History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

The Secret Book of Flora Lea Author: Patti Callahan Henry Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Atria Books Release Date: 2023 Pages: 364 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis : When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed.      In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.      But the unthinkable h...

Surviving Savannah Author: Patti Callahan Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Women’s Fiction Publisher: Berkley Release Date: 2021 Pages: 431 Source: My State Public Library  Synopsis: It was called "The Titanic of the South." The luxury steamship sank in 1838 with Savannah's elite on board; through time, their fates were forgotten--until the wreck was found, and now their story is finally being told in this breathtaking novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis .      When Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski, she's shocked. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly can't resist the opportunity to try to solve some of the mysteries and myths surrounding the devastating night of its sinking.       Everly's researc...

     It was my great honor to interview Patti Callahan Henry. She is the author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, a fictional biography about the unlikely romance between Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis. Joy's story has been memorialized in the play and movie, Shadowlands , but this novel examines the woman behind the famous man. Becoming Mrs. Lewis also shines a light on the fiery genius that made a literary legend eschew a lifelong bachelorhood only to marry a woman who was taken too soon from cancer. My sincerest thanks go to Patti Callahan for generously taking time for this interview, and I hope you find it enjoying and enlightening. This was the first historical biography you had written. How different was it from writing your other novels, and was it a more difficult process?  It was different mainly because Joy and Jack were very real and very well known people! I wouldn’t say it was more difficult, but it was definitely tapping into a new set of skills. Usually ...