There has been a surge of World War II novels in the last 5-10 years and I have learned about so many aspects of that war from the multitude of those that I have read. Both of my Grandpas served in that war and as we lose that generation it is important to share the horrors and the bravery that they all lived through. However, it can get rather repetitive reading many of those back to back. One a month, at most, is what I can handle and in the past I've had to purposely space them out like that so I could still get some variety to my reading.
I so still enjoy historical fiction however. I almost minored in history in college and have long been fascinated by the past. There is always something to learn and I love reading about how people could have (or did) live. People are just interesting to me, especially in lives I'll never live. I am always a bit delighted when I come across a good historical fiction book that isn't set around a war. There are plenty of other fascinating stories to tell and people to learn from. And if you are lucky timelines and places will overlap and you'll surprise yourself with what you already know about a certain period!
Here are a dozen historical fiction books that I've really enjoyed, none of them set around a war. A lot of them set in New York (I read what I like!). I think they all have a romance to them but also a lot of plucky and brave women forging their own paths and choosing their own lives. They all fascinated me in their own ways!
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The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly
This was a very recent read for me and maybe the one that had me thinking of making this list! The year is 1958 and it's been announced that this class of debutantes will be the last ones presented to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. All I know about debs is from an early episode of The OC which actually has very little in common with how it was happening in London 45 (only 45?!?!?) years earlier. This book follows Lily who agrees to do "the season" solely to appease her proper mother and grandmother, the one who holds the purse strings and thus controls Lily. There was the court presentation but then also SO MANY parties and balls and dresses to consider. All this was happening to hopefully get the presented women married off but, really, at this time they didn't all want to be married right away. Some wanted careers or an college education or just some independent living. It's not a time period I've read much about and I rooted for these women to get to pick at least a part of their lives.
The Next Ship Home: A Novel of Ellis Island by Heather Webb
This was a very recent read for me and another that probably inspired this list. It's Ellis Island in 1902 and two women who are trying to make their way in New York despite the odds, and their families, being against them. One woman is working at Ellis Island because her mother and stepfather are reluctant to support her any more. It is in this that she meets a recent immigrant who is trying to escape her own bad circumstances in Europe by coming to America. They need each other, a whole lot of bravery, and some luck to survive. We've been to the Statue of Liberty twice but never to Ellis Island and this book really made me want to visit there too.
The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton
The year is 1933 and three women have their paths overlap, quite literally, in Key West. One is freshly married to a man she barely knows. One is pregnant and wanting to escape her life with her abusive husband. And the last one is on a trip to find her missing brother who might be working in a camp for veterans. The last train was literally a train that went largely over the water to Key West and it was about to have it's last ride. The women's lives and stories overlap in surprising ways, especially as a hurricane is on it's way. I enjoyed this one so much I wrote a whole post about it last year!
We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall
The year is 1939 and the place is largely the New York's World's Fair. Vivi is the new star of the Aquacade's synchronized swimming show and she barely has time to learn the show before she's shoved into the spotlight. Max is a (female) journalist who knows there are big stories to write for the fair's newspaper but gets stuck writing little new blurbs while her much less qualifies male co-worker gets the juicier stories. These women become friends when their personal and professional lives are in jeopardy. I knew very little about the World's Fairs but find them to be fascinating, how the world came together for these spectacles. Plus, I am always a sucker for a New York story.
The Road to Paradise, Where the Fire Falls, Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett
These are 3 loosely, if at all, books in a series about the early days of some of America's most famous National Parks. The Road to Paradise takes place in Mount Rainer National Park in 1927, Where the Fire Falls is Yosemite around that same time, and Ever Faithful is Yellowstone. They each follow plucky young women, who, each for her own reason, want to live and work in the national parks. There are trials of living in the mostly wilderness and there is romance and there are grumpy visitors. They are fascinating looks at these national treasures nearly 100 years ago when their tourism was really just growing. I think the first was my favorite and I could relate the most to the 1st and 3rd since I've been to those parks but still, all 3 were just the right mix of cozy and adventurous.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This book covers the first two decades of the 20th century which, yes, covers World War I, but hear me out. This only, barely, touches on the war. Or maybe it does more than I remember but it is primarily about a young girl, Francie, growing up in Brooklyn. Her family is poor and they struggle to make ends meet much of the time. She has dreams and loves to read and watches their neighbors. This was almost immediately a classic when it was published in 1943 but there is a reason it endures today. I wrote a post about it 2 years ago and I honestly think it's one of the best book reviews I've written! Here's that if you'd like a longer summary but, really, this is a worthwhile read.
Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald
I loved this book and have regretted ever since not putting on my Favorite Reads of 2019. The year is 1937 and Joe is an employee of a railway at Grand Central Terminal. Nora is a socialite but her flapper clothes don't quite match the times. Joe tries to walk Nora home after he's captivated by her but she suddenly disappears without a trace. He is desperate to find her again and finally figures out, somehow, the magic of how Nora appears and disappears. This book spans time and has a bit of magic to it, enough to make it not magical realism (hard no from me) but not Harry Potter level by any means. Grand Central Terminal is a grand place and it's fascinating to read about it in it's first glory days and how a whole world can be set there.
Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
The
year is 1956 and the place is Monaco, right around the time of Grace
Kelly's grand royal wedding. I have dreamed of visiting the Cote d'Azur
every since learning about it in high school French class. Since THAT
hasn't happened yet, immersing myself in the place during a very
glamorous time is wonderful (for now). A struggling perfumer helps
Grace Kelly escape from a journalist by hiding her in her perfume shop.
The women briefly bond before Miss Kelly is on her way. Problem is,
the journalist can't stop thinking about this perfumer either. I
learned a lot about perfumes and Monaco and just what a fantastic
spectacle that royal wedding was. It was so lovely to read about (and
this one did make my Favorite Reads of 2019 list!)
The Masterpiece of Fiona Davis
Another Grand Central Terminal novel, this one taking place in 1928 and 1974. In 1928 there is an art school inside the Terminal and the story follows a young teacher there named Clara. By 1974 the terminal has fallen into disrepair (to be saved, in part, by none other than Jackie O). A woman named Virginia is desperate to support herself and her daughter and takes a job working there. It in this this that she stumbles upon remnants of the old art school and sees artistic renderings of what the terminal looked like at it's heights. Which, in part, leads her to look for Clara. Fiona Davis is wonderful at sharing forgotten stories behind New York City landmark buildings and this is my favorite of hers, I think.
I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon
The year is 1918 and the imperial Romanov family is forced with her family into a damp basement and then murdered point blank. The whole family is believed to be dead. UNTIL, 3 years later a young woman is pulled from a canal with mysterious scars and refusing to answer questions about who she is. Could the young princess have survived? Honestly, my main interest in this book is that I have a soft spot for the 1997 animated classic Anastasia and it's wonderful soundtrack that my sisters and I used to sing over and over again on family trips. (AND the time my sister & I convinced our joint world history teacher that that movie was historically accurate and that we should watch it in class, right after we covered the Romanovs AND HE LET US WATCH IT. It might be my proudest moment of high school.) Anyways, this story is sad and the violence is horrific, knowing this all happened to very real people. BUT, the story is also fascinating. Is that young woman really a princess??
Do you have any good ones to add to this list? I'd love to hear them!
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