The Last Kind Words Saloon, by Larry McMurtry
The title is probably one of the longest phrases in the novel, which is a mere 191 pages, including illustrationsContinue Reading
Project Tag: Review of historical fiction
Red Lotus, by Pai Kit Fai
There are three words for this novel: Over. The. Top. Fai (the pseudonym of Geoffrey Morgan Pike) is said toContinue Reading
Envy, by Anna Godbersen
When one of the characters in Envy refers to “…mistakes festered behind fine window dressings”, she might have been describingContinue Reading
Cleopatra’s Daughter, by Michelle Moran
Michelle Moran writes so evocatively about the women of ancient Egypt and Rome, that they come alive and are unforgettable.
Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy’s writing is disturbing, mesmerizing and very, very good. “Meridian” in the title means prime or full spendour, and the novel depicts the pinnacle of blood lust that dominated the Texas-Mexico border in the 1850s.
Pearl of China, by Anchee Min
Part eulogy, part fond memoir, part political thriller, this novel resurrects the forgotten literary phenomenon that was Pearl S. Buck, and it renews one’s admiration for both Buck and Min. China has always been a subject of fascination and inquiry for Westerners.
Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey
In a witty and highly entertaining take on the nature of democracy, status and social acceptance, Australian author Carey places two opposing characters on a ship sailing to the new American colonies in the late 18th century, “Parrot” and “Olivier”.
Moriarty, by John Gardner
John Gardner established himself by writing spin-offs of another more famous literary character, James Bond. It takes a special skillContinue Reading
John, by Niall Willams
Niall Williams wrote this because he wondered what the apostle John of Patmos was doing the day before he wrote the Book of Revelation.
The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet, by Colleen McCullough
Colleen McCullough had women’s liberation on her agenda for a long time: The Ladies of Missalonghi (1987) is about the blossomingContinue Reading
The Heretic Queen, by Michelle Moran
The Heretic Queen is the story of Nefertari, wife of Ramesses the Great and niece of the “heretic queen”, Nefertiti.
The Courier’s Tale, by Peter Walker
It takes enormous skill to turn really intricate and esoteric religious debate into gripping fiction, and Peter Walker demonstrates this skill perfectly in The Courier’s Tale, set in Europe in the mid-16th century.
The Collector of Worlds, by Iliya Troyanov
This novel is about Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton KCMG FRGS (19 March 1821 – 20 October 1890), who was an explorer, littérateur and professional maverick.
The Book of Human Skin, by Michelle Lovric
There are five narrators; an insane 18th century Venetian count, Minguillo Fasan; his sister, Marcella, whom he wants to kill; Marcella’s devoted manservant; her lover, a doctor of skin diseases; and a fanatical nun in a Peruvian convent.
The Blackstone Key, The Mistaken Wife, The Counterfeit Guest, by Rose Melikan
This, Rose Melikan’s debut novel, is far more entertaining and plausible than the second novel in the series, The Counterfeit Guest (2009). She starts well, but cannot sustain the style in the subsequent novels. Call it writer’s fatigue if you wish, but it went from OK to bad.
The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno, by Ellen Bryson
The story centres around a group of sympathetically portrayed “Human Curiosities” who are exhibited in PT Barnum’s freak show museum, of whom some have the choice of transforming into ordinary humans.
The Lady and the Poet, by Maeve Haran
Many excellent Künstlerromane have been written – Jane Jakeman’s In the Kingdom of Mists, about Claude Monet, and Girl withContinue Reading
The Other Queen, by Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory is a prolific English novels who has been writing historical novels since 1987. The best known of her works is The Other Boleyn Girl (2001)
The Name of the Rose, and other books, by Umberto Eco
On 19 February 2016 Umberto Eco died, aged 84. Eco will undoubtedly be remembered for Il nome della rosa (1980; EnglishContinue Reading
The Lost Daughter of Happiness, by Geling Yan
Despite the tagline on the cover, this is not a traditional romance. The story is simultaneously revolting and intriguing, upsetting and riveting.
The Invisible Mountain, by Carolina de Robertis
As much as this novel is a family saga, it is also a history of Uruguay from the early 1900sContinue Reading
The Teahouse Fire, by Ellis Avery
Surprisingly, the art portrayed in “The Teahouse Fire” is not that of the geisha, but the tea ceremony, one of the oldest traditions and art forms of Japan and presented solely by men.
Mr. Muo’s Travelling Couch, by Dai Sijie
Dai Sijie wrote the moving, simple and delicate Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress, a debut novel which has gainedContinue Reading
Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan
“Loving Frank” concerns the love affair between the main character of this novel, Mamah Borthwick Cheney, and the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Princess of Nowhere, by Lorenzo Borghese
“the Princess of Nowhere” is more than competent, even skilful, writing from a Borghese descendant who now makes a living selling a line of luxury pet products, and who is a New Yorker.
The book About Blanche and Marie, by Per Olov Enquist
Only when you are about halfway through this book do you think of checking on the cover and title pageContinue Reading
The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova & Powers of Darkness – The Icelandic Dracula
Despite being 676 pages of dense text accompanied by glowing reviews from major newspapers and magazines, this biographical novel about historians looking for Vlad Ţepeş, (Vlad the Impaler), is underwhelming.
Under the Wide and Starry Sky, by Nancy Horan
In “Under the Wide and Starry Sky”, Nancy Horan writes about a famous person, writer Robert Louis Stevenson – and gets the balance between historical fact and fiction right.
The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey
Eowyn Ivey skillfully spins a compelling tale of marriage and survival in Alaska in the 1920s out of a Russian folk tale of the Snow Maiden, Snegurochka.
The Museum of Extraordinary Things, by Alice Hoffman
Hoffman represents the best in Magic Realism since Gabriel García Márquez. This time she dispenses with magic and the novelContinue Reading
The Last Nude, by Ellis Avery
“The Last Nude”, set in Paris in the 1920s, is less about the art of Tamara de Lempicka, than about the affair between her and her model named Rafaela, the nude of the title.
Vienna Nocturne, by Vivien Shotwell
“Vienna Nocturne” has many moments where the author’s knowledge of music and opera allows her to write genuinely heartfelt and lyrical descriptions of music and its effects on both listeners and performers.
Island of Wings, by Karin Altenberg
“Island of Wings” has faith, love and alienation as its themes. What a pleasure this dry-looking novel turned out to be; very gripping and thought-provoking in plot, characterization and setting, yet restrained and subtle in writing style.
Wolf Winter, by Cecilia Ekbäck
In “Wolf Winter”, Cecilia Ekbäck describes the mountain and the surrounding villages and homesteads where this novel is set as if she had been there, walked every path, skirted every lake, sat on every ridge and viewed every view a hundred times.
The Piano Maker, by Kurt Palka
“The Piano Maker” is a historical romance, well-researched, with interesting detail, no anachronisms that I could pick up, with a twist of romance and mystery, competently written. However, the author fails to address the connection between artistic consciousness and the world, and the book has too many unconnected themes.
The Viceroy of Ouidah, by Bruce Chatwin
The Viceroy of Ouidah, like The High Mountains of Portugal, by Yann Martel, paints a harrowing picture of slavery in theContinue Reading
The Gods of Tango, by Carolina de Robertis
There is a lot of tango-ing in this novel, as well as an eyebrow-raising amount of erotica. I bought itContinue Reading
The Blue Fox, by Sjón
It is rare to find an arctic fox described as beautifully as in “The Blue Fox”. It is set in specific periods in Icelandic history, 1883 and 1868.
The Noise of Time, by Julian Barnes; The Only Story, by Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes is a writer who does not waste words. While his subjects are often difficult and his novels contain references to specialized subjects, his writing is accessible to all readers through his clear ideas, deep understanding, and well-considered use of language.
And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini
Hosseini has a genius for capturing and depicting, in the most pared-down, discreetly poetic words, the poignancy and passion of relationships as well as the horrors of deprivation and separation. I thought it would make me cry, and it did.
The Piano, by Jane Campion and Kate Pullinger
On the subject of erotic fiction, some of the most gripping sex scenes I’ve ever read are from The Piano –Continue Reading
