I've always been a fan of historical fiction, but lately there haven't been many that made me lose my sleep. From the top of my mind, old favorites include The Pillars of the earth, The lady and the unicorn, Girl in hyacinth blue, The passion of Artemisia, The Lymond chronicles, The other boleyn girl, The name of the rose, The sunne in splendour, Outlander ... just to name a few.
So when A. suggested I read The tea rose, by Jennifer Donnelly, I started reading it with a mixed feeling of high expectations and not wanting to be too disappointed. Well, I shouldn't have worried. This and its sequel, The winter rose, totally transported me to Victorian London and 19th century New York in a heartbeat. Fiona and India are the kind of heroines I so much enjoy ... smart, determined, passionate and resourceful women. It's true that there are a few too many twists sometimes, but the story never loses its pace and keeps you interested till the end. I enjoyed the first volume immensely but the second one was even better, so now I'll wait eagerly for the third (why is it that I have a hunch it will be about Seamie and Willa ?). So, if you're looking for a nice summer read, give these a try and (I hope) you won't regret it ...
7 comments:
pillars of the earth is one of my favorite books. so good.
thanks for the recommendation. i'm always looking for new books to read. here are a few that i enjoyed. hope you haven't read them already:
Straight, Susan. A Million Nightingales; Curtiss, Huston. Sins of the seventh sister: A novel based on a true story of the gothic South; Faber, Michel. The crimson petal and the white; Chevalier, Tracy. Falling angels; Williams, Philip Lee. True & authentic history of Jenny Dorset; Donoghue, Emma. Slammerkin; Naslund, Sena Jeter. Ahab’s wife or, the star-gazer; Moggach, Deborah. Tulip fever; Donati, Sara. Into the wilderness;
have you read any of Margaret Lawrence's books? they're about an 18th century midwife who sort of solves mysteries.
Maggie is so cute. x
I love Phillipa Gregory's Boelyn books, but cannot for the life of me finish Pillars of the Earth...so long! Have you read A Venetian Affair?
My husband got me hooked on the Lymond books years ago -- they were so good!
Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres, thanks for the reading tips, I'll have to add those 2 to my list!
Also weighing in with a tip of my own, have you read Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders?
boa noite
cheguei aqui a saltar de link em link, apesar de conhecer o nome via blogs de amigos.
foi com um grande espanto e correspondente sorriso q vi a referência a estes dois livros q tb já li e achei maravilhosos, aguardando o 3 volume, exactamente com o mesmo palpite :)
comprei-os com um ano de distancia entre eles, depois do primeiro aguardei q o segundo fosse publicado e corri a fnac a fazer a encomenda. Acho-os tremendos no modo como agarram o leitor, nada mais se passa enquanto não se chega ao fim. Pensei q tivessem passado despercebidos, mas fico com um sorriso aberto ao constatar que não, e isso é muito bom.
deixo 2 sugestões, uma semelhante e outra completamente diferente, mas simplesmente o melhor livro que li nos ultimos tempos (e leio 3 ou 4 por mes, muitas viagens de metro :) ): "the master butcher's singing club" de louise eldrich e "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" de jonathan safran foer.
**su (www.wiseup-weddings.com)
Post a Comment