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Historical fiction

  • Auteur:
    Markert, James
    Sommaire:

    Just as Jeremiah Goodbye is set to meet his fate in the electric chair, a tornado tears down the prison walls, and he is given a second chance at life. With the flip of a coin, he decides to return to his home town of Nowhere, Oklahoma, to settle the score with his twin brother Josiah. But upon his escape, he enters a world he doesn't recognize--one that has been overtaken by the Dust Bowl. And the gift he once relied on to guide him is as unrecognizable as the path back to Nowhere. After one jolt in Old Sparky, Jeremiah sees things more clearly and begins to question the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murders he was accused of. On his journey home, he accidentally rescues a young boy who follows him the rest of the way, and the pair arrive at their destination where they are greeted by fearful townspeople. When the Black Sunday storm hits the very next day, the residents of Nowhere finally begin to let the past few years of hardship bury them under the weight of all that dust. Unlikely heroes, Jeremiah and his new companion, Peter Cotton, try to protect the townspeople from themselves, but Jeremiah must face his nightmares and free himself from the guilt of flipping the coin on those men who died. Filled with mystery and magic, What Blooms from Dust is the story of finding hope in the midst of darkness and discovering the beauty of unexpected kindness.

  • Auteur:
    Andre, F.B.
    Sommaire:

    In this new collection of stories, F.B. Andre explores what it means to "belong." Frequently his stories portray individuals involved in mixed relationships, of different cultures and races or backgrounds, of people struggling to feel at home with themselves and their situations. Andre depicts characters newly arrived in Canada as well as those who have called Canada home for generations. With his wonderful ear for dialogue, Andre allows us to listen in on things that are deeply felt, and we are reminded that the unsaid often reveals more than that which is said. In the title story, "What Belongs," Andre depicts a contemporary researcher interviewing a descendant of one of the boatload of Afro Americans that Governor James Douglas invited to settle in British Columbia in 1858. Moving backwards and forwards from the present to the past, Andre asks, When does a place become home? When can you stake your claim? When does it become automatic that we are from here, that we belong?

  • Auteur:
    Hart, Emilia
    Sommaire:

    I am a Weyward, and wild inside. 2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha's mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives--and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom. Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

  • Auteur:
    Spencer, Kim.
    Sommaire:

    "Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia's world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people's experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture."-Kirkus Reviews. Mia knows her family is very different than her best friend's. In the 1980s, the coastal fishing town of Prince Rupert is booming. There is plenty of sockeye salmon in the nearby ocean, which means the fishermen are happy and there is plenty of work at the cannery. Eleven-year-old Mia and her best friend, Lara, have known each other since kindergarten. Like most tweens, they like to hang out and compare notes on their crushes and dream about their futures. But even though they both live in the same cul-de-sac, Mia's life is very different from her non-Indigenous, middle-class neighbor. Lara lives with her mom, her dad and her little brother in a big house, with two cars in the drive and a view of the ocean. Mia lives in a shabby wartime house that is full of relatives-her churchgoing grandmother, binge-drinking mother and a rotating number of aunts, uncles and cousins. Even though their differences never seemed to matter to the two friends, Mia begins to notice how adults treat her differently, just because she is Indigenous. Teachers, shopkeepers, even Lara's parents-they all seem to have decided who Mia is without getting to know her first.

  • Auteur:
    Jensen, Carsten
    Sommaire:

    In 1848, Danish sailors set sail to fight Germans. Not all return, and those who do will never be the same, including daredevil Laurids Madsen, who escapes again to the seas. Here also is the story of a Danish town, whose inhabitants sailed the world for a over a hundred years.

  • Auteur:
    Du Beke, Anton
    Sommaire:

    London, 1939. As war is declared once more, a shadow falls over Britain. The staff at the luxurious Buckingham hotel must do all that they can to keep their important guests happy, but behind the scenes, they are scared. Away from the glitz and the glamour of the ballroom, they must face this new reality. Newlywed Nancy knows that her brave husband—debonair dancer Raymond de Guise—will want to fight for his country and enlist. She loves and supports him but is heartbroken at the thought of their being apart and scared of the dangers he'll face. With a new hotel manager at the helm, no one knows what the future holds. But as fashionable society retreats from London and staff depart to sign up for service, one thing is certain: life at the Buckingham will never be the same again.

  • Auteur:
    Carter, Betsy
    Sommaire:

    On the eve of World War II Egon Schneider--a gallant and successful Jewish doctor--escapes Germany to an uncertain future across the sea. Settling in upper Manhattan, he finds solace among a tight-knit group of fellow immigrants, tenacious men and women drawn together by their memories of the world they left behind. When their community is faced with an existential threat, these strangers rise up together in hopes of creating a permanent home.

  • Auteur:
    Wang, Jack
    Sommaire:

    <p>Set on five continents and spanning decades, We Two Alone traces the arc and evolution of the Chinese immigrant experience. A young laundry boy risks his life, pretending to be a girl to play organized hockey in Canada in the 1920s. A Canadian couple is caught in when Shanghai is succumbs to violence during the Second Sino-Japanese War. A family struggles to buy a home in South Africa in the early years of apartheid. An actor in New York struggles to keep his career alive while yearning to reconcile with his estranged wife. From the vulnerable and disenfranchised to the educated and privileged, the characters in this extraordinary collection embody the diversity of the Chinese diaspora past and present. In these deeply affecting stories, Jack Wang subverts expectations as he captures the hope, pain, and sacrifices of the millions who journey into the unknown to create better lives, and explores the shifting boundaries of morality, the intimacies and failings of love, and the choices circumstances force us to make.</p>

  • Auteur:
    Bartels, Erin
    Sommaire:

    "We Hope for Better Things has it all: fabulous storytelling, an emotional impact that lingers long after you turn the last page, and a setting that immerses you. I haven't read such a powerful, moving story since I read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school. This book will change how you look at the world we live in. Highly recommended!"--Colleen Coble, USAToday bestselling author of the Rock Harbor series and The View From Rainshadow Bay "A timely exploration of race in America, We Hope for Better Things is an exercise of empathy that will shape many a soul. Erin Bartels navigates this sensitive topic with compassion as she shifts her readers back and forth between past and present, nudging us to examine the secrets we keep, the grudges we hold, and the prejudices we may help create even without intention."--Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Perennials ***** When Detroit Free Press reporter Elizabeth Balsam meets James Rich, his strange request--that she look up a relative she didn't know she had in order to deliver an old camera and a box of photos--seems like it isn't worth her time. But when she loses her job after a botched investigation, she suddenly finds herself with nothing but time. At her great-aunt's 150-year-old farmhouse, Elizabeth uncovers a series of mysterious items, locked doors, and hidden graves. As she searches for answers to the riddles around her, the remarkable stories of two women who lived in this very house emerge as testaments to love, resilience, and courage in the face of war, racism, and misunderstanding. And as Elizabeth soon discovers, the past is never as past as we might like to think. Debut novelist Erin Bartels takes readers on an emotional journey through time--from the volatile streets of 1960s Detroit to the Underground Railroad during the Civil War--to uncover the past, confront the seeds of hatred, and discover where love goes to hide.

  • Auteur:
    Starritt, Alexander
    Sommaire:

    This novel offers a new point of entry to examine one of the greatest evils ever to face humanity. In his years fighting the Russians and attempting afterward to survive the Gulag, Meissner recounts a life lived in perseverance and atonement. Wracked with guilt and shame, both for himself and for Germany, the grandfather explains his dark rationale, exults in the courage of others, and blurs the boundaries of right and wrong.

  • Auteur:
    Kalla, Daniel
    Sommaire:

    The plague has hit Italy. Can Alana find the source in time to save the world? NATO infectious diseases expert Alana Vaughn receives an urgent message from an ex-lover, summoning her to Genoa to examine a critically ill patient. She's stunned to discover that it's the plague. Alana soon suspects bioterrorism, but her WHO counterpart, Byron Menke, disagrees. In their desperate hunt to track down Patient Zero, they stumble across an 800-year-old monastery and a medieval journal that might hold the secret to the present-day outbreak. With the lethal disease spreading fast, and no end in sight, it's a race against time to uncover the truth before millions die. 2019.

  • Auteur:
    Murkoff, Bruce
    Sommaire:

    During the Great Depression, three lost souls meet one another at Boulder Dam, a massive engineering project in the midst of the Nevada desert. The story begins with Filius Poe, an engineer coping with a grave personal loss. Lew Beck is an angry man who hhas lived a rough life and is ready to explode. Lena McCardell is travelling with her young son, and is hoping for a better future for the two of them. Each is drawn to the dam for different reasons, but they have all been haunted by tragedy.

  • Auteur:
    Gruen, Sara
    Sommaire:

    Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. It's the Depression Era and Jacob, finding himself parentless and penniless, joins the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. There he meets the freaks, grifters, and misfits that populate this world. He introduces us to Marlena, beautiful star of the equestrian act; to August, her charismatic but twisted husband (and the circus's animal trainer); and to Rosie, the seemingly untrainable elephant Jacob cares for. Beautifully written, with a luminous sense of time and place, Water For Elephants tells of love in a world in which love's a luxury few can afford.

  • Auteur:
    Whitson, Stephanie Grace
    Sommaire:

    Charlotte Valentine Bishop has buried her husband. Now she and her son Will are embarking on a trip back to Fort Robinson, Nebraska to make a new home for themselves with Charlotte's father. Unfortunately, the transition doesn't go as smoothly as Charlotte hopes. Will is young, but out of control with mischief. Their old friend Lt. Nathan Boone is a good role model for him- but what role will the handsome lieutenant play in Charlotte's life?

  • Auteur:
    Todd, Charles
    Sommaire:

    Charles Todd brings his classic mystery series to a new level of intensity and intrigue. The year is 1919, and Ian Rutledge is a fragile yet courageous former soldier searching for his place in a post-war world. Now a Scotland Yard detective, Rutledge is called upon to probe a murder in the small Norfolk town of Osterley but he soon discovers that the crime may be connected to one of the greatest disasters of all time.

  • Auteur:
    Edugyan, Esi
    Sommaire:

    When two English brothers arrive at a Barbados sugar plantation, they bring with them a darkness beyond what the slaves have already known. Washington Black -- an eleven year-old field slave -- is horrified to find himself chosen to live in the quarters of one of these men. But the man is not as Washington expects him to be. His new master is the eccentric Christopher Wilde -- naturalist, explorer, inventor and abolitionist -- whose obsession to perfect a winged flying machine disturbs all who know him. Washington is initiated into a world of wonder: a world where the night sea is set alight with fields of jellyfish, where a simple cloth canopy can propel a man across the sky, where even a boy born in chains may embrace a life of dignity and meaning -- and where two people, separated by an impossible divide, can begin to see each other as human. But when a man is killed one fateful night, Washington is left to the mercy of his new masters. Christopher Wilde must choose between family ties and young Washington's life. What follows is a flight along the eastern coast of America, as the men attempt to elude the bounty that has been placed on Washington's head. Their journey opens them up to the extraordinary: to a dark encounter with a necropsicist, a scholar of the flesh; to a voyage aboard a vessel captained by a hunter of a different kind; to a glimpse through an unexpected portal into the Underground Railroad. This is a novel of fraught bonds and betrayal. What brings Wilde and Washington together ultimately tears them apart, leaving Washington to seek his true self in a world that denies his very existence.

  • Auteur:
    Iggulden, Conn
    Sommaire:

    A master of historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden 'makes real those grand characters who live in the collective memory' (Kirkus Reviews). In this follow-up to Stormbird, Henry VI has been struck down by illness, leaving Queen Margaret to safeguard the king's interests as the Duke of York extends his influence throughout the realm.

  • Auteur:
    Iggulden, Conn
    Sommaire:

    In 1437, the Lancaster king Henry VI ascends the throne of England after years of semi-peaceful regency. Named 'The Lamb,' Henry is famed more for his gentle and pious nature than his father's famous battlefield exploits; already, his dependence on his closest men has stirred whispers of weakness at court. A secret truce negotiated with France to trade British territories for a royal bride'Margaret of Anjou'sparks revolts across English territory. The rival royal line, the House of York, sees the chaos brought on by Henry's weakness and with it not only opportunity in the monarch, but also their patriotic duty in ousting an ineffectual king. As storm clouds gather over England, King Henry and his supporters find themselves besieged abroad and at home.

  • Auteur:
    Iggulden, Conn
    Sommaire:

    The brilliant retelling of the Wars of the Roses continues with Bloodline, the gripping third novel in the new series from historical fiction master Conn Iggulden. Winter 1461: Richard, duke of York, is dead-his ambitions in ruins, his head spiked on the walls of the city. King Henry VI is still held prisoner. His Lancastrian queen, Margaret of Anjou, rides south with an army of victorious northerners, accompanied by painted warriors from the Scottish Highlands. With the death of York, Margaret and her army seem unstoppable. Yet in killing the father, Margaret has unleashed the sons. Edward of March, now duke of York, proclaims himself England's rightful king. Factions form and tear apart as snow falls. Through blood and treason, through broken men and vengeful women, brother shall confront brother, king shall face king. Two men can always claim a crown-but only one can keep it. Following Margaret of Anjou, Bloodline is the third epic installment in master storyteller Conn Iggulden's new Wars of the Roses series. Fans of the Game of Thrones and the Tudors series will be gripped from the word "go."

  • Auteur:
    Mallinson, Allan
    Sommaire:

    The stability of the Cape Colony has been threatened by Xhosa tribesman who have been making incursions across the borders. And when Hervey is told by his old friend, Sir Eyre Somervile, that the Zulu warrior king Shaka is about to make war on neighbouring tribes in the south of the country, he knows that matters are perilous indeed.

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