Book picks similar to
Rivington Street by Meredith Tax
historical-fiction
fiction
history-is-a-weapon
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My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton
Stephanie Dray - 2018
Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.A general’s daughter…Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.A founding father’s wife...But the union they create—in their marriage and the new nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.The last surviving light of the Revolution…When a duel destroys Eliza’s hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband’s enemies to preserve Alexander’s legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she’s left with one last battle—to understand the flawed man she married and the imperfect union he could never have created without her…
Century
Fred Mustard Stewart - 1981
From Brooklyn to Hollywood, this is the story of an indomitable Italian family caught up in the mightiest events of all time.
The Girl from the Channel Islands
Jenny Lecoat - 2020
In June of that year, Hitler’s army captures the Channel Islands—the only part of Great Britain occupied by German forces. Abandoned by Mr. Churchill, forgotten by the Allies and cut off from all help, the Islands’ situation is increasingly desperate.Hedy Bercu is a young Jewish girl who fled Vienna for the island of Jersey two years earlier during the Anschluss, only to find herself trapped by the Nazis once more—this time with no escape. Her only hope is to make herself invaluable to the Germans by working as a translator, hiding in plain sight with the help of her friends and community—and a sympathetic German officer. But as the war intensifies, rations dwindle and neighbors are increasingly suspicious of one another. Hedy’s life is in greater danger every day. It will take a definitive, daring act to save her from certain deportation to the concentration camps.A sweeping tale of bravery and love under impossible circumstances, Hedy’s remarkable story reminds us that it’s often up to ordinary people to be quiet heroes in the face of injustice.
The Last Mile of the Way
Margaret Blair Young - 2003
Hardcover
Hawke's Cove
Susan Wilson - 2000
The year is 1944. After the loss of her first child, Evangeline Worth returns to her beloved grandmothers farm in Hawke's Cove. Once the enchanting place of her youth, this small coastal town is now a sanctuary for her solitude. With her husband, John, across the Atlantic on the war front, Vangie does the best she can to put her life, and heart, back together. All of that changes one day when a man appears on her doorstep searching for work.Joe Green looks able enough, and though she wanders why he isn't in the service, Vangie takes him in on instinct. As a rich friendship develops between them, the Army informs Vangie that John is MIA. At the same time, rumors in town circulate about a downed Hellcat plane and its missing pilot. Smoothing away each other's loneliness, Vangie and Joe fed their relationship deepening into a forbidden passion. Then John is suddenly found alive, and the lovers separate -- but cannot bear to sever their bond.In 1993, Vangie's son Charlie lands a plum reporting assignment: to unlock the puzzle of the recently dredged-up Hellcat in Hawke's Cove. To investigate the fifty-year-old mystery, he heads to Hawke's Cove, where he meets respected local Joe Green and his daughter, Maggie. As a romantic relationship blossoms between Charlie and Maggie, Vangie and Joe realize that they must open up thepast -- and the secrets they'd buried along with it.A mesmerizing tale of joy and sorrow, misbegotten dreams and desires, "Hawke's Cove" is peopled with characters who are at once mysterious and unabashedly revealing. With a rare capacity for love and forgiveness, they draw us into their lives through their most private journals, letters, and inner thoughts. Susan Wilson's tenderly crafted love story is guaranteed to leave readers with an intense desire to explore their own hearts.
1929
M.L. Gardner - 2009
With the help of their former, outspoken, Irish maid, Maura, and a new, equally Irish friend, Shannon, the wives become even closer than before.The couples' rocky path leads to more turmoil, however, when a business rival, Victor Drayton, creates one disaster after another. From petty tricks to outright violence, Victor's nefarious mind will stop at nothing to beat down Jonathan's last glimmer of hope.Despite everything, Jonathan and his friends are fixated on surviving.Emotional and financial destruction nip at their heels, until finally, with a lucky twist of fate, they escape city life and begin anew in their hometown of Rockport, Massachusetts.A story set in the past, 1929 is full of romance, drama, and humor. Vivid, expertly crafted characters make this novel more than memorable–1929 is unforgettable.
Viking Quest Series
Lois Walfrid Johnson - 2006
After the young Viking prince Mikkel sets Devin free on the Irish coast far from home, Bree and Devin embark on separate journeys to courage. Readers will be captivated by the unfolding drama as Bree sails to Norway on the Viking ship and Devin travels the dangerous road home. They both must trust their all-powerful God in the midst of difficult situations. In "Mystery of the Silver Coins," Bree finds herself in a physical and spiritual battle for survival. With another young slave, she makes a daring escape from the ship as soon as it reaches harbor. They hide in the woods as Mikkel and his Viking sailors begin a relentless search, certain that Bree is responsible for a missing bag of silver coins. Bree must face her unwillingless to forgive the Vikings, and Mikkel begins to wonder: Is the God of these Irish Christians really more powerful than our own Viking gods' In "The Invisible Friend," Bree arrives in Norway and is sent to work as a slave for the family of Mikkel, her Viking captor. She struggles to adjust, feeling worthless and disrespected, and wondering why God wants her in Norway. Her prayers are answered when she is given the opportunity to teach Mikkel's grandparents to read using an illuminated Bible stolen from an Irish monastery. In the "Heart of Courage," Bree learns that her brother, Devin, her sister, Keely, and her friend, Lil, will set out for Ireland. She longs to go with them. Instead, Mikkel asks her to be a cook for voyage to Greenland. Somehow her excellent food becomes inedible and the Vikings think she's trying to sabotage their voyage. Join Bree and Devin for more adventures in this fourth installment of the "Viking Quest" series.In "The Raider's Promise," Bree, Devin, and Mikkel enter a new world with the explorer Leif Erikson. Their first task: build a shelter to survive the winter. But danger lurks from within the shadows on the horizon of a life where everyone needs the courage to win. Can Mikkel conquer his enemies and find new purpose for his life' Will he keep his promise to Bree and Devin to take them home to Ireland' Will he keep his pledge of honor, even if it means death'
Three Little Ships
Lilian Harry - 2005
As each boat ferries exhausted men from the beaches to the waiting ships, under incessant fire from enemy aircraft and in a sea awash with debris and bodies, the men are unknowingly united by a powerful driving force—the urgent need to find one man, brother or son, who matters more to them than anyone else. Each of these missing men has a family, a wife or a sweetheart at home who is anxiously waiting for news—and one sweetheart in particular is determined to play her own part in the rescue.
Audacity
Melanie Crowder - 2015
Bucking the norms of both her traditional Jewish family and societal conventions, Clara refuses to accept substandard working conditions in the factories on Manhattan's Lower East Side. For years, Clara devotes herself to the labor fight, speaking up for those who suffer in silence. In time, Clara convinces the women in the factories to strike, organize, and unionize, culminating in the famous Uprising of the 20,000. Powerful, breathtaking, and inspiring, Audacity is the story of a remarkable young woman, whose passion and selfless devotion to her cause changed the world.
Tilly Trotter: An Omnibus
Catherine Cookson - 1972
It follows the fortunes of a young girl from a small village in Tyneside, to a new life in America as the wife of a wealthy man, only to return and encounter the enmity of her former neighbors and townspeople.
The Puzzle King
Betsy Carter - 2009
An improbable match, they meet in New York City and fall in love. Simon—inventor of the jigsaw puzzle—eventually makes his fortune. Now wealthy, but still outsiders, Flora and Simon become obsessed with rescuing the loved ones they left behind in Europe whose fates are determined by growing anti-Semitism on both sides of the Atlantic. Inspired by her family’s legends, Betsy Carter weaves a memorable tale. In the tradition of Suite Française or Amy Bloom's Away, she explores a fascinating moment in history and creates a cast of characters who endure with dignity, grace, and hope for the future.
Gone to Soldiers
Marge Piercy - 1987
A compelling chronicle of humans in conflict with inhuman events, Gone to Soldiers is an unforgettable reading experience and a stirring tribute to the remarkable survival of the human spirit.
Confessions of a Courtesan
Elizabeth Charles - 2011
Based on the true story of Elizabeth Armistead, one of the most notorious and successful courtesans of 18th century England.From the harsh streets of London, Lizzie Cane rose to become the celebrated mistress of earls, dukes, and even a prince! Then at the height of her career, she risked everything she had struggled to gain by breaking the courtesan's cardinal rule...Never fall in love.
On the Sickle's Edge
Neville Frankel - 2016
What we cannot lose.A sweeping masterwork of love and loss, secrets and survival, On the Sickle's Edge is told through the voices of three characters who lay bare their family's saga: the endearing, scrappy South-African born Lena, transported to Latvia and later trapped in the USSR; her granddaughter Darya, a true Communist whose growing disillusionment with Soviet ideology places her family at mortal risk; and Steven, a painter from Boston who inadvertently stumbles into the tangled web of his family's past. Against the roiling backdrop of twentieth-century Russia and Eastern Europe, the novel delivers equal parts historical drama, political thriller and poignant love story.On the Sickle's Edge takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride through some of the most tumultuous events of the 20th century. Instantly immersed in seven generations of the Shtein family, we witness their exhilarating celebrations and provocative controversies, and gain an intimate understanding of the pivotal events in South Africa, Latvia and the Soviet Union. Neville Frankel's ability to combine historical insight and human passion is spellbinding. I couldn't put it down. --Pamela Katz, The Partnership: Brecht, Weill, Three Women, and Germany on the BrinkIn the hands of a masterful storyteller, On the Sickle's Edge pits the weight of an oppressive regime against individual tenacity and profound personal courage. Inspired by Frankel's own family history, this multi-generational epic holds up a mirror to a universal truth: all immigrants face the powerful tension between assimilation and cultural identity. We have--all of us--lived life on the edge of the sickle. --Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director of International Jewish Affairs, American Jewish Committee
The Tainted Crown (Horstberg Saga #4)
Elizabeth D. Michaels - 2015
He also grew up observing the powerful and tender love shared by his parents. Determined to find that same kind of love in his own life, he is holding out for a woman who can see more in him than a marriage that will give his future wife prestige and great wealth. After more than a decade of searching for the right woman, Erich may have finally found a love beyond anything he’d imagined. But his happiness and the stability of the country is at risk when a long-dormant evil comes to the surface in Horstberg, threatening his life and that of his young nephew, who is Erich’s heir. While Erich tries to remain confident that he will live long enough to claim his right to serve his country, he is haunted by premonitory dreams that imply his life will come to a tragic end. As a force of extremist revolutionaries force Horstberg to the brink of war, the entire du Woernig family must flee into hiding for the sake of their own survival. Only when everything is on the line does Erich come to fully understand what truly matters. Please note that Book Five, the final book in the Horstberg Saga will be available for preorder on April 6th and will be released May 4th.