New Reviews: Historical Fiction

A young mother and daughter who are struggling to survive the horrors of WWII London find solace in books in this novel, smoothly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. With a pleasing accent and a mostly straightforward delivery, Maarleveld describes the community of a subscription library. Called booklovers' libraries, these staples of early-twentieth-century England provided curated... Read More

Suzy Jackson's vibrant narration brings out the youthful emotions in this second-generation take on Shakespeare's ROMEO AND JULIET. Rosaline Montague, the eldest daughter of Romeo and Juliet--who are NOT dead--finds herself a spinster at the age of 20. After several unsuccessful matchmaking attempts, her parents agree to a courtship by Duke Stephano, a man with a history of... Read More

A terrific performance by Christopher Lane transports listeners to Dickens's London 20 years before the events made famous in his novels. We learn why Miss Havisham became the embittered woman in GREAT EXPECTATIONS, as well as the origin stories of many other notable characters in Dickens's works. After being jilted at the altar and robbed of her fortune by Compeyson, a con... Read More

Bahni Turpin's narration draws listeners into the fifth in Ibrahim's Yellow Crocus series. The audiobook opens with a birth and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (Turpin gets five stars for realistic childbirth sounds.) Friends since childhood, next-door neighbors Kay Lynn and Japanese-American Kimiko face the challenges brought by WWII. Filled with fear of the unknown, they find... Read More

Listeners will be fascinated by the origin story of the Sawtelle family, featured in THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE. In 1919, John Sawtelle; his wife, Mary; their friends; and their dogs set out to create a life in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Richard Poe paints pictures of the locations, the wide range of memorable characters, and their adventures. At times funny, at times dark,... Read More

Sebastian Abineri brings to life nineteenth-century London and New Orleans in a novel that combines historical and fictional characters. Listeners encounter Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, Fagin, and others. Striking descriptions of the rich and powerful contrast with the underbelly of poverty, prostitution, and crime. Abineri expertly mingles accents, time frames, and myriad... Read More

It's rewarding to listen to a novel that depicts the effects of tumultuous times upon several generations of a family. Maggi-Meg Reed and Mark Bramhall portray various members of the Taylor family and their associates. Reed and Bramhall provide clear differentiation between characters, including young attorney Nick Taylor, who works for American Oil; Bet, his devoted wife and... Read More

Georgina Campbell performs this gothic tale set in 1840s England. Orabella Mumthrope finds herself marrying a mysterious, wealthy stranger to help settle her uncle's debt. At her husband's historic home, she meets his family, all of whom seem to have far too many secrets. Campbell's performance capture's Orabella's frustration as she's given a strict routine and told never to... Read More

Euan Morton sounds like he's having a grand time narrating this strange and strangely endearing story set in the eleventh century. Tyun, a relic hunter, and Nicephorus, a monk who has had a (possibly) prophetic dream, set off with a motley crew on a sometimes madcap, often funny adventure to steal the bones of Saint Nicholas and bring them back to Bari. As the city's Norman... Read More

Narrator Samuel Roukin introduces listeners to this unique story of the German people before and after Hitler's maniacal rise to power. Roukin deftly creates both German and Jewish characters with identifiable voices and cadences. Sophia Alexander pays no mind to Hitler's actions until the hospital where her father works is burned to the ground because he refuses to perform... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini's spellbinding performance of this intergenerational tale of love and survival lingers in the mind long after one is done listening. Based on memories of the author's Dutch grandmother, the novel incorporates two stories--the child Mieke, who is trying to survive Holland's "Hunger Winter" of 1944, and Mieke's adult grandson, Will, who visits his now elderly... Read More

Rob Shapiro immerses listeners in this historical fiction. The novel is about the infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy, who planned to spend his post-outlaw days staying lying low. So here he is in Paris, where he meets talented singer Jane Touissant and introduces himself as Mr. Noble Salt. Touissant and Salt's (Cassidy's) connection and mutual goal of keeping their secrets... Read More

Rebecca Lowman presents this provocative novel based on Peggy Guggenheim's diary and other historical sources. Lowman's thoughtful pace serves the narrative well as the listener experiences Peggy's reminiscences of her unconventional life and accomplishments. Because of her inherited wealth, Guggenheim was able to live a flamboyant bohemian existence, but Lowman also depicts... Read More

Ramiz Monsef performs this historical novel set during the Battle of Blair Mountain in the early 1920s. Lebanese American "Doc Moo" Muhanna serves as a medical doctor during the Mine Wars, tending to people in the camps and bandaging the wounds of those who were fighting against the bosses' hired guns. Monsef's narration enlivens the characters as they give listeners various... Read More

Nicola Barber masterfully portrays Liz Houghton, a determined journalist who is stuck in the Obituary Department of a national British newspaper. Liz is on a mission to launch her career by uncovering the link between the mysterious disappearances of three girls during WWII and a present-day case in 1968. Barber's voice work shines as she differentiates Liz's posh British... Read More

Victoria Villarreal and an ensemble cast narrate a thrilling epic set in 1950s Hollywood. Sword-and-sandal films are all the rage, so when an unknown actress--from Mexico, no less--is chosen to play Salome in the latest picture, tempers flare. Villarreal capably portrays the three main characters: Vera Larios, the unknown Mexican ingénue; Nancy Hartley, a bit player who feels... Read More

Olivia Vinall's slight English accent and careful diction allow the listener to enjoy the lyrical language in the overlapping stories of Arthur, a young man in Victorian London; Narin, a Yezidi girl in Turkey in 2014; and Zaleekhah, a woman in London in 2018. Vinall's pleasant narration starts with a raindrop that falls beside the River Tigris in olden times, which will wind... Read More

Aimee Crocker was a real person, born into a wealthy, conventional family in 1864. Narrator Suzanne Toren's interpretation of Aimee's development from naïve teenager to a beautiful intellectual and sexual gourmand well into her 50s is phenomenal. Toren's fine performance will give listeners an understanding of this mysterious woman whom no one understood in her time. Women... Read More

Narrator Nick Mondelli masterfully spins a web of empathy and heartbreak in this novel set in Waverly Hills, a historic tuberculosis hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, in the Prohibition era of the 1920s. Dr. Wolfgang Pike believes in the healing power of music. While composing a requiem for his late wife, he creates an orchestra for the patients and medical staff. But because... Read More