SHELF LIFE
“May you live in interesting times” is a phrase often thought to be an ancient curse. Who knows what its origin is—but isn’t it appropriate now? It’s safe to say we’re living in very interesting times, so much that some people might wish for a little monotony.
Some days, have you ever thought you’d prefer to live in a historical fiction novel than a resident of 21st-Century Earth? Even during normal times, everyone has their days when they want to escape for real. That’s the great thing about reading historical fiction and why it’s one of my favorite genres.
For example, imagine if you were being shipped to Australia to live in a penal colony. Also, you may want to live a minimalist life, but the backto-nature version of the medieval world is not so idyllic if you have enemies from all sides who are advancing on your tiny settlement. Don’t forget the constant threat of plagues, starvation and simply freezing to death in the winter. Here are some examples of excellent historical fiction from time periods ranging from the end of the Dark Ages; mid 19th-Century Australia; pre-World War I New York; 1934 Atlantic City; and present-day Minnesota.
Author Ken Follet is skilled at bringing the medieval world to life and “The Evening and the Morning” is his latest, a prequel to “The Pillars of the Earth.” In those turbulent days, chaos was everywhere. A young boat builder’s home was raided by Vikings, and he attempted to start a new life in an unfamiliar place. There was also danger from raiders in the West—but Edgar struggled to provide for his mother and family.
In “The Exiles” by Christina Baker Kline, banishment meant being sent to the penal colonies. It was punishment for a young governess, Evangeline, whose only crime was to become pregnant without a husband. Aboard the long voyage she befriended another prisoner, Hazel, a midwife who stole a silver spoon. Soon they would reach Australia, their only chance for a new start in a wild, untamed land with aboriginal peoples who have lived there for thousands of years.
How could I resist any book about a library, especially the NYPL? “The Lions of Fifth Avenue” by Fiona Davis sounds like an interesting life: living in an apartment in the New York Public Library as the wife of the library’s superintendent. But it’s 1913, and Laura Lang is not sitting still: She enrolls in college and begins to question women’s roles. Eighty years later, her granddaughter works there and has new issues: book thieves.
“Florence Adler Swims Forever” by Rachel Beanland takes us to 1934 Atlantic City where the Adler family is anxiously waiting the birth of daughter Fanny’s baby. Her parents, Joseph and Esther, are keeping a terrible secret from Fanny—but nothing must upset her at this crucial time. Meanwhile, the Adlers’ small apartment above their bakery is full of activity, including from precocious 7 year old Gussie, their granddaughter; and Anna, a teenaged immigrant from Nazi Germany. Meanwhile, as if everyone is not busy enough, Fanny’s sister, Florence, is a competitive swimmer and training to swim the English Channel.
I happened on
“The Lager Queen of Minnesota” by J. Ryan Stradel this summer and recommend it for anyone who likes a good family saga. Even though the title is about beer, you don’t have to know anything about beer or even like it to really be absorbed by this story of two sisters and a family inheritance. Why does good-hearted Edith, the oldest, get nothing from their father’s will while her younger sister Helen receives everything? The result is a sad estrangement of sisters for many years while they go on with their lives. I found myself thinking many times that beer must be a really big deal up in Minnesota, because these people are dead serious about it.
Reading historical fiction can take you to lots of interesting times and places. If you’re curious like me, you’ll want to find out more about what you read. And after reading about the trials, tribulations, misfortunes, and struggles of past times it seems that now is more than interesting enough for me.