History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Castle of Concrete by Katia Raina Publication Date: June 11, 2019 Young Europe Books eBook & Paperback; 304 Pages Genre: YA Historical Fiction Synopsis: In 1990-1991, when the history of Russia and the entire Soviet Union is being revisited and the rules are changing, a fifteen-year-old Jewish girl, Sonya Solovay, reunites with her dissident mother after twelve years of hiding out in Siberia–her life’s dream realized. Still, she sees herself as a typical Soviet citizen: a shy, quiet, obedient, barely-there girl, dissolving into the past, her country’s and her own. Determined to break into her new existence, Sonya tries out a shining new persona, but most of her efforts backfire. One mysterious boy notices her, wants to hear her stories, makes her feel like she is the shiniest part of his world. Everything else might as well fade away–her distant and hungry-for-gossip classmates, the equally shy Jewish friend who doesn’t always seem to understand her,...

     This guest post by author D.K. Marley is extremely fascinating! She is the author of The Fire of Winter , which examines the life of the historical "Lady Macbeth". I have always been fascinated by this woman and wanted to know more about who she really was, and Mrs. Marley has been gracious enough to share her story with my readers! I am honored to have her as a guest post author. Thank you, D.K. Marley! The Real Lady Macbeth      When I first embarked on writing the novel about the real Lady Macbeth and her infamous husband, I must say that my knowledge of the two of them was entirely relegated to what I knew of them from Shakespeare’s play. Macbeth, the play, is one of my favourites of his tragedies, so I knew right off after finishing “Prince of Sorrows”, the historical adaptation of Hamlet, that this would be next on my list.     My repertoire of research links and hours spent on this dangerous couple is immense, spanning countles...

The Fire of Winter by D.K. Marley Publication Date: June 1, 2019 eBook; 355 Pages Genre: Historical Fiction Source: This book was given to me by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis : Gruah, granddaughter of King Cìnéad III of the Royal Clan Alpin, marries two men in less than six months, one she loves and one she hates; one in secret, the other arranged by the High King of Scotland. At the age of eighteen, she lays her palm upon the ancient stone of Scone and sees her destiny as Queen of Scotland, and she vows to do whatever necessary to see her true love, Macbeth macFindlaech, beside her on the throne.      Amid the fiery times and heated onslaughts from Denmark and England, as the rule of Scotland hangs in the balance, Gruah seeks to win the throne and bring revenge upon the monsters of her childhood, no matter the cost or amount of blood tainting her own hands; yet, an unexpected meeting wit...

The Bride’s Trunk: A Story of War and Reconciliation Author: Ingrid Dixon Genre: History, Nonfiction, Biography Publisher: Cloudshill Press Release Date: 2016 Pages: 228 Source: This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.  Synopsis: A true story of love and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Second World War.      Minny leaves Germany on a bitterly cold morning in December 1946 and travels to England to marry Jim, a British Intelligence Corps soldier in the Allied armies that defeated the Nazi regime in 1945 and occupied the devastated nation. She has survived British and American bombs and witnessed the destruction of Aachen, her ancient and beautiful city. How will a German woman cope in austere post-war Britain, where she is still regarded as the enemy?      Illustrated with almost 100 images and original documents, The Bride’s Trunk describes the adventures of an unremarkable piece of luggage and three ...

The Orphan’s Tale Author: Pam Jenoff Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher:  MIRA Release Date: 2017 Pages: 369 Source: Publisher/Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: A powerful novel of friendship set in a traveling circus during World War II, The Orphan’s Tale introduces two extraordinary women and their harrowing stories of sacrifice and survival.       Sixteen-year-old Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant by a Nazi soldier and being forced to give up her baby. She lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep… When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. And in a moment that will change the course of her life, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night.       Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze ac...

Margaret Tudor: The Life of Henry VIII's Sister  Author: Melanie Clegg Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Pen and Sword History Release Date: 2018 Pages: 224 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: When the thirteen year old Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York, married King James IV of Scotland in a magnificent proxy ceremony held at Richmond Palace in January 1503, no one could have guessed that this pretty, redheaded princess would go on to have a marital career as dramatic and chequered as that of her younger brother Henry VIII.Left widowed at the age of just twenty three after her husband was killed by her brother’s army at the battle of Flodden, Margaret was made Regent for her young son and was temporarily the most powerful woman in Scotland - until she fell in love with the wrong man, lost everything and was forced to flee the country. In a life that foreshadowed that of her tragic...

The Lost Girl of Astor Street Author: Stephanie Morrill Genre: YA, Historical Fiction, Mystery Publisher: Blink Release Date: 2017 Pages: 352 Source: Edelweiss/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: When her best friend vanishes without so much as a good-bye, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail takes on the role of amateur sleuth in an attempt to solve the mystery of Lydia’s disappearance. Given that Piper’s tendency has always been to butt heads with high-society’s expectations of her, it’s no surprise that she doesn’t give a second thought to searching for answers to Lydia’s abduction from their privileged neighborhood.       As Piper discovers that those answers might stem from the corruption strangling 1924 Chicago—and quite possibly lead back to the doors of her affluent neighborhood—she must decide how deep she’s willing to dig, how much she should reveal, and if she’s willing to risk her life of privilege for the sake of the truth.   ...