Yes, I did randomly decide to take pictures of what I assume are the decorative olives & olive containers at Me-n-Ed’s pizzeria. Yes, I did edit them to look all vintage and old. And yes, I thought this editing would kind of fit a post about historical fiction novels on my TBR. Now, you can decide whether or not this was a good choice. Anyways, I thought I’d share blurbs of the five historical novels that I’m interested in reading! There are a lot more, but I tried to narrow it down to the ones that I’m most drawn to.
1. The Atomic City Girls. This book, written by Janet Beard, is all about the incredible Manhatten Project. It centers on 18-year-old June who joins hundreds of other women to work on a highly-secure, highly-secret assignment they know nothing about. June strongly desires to know the end goal of the Project, and she begins an affair with the young, Jewish, physicist who is in charge of the lab she works for. When she discovers the truth, she must face up to her own values about the war, patriotism, and loyalty.
2. All the Light We Cannot See. Anthony Doerr weaves together the lives of a blind French girl, Marie-Laure, and a German boy, Werner Pfennig, who are trying to deal with the evils of World War II. Marie’s family flees Nazi-occupied Paris carrying a treasured museum item with them. Werner, who is talented at building and repairing radios, is enlisted to hunt down the resistance with his skills. The lives of these two are brought together to illustrate how people try to be good and kind to each other, even in the most difficult circumstances.
3. Secrets She Kept. Written by Cathy Gohlke, this story tells of Hannah Sterling’s risky endeavour to learn more about her late, estranged mother. She learns about her grandfather, who lives in Germany, and how he worked his way up the rungs of the Nazi Party. The story of mother and daughter unfold as Hannah seeks her grandfather, shocked, looking for a connection, and wondering if she can do anything to redeem her family’s past.
4. The Remains of the Day. I saw the film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel a couple months back; I cosied up on my Nana’s couch and put it on my favourite TV channel: TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Immediately, I was swept up in this story, and I had no idea it was first a book until my cousin walked by and told me about it :’) Stevens, a faithful butler to Darlington Hall, goes on a six-day trip that turns into a reflection of the past. He served Darlington Hall through both World Wars, saw it filled with diplomats from all over the world, and witnessed real, political action (or lack thereof). What is most poignant about this story is the unrealised love that grows between Stevens and his housekeeper.
5. A Separate Peace. I know this is a classic, and I know I should have already read it, but I haven’t! John Knowles created a timeless story about waning adolescence in a world that has been thrust into war; two boys at boarding school discover the darker side of growing up. What goes on between them over the summer expels what little innocence they had left, paralleled by the unforgiving nature of war and its banishment of innocence and naivete.
Have you read any of these titles?! What did you think of them? Are you a fan of historical fiction? I’d love to hear your thoughts & book suggestions 🙂 <3