward children.  Back then, psychology was just coming into the mainstream and much frowned upon, with those who practiced it sometimes called "alienists".  With the assistance of NYC police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, Kreizler puts together a very hush-hush group to investigate the killings and try to get into the murderer's brain before he strikes again.

While some reviews have said The Alienist is too wordy with too much dialogue, I found these chapters fascinating.  As the group talks through each aspect of the case, hoping it'll provide clues, the reader is witnessing the very beginning of this science becoming known to the public.  There were a few points where I wish Carr would have sped up the action, but in the end, it all makes for a very satisfying completion to one big puzzle.  So I may be a little late (19 years to be exact), but I look forward to reading the sequel, The Angel of Darkness.

MY RATING - 4

The Secret Keeper (Kate Morton)

I wholeheartedly and without reservation recommend Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper as the best book of 2012 (so far).  Not many people I know are familiar with the Australian’s work, and I wouldn’t have been either if I had not gone looking for similar books to Diane Setterfeld’s The Thirteenth Tale.  The Distant Hours, The Forgotten Garden, and The House at Riverton all received a well-deserved 5 from me for their unbelievable depth and layering.  Even though The Secret Keeper is not Morton’s usual “Gothic English mystery” genre, it’s still historical fiction and absolutely jam packed with breathtaking suspense.

Weaving effortlessly and seamlessly between present day and World War II England, The Secret Keeper is the story of secrets, betrayals, and utter heartbreak.  It begins in the early 1960s with teenage Laurel lazing the day away in a treehouse.  While the rest of her family is a little ways away having a birthday party, Laurel sees Dorothy, her mother, who is carrying Laurel’s baby brother, stab and kill a strange man.  Due to Laurel's lies, the matter is swept under the rug with no repercussions for Dorothy.  Fast forward to present day, Laurel and her siblings are called back to their hometown to be at their dying mother's bedside.  However, Laurel desperately wants to solve the mystery of the man's murder before Dorothy passes away. 

The Secret Keeper, as are all of Morton’s books, is one giant puzzle.  Morton plays tricks on the brain, and if you don’t pay attention to each and every detail, she will get you!  There were so many little nuances and questions throughout this novel that I kept thinking to myself there was no way Morton would answer them all.  But she never, ever leaves a stone unturned.  By the time you finish, you are left with a story that completely makes sense and has you asking yourself why you didn’t see it coming all along.

MY RATING - 5

Girl in a Blue Dress (Gaynor Arnold)

As I have stated before, historical fiction is above and beyond my favorite genre, especially those that take place in old Victorian England. There is something about the elegance and etiquette of this time period that is second to none. Could you imagine having to present your "card" to a friend's maid to be "announced" to her? When was the last time you wrote a "letter" to your friend instead of a text or e-mail?

Girl in a Blue Dress has fictional characters; however, Arnold states that she drew her inspiration from the family life of Mr. Charles Dickens himself. There seems to be no greater Dickens scholar than she; yet, by her own admission, she took many liberties in extending the truth and filling-in-the-blanks. The novel begins with the end - the funeral of England's most admirable author, Alfred Gibson. He has long been separated from his "widow", Dorothea, the narrator of the story. Dorothea's flashbacks to her happy beginnings with Alfred, the births of many, many children with him, and finally, their painful separation, make up the gist of the novel. However, it is the inner torture of Alfred (as it is with many creative souls) that Gaynor seems to want to make the heart of Girl in a Blue Dress.

It is interesting that I immediately made a comparison in my mind with this novel to The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. Both authors should be highly commended for their efforts and incomparable research. However, as with Whicher, I found myself looking at the clock, wanting this to end. It is just too long and wordy, with endless meetings upon meetings between the characters. Dorothea meets with one person for twenty pages to bare her soul, then she meets with another person for twenty pages. If you like novels with great character development, then this is the book for you. However, if you want some sort of plot to go with those characters, I would advise you to look elsewhere.

MY RATING - 4 for effort, 3 for readability

Sarah's Key (Tatiana de Rosnay)

Once in a blue moon, a book comes along that is so profoundly moving that the reader cannot begin to fathom it. "Sarah's Key" is that book for the early part of the 21st century. It is a work of historical fiction set in France during the terrible time of the Holocaust.

Sarah Starzynski is a 10-year old Jewish girl living in Paris in July 1942 with her parents and younger brother. In the middle of the night, the French police bang at the door to arrest them. In order to protect her younger brother, Michel, Sarah locks him in a cupboard, their secret hiding place, promising to come back to him in a few "hours" when all this is over. Michel goes into the cupboard bravely with some water and his teddy bear. After the historically accurate Velodrome d'Hiver roundup on July 16, 1942 and the fact that her parents were torn away from her and sent to Auschwitz, Sarah can only hope that somehow her brother escaped the cupboard. She is able to slip away from Vel' d'Hiv' to go back to Michel. Your heart will pound as you follow Sarah's trip back there.

The novel seamlessly intertwines the time periods of Sarah and a journalist reporting on the 60th commemoration of the roundup, Julia Jarmond. Unknowingly, Julia and her family are preparing to move into the apartment where the cupboard was located. de Rosnay skillfully weaves between the major characters and time periods, showing that why some want to remember the Holocaust in any way they can, some choose to forget.

I cannot recommend this book enough. How many of us are ashamed to admit that we did not know that 76,000 Jews were deported from France by the French police and sent directly to Auschwitz? What happened to the 4,000 children arrested on that day, who had their heads forcibly shaved and their earrings ripped out of their ears for money? Read this book. You will weep and wonder how this could possibly have happened in our world less than 100 years ago.

MY RATING - 5

The Glimmer Palace (Beatrice Colin)

Ahh, my favorite genre….historical fiction. I read the first page of this book, closed it, and put it away…not interested. However, I HATE giving up a book when I start it, even when I just read the first page. So I decided to give it another try on the plane to Minnesota. I am so glad l did, as it was one of the best books I have read in a long time.

The Glimmer Palace is set in early 20th century Berlin and includes both world wars. Lilly Nelly Aphrodite was born at the turn of the century and promptly, through unforeseen circumstances, becomes an orphan. Lilly’s life is filled with unforgettable characters who consistently show up throughout the book, from the nun who becomes a mother-figure to her tragic friend. I haven’t read a book in so long that has been as character-driven and plot-driven as this one.

Lilly’s life is exciting yet fated from her first breath. I felt sad when this book ended and would recommend it to anyone at anytime.

MY RATING – 5