HISTORICAL FICTION

"A historian, if honest, gives us a photograph of the past; the storyteller us a painting."
-Leon Garfield

" Historical Fiction for our Global Times,"
Horn Book Magazine, November/December 1988.

This list of historical fiction is not comprehensive, but it does have variety! There is something here for everyone: action-packed adventure stories, timeless tales of love, intimate portraits of fascinating people and richly detailed depictions of days gone by. From the Ice Age to the early 20^th Century, the story of mankind is played out in the pages of these well-researched, well-written novels.

Battle, Lois
Storyville
Viking, 1993. 435 p.
New Orleans, 1898.
Storyville---the District--is about to become legal, so as long as the prostitutes stay within the District they cannot be arrested. Kate has been lured to New Orleans by a drifter with the promise of marriage. After he runs out on her, Billy Shakespeare, the desk clerk at the hotel, sets her up at a millinery shop, leading Kate down the slippery slope into becoming one of the classiest "ladies of the night" in New Orleans. Julia Randsome, a society woman, is a Yankee brought to New Orleans by her husband. Julia champions many causes, the latest of which is fighting the city law legalizing the District. When she finds out that her husband’s family owns some properties in the District, Julia must fight the District and her husband as well. Julia and Kate become linked through the Randsomes’ son, home to visit before joining up with the Rough Riders to go to Cuba to free that country. As the relationship between Julia and Kate is developed, the life of the District is fleshed out, and the characters who roam the District play out their stories. The appeal of this book comes through the characters and the sense of place. Only in New Orleans could a madam like Mollie Q, a cross-dresser like Lady Caroline, or a hustler-jazz musician like Monkey come to life.

Bedford, Simi Yoruba Girl Dancing
Viking, 1992. 184 p.
Nigeria and England, 1950’s.
Six-year-old Remi is torn from the security of a large, loving extended family in Lagos when her father ships her off to an otherwise all white English boarding school. Since her schoolmates’ knowledge of Africans is limited to Tarzan films, a resilient and witty Remi must prove to them her alikeness while trying to retain her increasingly vague sense of home.

Caldwell, Taylor
Dear and Glorious Physician
Doubleday, 1959. 574 p.
A fictional account of the life of Lucanus, a physician at the time of Christ, who became known as St. Luke, the Healer. The story spans from Luke’s childhood in Israel, when he somehow, without being taught, knew the uses of herbs to heal, through his life of miracle healing and his search for God. Choosing to serve the poor instead of accepting Tiberius Caesar’s appointment to become the Chief Medical Officer of Rome, Lucanus travels to Galilee to meet Mary, mother of Jesus. An inspiring, poetic account of St. Luke and of the life of Jesus and his apostles.

Conley, Robert
Mountain Windsong: A Novel of the Trail of Tears
University of Oklahoma Press, 1992. 218 p.
North Carolina; Eastern Oklahoma, 1830s-present.
Lyrics of the song "whippoorwill" and text from several historical sources ate interwoven as a contemporary Cherokee grandfather, living on the reservation in North Carolina, tells his grandson about the lovers Oconeeches and Waguli, who lived through the Trail of Tears. As Waguli is captured and imprisoned by federal soldiers, we experience his shame and degradation. Thousands of Cherokees, including Waguli, were marched from their traditional lands in North Carolina to eastern Oklahoma. Oconeechae managed to escape the federal soldiers, determined to find Waguli so they could be married.

Conroy, Sarah Booth
Refinements of Love
Pantheon, 1993. 301 p.
Washington D.C., 1885.
In 1885, Clover Adams’ mysterious death scandalized Washington, D.C society. In a blend of fact and fiction and told from Clover’ letters to posterity, "events leading to Clover’s death and a possible motive for murder unfold in this character study of Clover and Henry Adams (grandson of John Quincy Adams). In an afterward Conroy explains the reasoning behind her version of the events.

Cornwell, Bernard
Sharpe’s Gold
Viking, 1981. 250 p.
Peninsular Campaign, Napoleonic Wars, 1909-1815.
Richard Sharpe rises through the ranks of Lord Wellington’s Peninsular Army from infantryman to Lieutenant-Colonel in this series, in which each title features a particular battle in the Napoleonic wars. In Sharpe’s Gold, Sharpe must steal a cache of gold coins, hidden in the Portuguese hills, in order to fund the failing British army. Historical motes at the end of each book underscore the accuracy of the novels.

Davis, Lindsey
Venus in Copper
Crown, 1991. 277 p.
Rome, 71 A.D.
Marcus Didius Falco returns in this third mystery set in Imperial Rome by Davis. Determined to work as his own man as a private investigator and no longer as an informer for Emperor Vespasian, Falco is hired to investigate the background of bride-to- be Severina by the bridegroom’s family. When bridegroom Hortensius is poisoned, Severina turns the tables and hires Falco to find the murderer of her betrothed. Sleuth Falco uncovers an excess of suspects including swindled partners and disgruntled tenants in this novel that is filled with insight into Roman life and customs.

Delderfield, R.F.
God is an Englishman
Simon & Schuster, 1970. 687 p.
This novel is set on the late 1850’s, a time when England was strong, English law was supreme, and the Industrial Age in full flower. Enter Adam Swann, returned from military service in the Crimea and India, who runs head on into the problem of how to move his luggage when the shipping routes don’t go where he needs to go. Beginning with a few carts and horses he develops Swann-on-Wheels, a network of freight hauling coaches that stretches throughout England. He meets Henrietta Rawlinson, and their love story is woven into this tale of England in a changing era. This is a traditional type of novel that gives the reader a bird’s-eye view of Victorian England. For those who like good long reads, this Delderfield is perfect. God Is An Englishman is the first in a series of several books about the Swanns and England as they move from the Victorian Age into the twentieth century.

Deloria, Ella Cara
Waterlily
University of Nebraska Press, 1988. 244 p.
The Dakotas, Early 19^th Century.
Written nearly 50 years ago, this portrayal of nineteenth-century Sioux life reveals the Plains Indian culture from the unique perspective of the woman. As Waterlily and her family re-create life in the camp circle, both commonplace and extraordinary events are described. Through Waterlily’s delightfully told story, the reader learns about child rearing, the intricate system of relatedness, the meaning of ceremonies, her reaction to white men, and much more.

Dunnett, Dorothy
The Game of Kings
Putnam, 1961. 543 p.
Scotland, around 1547 (shortly after the death of Henry VIII).
Francis Crawford of Lymond is universally known to be a rogue and a traitor. His criminal activities shame his older brother, Baron Culter, and intrigue Culter’s new wife. Lymond, master of disguise, is good at crime, so stylish in his methods and choice of victims. Against the background of royal intrigue revolving around the proposed marriage of 4-year-old Mary, Queen of Scots, to young Edward of England, Lymond plays his role with swashbuckling verve. The author’s constant swirl of Latin and French phrases and liberal use of literary and historical allusion make the reader wish for a better (and classical) education, but the confusion only lasts for as long as it takes to be swept into Lymond’s world. This novel is the first of a five volume series.

Esquivel, Laura
Like Water for Chocolate
Doubleday, 1992. 246 p.
Born in the family kitchen, Tita, the beautiful youngest daughter of Mama Elena, has always felt a love for the kitchen. One day, during a party at her mother’s ranch, she meets Pedro. The two fall deeply in love, and Pedro asks Mama Elena for permission to marry Tita. Family tradition, however, decrees that Tita must forsake marriage and children in order to care for her mother until her mother’s death. Heartbroken, Pedro agrees to marry her older sister in order to be near Tita. Mama Elena, however, senses this. She not only circumvents Pedro’s every attempt to be near his true love, but purposefully makes Tita miserable. Seeking solace in the kitchen, Tita soon becomes the family chef. Her culinary skills have a magical touch, however, as her emotions are expressed through the dish she is preparing at the time. Complete with recipes for the dishes mentioned, Like Water for Chocolate is a humorous, magical look at family life and love during the Mexican Revolution.

Finney, Patricia
Firedrake’s Eye
St. Martin’s, 1992. 263 p.
London, 1583.
In this colorful depiction of Elizabethan England, Tom O’Bedlam, escapee from the famous asylum, recounts the story of his friend David Becket and his efforts, along with the Portuguese Jew Simon Ames, to save the Queen from a murderous plot devised by the traitor Adam Strangway. This novel is particularly evocative of the sights, scenes, everyday life, and odors of "Merry Old England." Recommended for those who enjoyed George Garett’s Elizabethan trilogy.

Follett, Ken
The Pillars of the Earth
Morrow, 1989. 973 p.
When the Kingsbidge Catherdral burns down in 1125, Prior Philip beseeches his community of monks, tradesmen, noblemen and even the king to join forces to build the most beautiful cathedral in England. Taking close to fifty years to build, and despite wars, storms, poverty and death, the cathedral slowly emerges. Follett enriches this story outline with a large cast of characters, details of daily life in the twelfth century and a wealth of information about cathedrals and the Middle Ages. Known for his spy thrillers, Follett uses his storytelling ability to create a fast paced, exciting novel.

Forbath, Peter
The Last Hero
Simon & Schuster, 1988. 729 p.
Africa, 1887.
In 1884 the British were expelled from the Sudan by primitive dervishes-a defeat that shocked and disgraced all of England. In 1886 it was discovered that a province in the Sudan, called Equatoria, was still holding out against the dervishes. One man was chosen to lead an expedition across Africa with the impossible mission of rescuing Equatoria and regaining England’s honor. That man was Henry Morton Stanley, already a hero for discovering the source of the Nile and finding Dr. Livingstone. The Last Hero is based on the true story of Stanley’s arrogant yet courageous leadership on this incredible journey.

Gedge, Pauline
Child of the Morning
Dial Press, 1977. 403 p.
Egypt, c1490 B.C.
Hatshepsut was trained from birth to be a queen, but the death of her older sister and the weakness of her half brother Thothmes led her father instead to crown her Pharoah. After her father’s death, Hatshepsut agreed to marry her brother and name him Pharoah on the condition that he would leave the running of the country to her. Much to Hatshepsut’s disappointment, her marriage to Thothmes 11 produced only two daughters, while his second marriage produced a son and royal heir. When Thothmes 11 died before his son was five years old, Hatshepsut again claimed the title of Pharoah. After a peaceful reign of over 20 years, during which Egypt increased in wealth and power, Thothmes 111 forced his claim to be Pharoah and finally defeated his aunt-mother, returning Egypt to a period of war and colonization. This is a very moving story of the life, glories, disappointments and death of Egypt’s only female Pharoah.

George, Margaret
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
St Martin’s, 1992. 870 p.
Scotland, France, England, 1542-1587.
Fleeing from Scotland’s warring lords, Mary Queen of Scots spends her childhood at the French court as the betrothed of the future King of France. When he dies, Mary returns to Scotland as the Catholic anointed queen to a newly Protestant nation. Alienating her subjects with her religion, unfamiliar French ways, the choice of an unsuitable husband, and the taking of a married lover, she escapes imprisonment in Scotland only to have her cousin Elizabeth 1 detain her in England. Filled with the courage, romance, and intrigue of the royal courts of the sixteenth century.

Gerson, Jack
Death Squad London
St. Martin’s, 1989. 294 p.
London, 1936.
Ernst Lohmann is an outsider in both his old country, Germany, and in his new country, England. Once an important inspector in Berlin’s Criminal Police, Lohmann fled Germany when he could not support Adolph Hitler’s rise to power. Working as a translator in London in 1936, Lohmann is asked by a friend to look into the supposed suicide of a young Jewish reporter, Beth Kovel. Her father refuses to believe she would ever have taken her own life. As Lohmann investigates Beth’s death, he uncovers a plot among aristocratic British Fascists to help Nazi Germany. Suspense mounts as he works with both Winston Churchill and Minister Baldwin to unravel the mystery and stop the death squads before they kill him.

Giles, Janice Holt
Johnny Osage
Houghton Mifflin, 1960. 288 p.
Oklahoma, 1820’s.
A love story set against the dark and bloody background of raids and massacres in the bitter feud between Osage and Cherokees, with the U.S. government as uneasy arbiter. This authentic novel of the first white settlement in the Oklahoma wilderness shows a compassionate understanding of the Native American. Readers of all ages will enjoy this story of the conflict between the Indian and the white man. By reading it, one can better understand the savage treatment the Indians received in the white man’s quest for more and more land.

Hall, Robert Lee
Murder at Drury Lane
St. Martin’s, 1992.
London, 1758.
In 1758, Benjamin Franklin is acting as Pennsylvania’s agent to the crown. He is also trying to reconcile the growing differences between England and the Colonies. When Franklin goes to the new Drury Lane Theatre where actor David Garrick is the draw, he becomes involved in murder when a heckler is pushed from the balcony to his death. Then Garrick reveals he has received threatening notes. Mysterious fires, missing costumes, and then murder wreck havoc with the troupe. Garrick asks Franklin to investigate. Using the ruse that he has been hired to invent new lighting for the theatre, Franklin meets actors, actresses, rakes, and aristocrats as he tries to uncover the plot. It will take a chance meeting with Dr. Samuel Johnson to help finally solve the mystery.

Harrison, Sue
Mother Earth, Father Sky
Doubleday, 1990. 313 p.
Aleutian Islands, 7000 B.C.
Chagak, an Ice Age Aleut and the lone survivor of her tribe’s massacre, must strike out across unknown waters, endure the elements and her enemy’s assaults, and find her grandfather among the whale-hunting tribes.

Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia
Anna
St. Martin’s, 1991. 631 p.
Russia, 1802-1812.
Abandoned, in Paris by her employees during the Napoleonic wars, English governess Anne Peters is rescued by Russian Count Kirov and adopted into his family. Against the backdrop of quiet family life and glittering St. Petersburg and Moscow society, Anne is drawn into the politics and diplomacy which vie with family relationships and romance, as the Russian people and the land itself come together to fight their common enemy—Napoleon. First in a series featuring the Kirov family. For readers of Gone With The Wind and the novels of Anya Seton.

Hodge, Jane Aiken
Windover
St. Martin’s, 1992. 266 p.
England, 18^th Century.
Unbeknownst to plucky heroine Kathryn Pennam, her bad tempered stepfather has attacked her true love, rendering him amnesiac and unable to return for her. Despairing, she enters into a loveless marriage, an equally unbearable home life and further catastrophe. An escape to London with her mild offers some degree of safety and much adventure.

Holland, Cecilia
Great Maria
Alfred A. Knopf, 1974. 519 p.
Southern Italy, 11^th Century.
Maria is the daughter of a Norman robber baron who is forced by her father to marry Richard, one of her father’s knights, even though she loves Roger, Richard’s younger brother. As the years pass, Maria realizes her father made the right choice for her. She and Richard fight together to extend his empire into the territory of the Saracens (Moslems). During this time, Maria endures eight pregnancies, losing two children to childhood diseases and one to a miscarriage. As Richard grows more powerful, Roger grows more envious and eventually Roger makes his move to try to usurp Richard and his sons.

Johnson, Charles
Middle Passage
Atheneum, 1990.  209 p.
Middle Passage relates the experiences of Rutherford Calhoun, a recently freed slave from Illinois, through a series of entries in a journal. After receiving his freedom, Calhoun heads to New Orleans where he embarks upon life of wild living and petty thievery. Eventually, he finds himself not only deeply in dept to prim schoolteacher. Calhoun flees New Orleans aboard the Republic, a rotting slave ship. Illness, storms, and a mutiny make for a horrific journey; one which causes Calhoun to re-evaluate his life and priorities. Rich in language and historical detail, Middle Passage is an extraordinary account of a most unusual voyage. Winner of the National Book Award in 1990.

Jones, Douglas C.
The Search for Temperance Moon
Henry Holt, 1991. 324 p.
Even though the murderer has been convicted, brothel madam Jewel Moon hires ex-Marshall Oscar to investigate the murder of her mother, the outlaw Temperance Moon. Jewel Moon needs to know why her mother was killed; she knows the reason is more complex than a simple falling out among thieves, and worries that the violence is not over. It takes all of Schiller’s toughness and experience to uncover the secrets not only of several respected townspeople, but of Jewel Moon as well. Jones writes stories of the Old West with a very authentic feel. Another good western/mystery is Kitt Peak by Al Sarrantonio.

Kaye, M. M.
The Far Pavilions
St. Martin’s, 1978. 955 p.
This story of India in the latter part of the nineteenth century ranges as far and wide as the Indian continent itself. The story of Ashton Hilary Akbar, born of English parents in the wilds of the Himalayan mountains and raised by a Hindi hill-woman, immerses the reader in the sights, smell and colors of the land, as the storyteller spins the tale of the people and their traditions. Ash’s love for Anjuli , an Indian princess, is played out against the turbulence of change India endured during that historical period. The pace slows in the middle of the book, but switches into a high gear as the book races to an exciting finish.

Kellerman, Faye
The Quality of Mercy
William Morrow, 1989. 607 p.
England, 1593.
Rebecca Lopez, high-spirited daughter of Queen Elizabeth’s physician, escapes the restrictions placed on women by venturing forth dressed as a man. She fights a duel (and soon falls in love) with William Shakespeare, but she is a conversa—a Jew posing as a Protestant—and he family’s mission to save other Jews from the Catholic Inquisition in Spain and Portugal takes precedence. Shakespeare has his own mission: to find the murderer of his best friend and mentor. Together they brave London’s underworld, the political intrigue of the Queen’s court, and a Spanish galleon on the high seas. The Quality of Mercy succeeds as adventure and as a window to history.

Kent, Alexander
Signal: Close Action!
Jove, 1974. 341 p.
Mediterranean.
This rollicking sea series is set in the time when ships were powered by sail or oars. The adventure in this episode centers on the battle between English Commodore Bolitho and French Napoleon’s naval forces near Egypt. Those interested in sea battles where fighting was eye to eye will enjoy the close up action of this series, the raw emotions of the men, and the realistic portrayal of historic events.

Koen, Karleen
Through a Glass Darkly
Random House, 1986.
This early 18^th-century drama takes place in the manor houses and palaces of England and France. The heroine, beautiful Barbara Alderly, is hopelessly in love with Roger Montgeoffrey, a much older sophisticated man with a secret in his past. The political, economic and romantic intrigue of the plot grips the reader. And when Barbara does finally get her man and the secret of his past is revealed, the plot becomes even more complex. This is a thoroughly enjoyable read with interesting and believable characters--historical fiction that you can’t put down and which leaves you waiting for the promised sequel.

L’Amour, Louis
The Lonesome Gods
Bantam, 1983. 450 p.
California, 1830’s.
Seven-year-old Johannes Verne is left to die in the Mojave Desert after watching his maternal grandfather kill his father. After two terrible days he is rescued, and the Cahuilla Indians watch over him until he is old enough to travel to the small town of Los Angeles to live with a friend of his father’s. Under an assumed name, young Johannes quickly becomes a man who is tough, thoughtful and respected, and a man who is ready at last to face his enemy, his grandfather. This is one of L’Amour’s best.

Laker, Rosalind
The Golden Tulip
Doubleday, 1991. 585 p.
Because of his rich artistic heritage, Holland was considered the crown jewel of Europe during the 17^th century. It is into the heart of this world that a beautiful, young painter, Francesca Visser, is thrust. She dreams of one day becoming a Master like her father, Henrick. Upon learning that she is to be apprenticed to Jan Vermeer, Francesca vows that nothing will divert her attention and of her goal, that she not only rejects the attentions of handsome tulip merchant Pieter van Doorne, but she also denies that her feelings for him are growing stronger. Pieter, however, is not the only man captivated by Fransesca. Ludolf van Denenter, an evil, scheming social climber, is so obsessed with possessing Francesca that he manipulates her father into betrothing her to him! Will Pieter be able to rescue Francesca in time, or will she be subjected to living out her cruel fate? Readers who love romance, art or even a little international intrigue will delight in reading The Golden Tulip.

Li, Leslie
Bittersweet
Charles E. Tuttle, 1992. 388 p.
China, 1889-1992.
If Bittersweet’s mother had followed the customs of the time, Bittersweet would never have been allowed to live. Born as the fourth daughter of a poor Chinese farm family in 1889, Bittersweet would normally have been smothered by her mother at birth. However her strong will to live, demonstrated within moments of her birth, swayed her mother and saved her life. As she matured, Bittersweet became an early Chinese feminist, one who tried to follow the customs of the time but was not afraid to stand up for herself and take matters into her own hands. Still single at age 19, Bittersweet resisted her parents and married an army officer. After the birth of their son she had reason to regret this decision, since her duties to her husband’s family and her son made it impossible for her to travel with him. He eventually took a concubine who served as his hostess and representative at official functions. Born before the Boxer Rebellion, Bittersweet saw major changes occur in her homeland during the 100+ years before her death.

Lofts, Nora
The Old Priority
Doubleday, 1982. 231 p.
England, 1950-approximately 1630.
In late Elizabethan England, a common seaman on shore leave is offered an intriguing job that could leave him either wealthy or dead. When wealth wins out, his desire for more riches, greater position and a male heir leads his family on the road to ruin. Will his daughter and grandson be wise enough to return the family to its former prestige in the family home, the Old Priory? A straightforward, gracefully written family saga with complex and interesting characters.

Michener, James
Alaska
Fawcett Crest, 1988. 1073 p.
From a prolific historian and novelist, this vast novel spans millions of years in the history of the land of Alaska. A blend of fact and fiction that begins " about a billion years ago" and continues through the 1980’s Alaska tells the stories of people like Vitus Bering, who was sent by Peter the Great to explore the region, and Kendra Scott, who taught the Eskimo children during the oil boom. This novel is a detailed, scenic and panoramic view of Alaska’s landscape and people.

O’ Brian, Patrick
Letter of Marque
W.W. Norton, 1990. 284 p.
Napoleonic War.
Elegantly drawn characters and accurate historical detail highlight this series which features British Navy Captain Jack Aubrey and his companion, Stephen Maturin, a surgeon and intelligence agent. These novels bring to life Admiral Nelson’s navy and early 19^th Century England through adventure-filled battle scenes as well as discussions of the moral and social issues of the day. In this episode, Aubrey’s friends work to get him restored to the Navy List. For fans of Forester’s Hornblower series.

Penman, Sharon Kay
The Sunne In Splendor
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1982. 936 p.
England, 1400’s.
Maligned by history, Richard 111 is vindicated in this story of his life from boyhood, through his role is securing the throne for his brother Edward 1V, to his final ascent to that same throne at Edward’s death. Intertwined with the vividly described battles and strategy of the war of the Roses is Richard’s romance with his beloved Anne and Penman’s version of what may have happened to the missing princes, Edward’s sons.

Perry, Anne
Defend and Betray
Fawcett Columbine, 1992. 385 p.
London, 1857.
During a dinner party, military hero General Thaddeus Carlyon falls from the top of a staircase onto the halberd by an empty suit of armor. When the police determine that his death could not have been accidental, his wife Alexandra readily admits to the crime. With the belief that Alexandra has confessed to the murder to protect someone else, her sister-in-law enlists the help of Inspector William Monk. Set in London in 1857, this Victorian mystery captures the atmosphere, morals and manners of the period

Peters, Ellis
A Morbid Taste for Bones
William Morrow, 1977. 192 p.
England, Early 12^th Century.
While on a quest for sacred relics, the Benedictine brothers find themselves involved in—and suspected of murder! Brother Cadfael, the Abby’s herbalist and a former crusader, undertakes to put things right. Brother Cadfael is a wonderful character, given to a tolerant but pragmatic understanding of his fellow humans. Ellis Peters occasionally writes a phrase or sentence that stays with you for days. There are now nineteen of the "Chronicles of Brother Cadfael," each giving a clear, if slightly rosy, sense of life in medieval England.

Renault, Mary
The King Must Die
Pantheon, 1958. 338 p.
Greece, Bronze Age.
Mythology lovers will enjoy this story based on the Legend of Thesues. Set in time when family, honor, and loyalty to the Gods and Goddesses were of greatest importance, (and a man’s word was the only contract needed), the story follows several years in the life of the teen-age heir to a King. His adventures, battles, and time in the Cretan bullring make interesting reading.

Rice, Anne
The Feast of All Saints
Simon & Schuster, 1979. 571 p.
Anne Rice is primarily known as the author of the Vampire Lestat books and other works of gothic horror, but in this book she recreates a real time and place. In New Orleans before the Civil War there was a large society of free black men and women. The Feast Of All Saints tells the story of Marcel Ste. Marie, his family and friends. Although these characters are free, the society they live in restricts their options. Marcel is dependent on the charity of his white father, and dreams of escaping to Paris where he believes he would be treated as a complete man. Will he escape or will he learn to accept himself and the society in which he lives? The novel reveals the cruelty and compassion that the characters in this little-known world experience.

Saylor, Steven|
Arms of Nemesis
St. Martin’s, 1992. 305 p.
Rome, 72 B.C.
Second mystery in a series set in ancient Rome and featuring detective Gordianus the Finder. The overseer of the estate of the richest man in Rome, Marcus Licinius Crassus, has been murdered and two slaves who have run away are the suspected murderers. Gordianus has three days in which to prove the innocence of the missing slaves or an ancient Roman law will be invoked. The law decrees that as part of the funeral games, every slave in the household must be slaughtered in the arena. Facts about the Cumaen Sibyl, the Roman slave galley, and gladiatorial matches are effectively woven throughout this fascinating historical mystery.

Scott, Paul
The Raj Quartet
William Morrow, 1975. 1925 p.
Paul Scott published the books in this quartet over a period of nine years, from 1966-1975. They later became the basis of a popular TV miniseries shown on PBS. This is the story of the twilight of the Raj, the British overseers of the Indian Empire. The forbidden love of Hari Kumar, a young Indian man, and Daphne Manners, a sympathetic, naïve British woman is the frame for this complex tale. What happens to them in the Bobhighar involves many memorable characters, including kind Barbie, villainous Merrick and exotic Bronowsky. A wonderful and satisfying reading experience about a world coming to an ungracious end.

Seton, Anya
Katherine
Houghton Mifflin, 1954. 589 p.
England, 14^th Century.
The King of England’s court in the fourteenth century is revealed in lavish detail as this poignant love story unfolds. The beautiful Lady Katherine Swynford is an honorable woman who refuses to break her marriage vows even though John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster, is the love of her life. After her husband’s death, Katherine becomes the Duke’s paramour and devotes her life to serving him.

Sienkiewicz, Henryk
With Fire and Sword
Copernicus Society of America, c1884. 1135 p.
Russia and Poland, Mid-17^th Century.
Nobleman and soldier Yan Skshetuski and his comrades march across Poland, Lithuania, and Russia in this epic tale of adventure, politics, intrigue, and even romance. Featuring a varied cast of characters from kings to peasants and focusing on the strife between peasants and gentry, this Polish classic vividly depicts these tumultuous times. For fans of Alexander Dumas, John Jakes, and James Clavell.

Sontag, Susan
The Volcano Lover
Harper Collins, 1992. 419 p.
Naples, 1772.
To Cavaliere, the death of his wife results in never-before experienced feelings of pain and loss. It is not long, however, before he is swept away with overwhelming emotions for another woman—his nephew’s former mistress. Set in Naples in 1772 and based on the lives of Sir William Hamilton and his wife Emma, this inventive and often humorous historical love story illustrates the power of passion.

Stone, Irving
The President’s Lady
Doubleday, 1951. 338 p.
Rachel Robards married the wrong man! Soon after the wedding, she first notices her husband’s drinking, laziness and especially his jealousy. Even talking to another man causes him to become enraged and creates a public scene. Fleeing to her mother’s home in theTennessee frontier, she meets the young lawyer, Andrew Jackson, and falls madly in love. Later divorced, she is able to marry the future president, but her past with Robards continually plagues her and jeopardizes Jackson’s career. Historical events come alive in this well-researched fictional biography by a master in this genre.

Tax, Meridith
Rivington Street
Morrow, 1982. 431 p.
Forced to flee Russia in 1903 during the Kishinev pogrom, the Levys move to New York City. Unlike what the expected, Hannah and her family find that they are still the oppressed minority and that they must work harder than ever to keep going. One of her daughters, Sarah, works at the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory and barely escapes one of the worst fires in history, Her other daughter, Ruth, becomes a dress designer but discovers prejudice working in a man’s world. The novel successfully weaves truth with fiction giving a clear vision of New York City life in the early twentieth century, the growth of unions and the rise of the women’s movement.

Thom, James Alexander
Follow the River
Ballantine, 1981. 406 p.
Ohio River Valley, 1755-1768.
Mary Ingles and her two sons were kidnapped from their home in a Virginia settlement before the Revolutionary War and taken 1000 miles along the Ohio River to their Indian captor’s camp. After several months, Mary and Ghetel, another captive, escaped. With only the clothes on their backs and one blanket each, Mary, who left her children behind, and Ghetel began the trek back to Mary’s home. Based on a true story, this quickly moving adventure leaves the reader in awe of Mary’s courage and determination.

Tourney, Leonard
Familiar Spirits
St. Martin’s, 1984.
In England in 1600, many people were hung for witchcraft, but this hanging fills Constable Matthew Stock with foreboding. Ursula Tanner is so young. How can she be a witch, and how can the good townspeople believe she is? A few weeks after the hanging, Ursula’s ghost is seen haunting the town. As the people become fearful, they blame Ursula’s old employers, the Waites. Accusations start to tear the town apart, and an outside prosecutor famous for hunting witches is brought to Chelmsford. Stock and his wife Joan feel there is more to all of these strange goings-on than the supernatural and must investigate if they are to save their friends from the frenzy of witch hunts.

Unsworth, Barry
Sacred Hunger
Doubleday, 1992. 630 p.
England, Africa, Florida, 1752.
When an embittered young English surgeon ships out from Liverpool on an English slave ship in 1752, he discovers humanity among the Common seaman and slaves. In a parallel plot, an English merchant risks his fortune on this same ship. When the slaver is lost, the merchant’s son swears vengeance on the man he sees as responsible. This novel combines a realistic depiction of life at sea with a philosophical discussion of the true meaning of freedom. A long,leisurely novel for those who enjoy serious fiction.

Wood, Barbara
The Dreaming
Random House, 1991. 453 p.
Australia, 1871.
In 1871, Joanna Drury arrives in Australia to find property left to her by mother and to trace mysterious aspects of her mother’s past that have just recently begun to haunt Joanna’s life and dreams. When Joanna notices that the Aborigines seem to be reacting to her in strange ways, she begins to delve into Australia’s past. It is then that the tragic events that have marked her family’s destiny and her own life--events that happened long ago in the time the Aborigines called " the dreaming’--are revealed. Lavish in characters and period details, this splendid saga brings Australia’s dramatic history and ancient culture to life.

This bibliography was compiled by the following members of the Adult Reading round Table Steering Committee: Mary Constance Back, Darlene Bull, Muzette Diefenthal, Kathryn Hoylo, Merle Jacob, John Kadus, Sharon Karpiel, Barbara Kruser, Linda Lacy, Susan Land, Nancy Liggin, Vivian Mortesen, Sue O’Brien, Joyce Saricks, Sally Schuster, Debbie Wordinger, Nancy Zander

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