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Archive of posts in Historical Fiction
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Tiodora’s Letters: An Enslaved Woman’s Fight for Family and Freedom
By Marcelo D’Salete; translated by Andrea Rosenberg
In 1860s Brazil, a slave attempts to find her loved ones.
Crucible: A Novel
By John Sayles
This curiously inert story might’ve worked better as nonfiction.
The Winter Warriors: A Novel
By Olivier Norek
A gripping portrayal of a brief but bloody WWII-adjacent clash.
Happy Land
By Dolen Perkins-Valdez
A DC woman discovers she’s heir to a long-ago, real-life Black kingdom.
The Shock of the Light: A Novel
By Lori Inglis Hall
Twins’ unyielding bond is tested as they fight their own battles during WWII.
Sweetbitter Song: A Novel
By Rosie Hewlett
Odysseus’ Penelope finds sisterhood — and possibly more — in a female slave.
Beckomberga: A Novel
By Sara Stridsberg; translated by Deborah Bragan-Turner
A somber, scattered takedown of failed psychiatric care.
Mutual Interest
By Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
An apparent story of manners digs much deeper, hitting philosophical bedrock.
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