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historical fiction

Grapes of Wrath, The

A Nihilistic Classic Author: John Steinbeck Tom Joad, convicted murderer, is walking the long, dusty road to his Oklahoma home. He doesn’t regret what he did – he would do it again. But he does miss his family and wonder what happened to them while he was in jail. What he finds, after teaming up with an ex-preacher (Casey) on the road, is his family preparing to abandon their only home, the farm that has been with them for generations. It seems that there is hope, there is money, to be made in California. The government is taking over the farms, [...]

2023-12-08T16:24:56-07:00December 8th, 2023|Tags: , , , , , , |

China Room, The

Love, Duty, Betrayal, and Society Author: Sunjeev Sahota It’s 1929 – Punjab, India. There is political unrest, but for Mehar, a young bride living with her husband’s family on a rural farm, all that is very far away. She is married into a family with three brothers. She lives with the other two wives, and during their hardworking days and stifling, hopeful nights, the women wonder which of the brothers is their husband, which of the men it is who occasionally comes for them in the dark. Mehar knows, though, and she has fallen in love with the man she thinks [...]

2023-05-27T19:41:54-07:00May 27th, 2023|Tags: , , , , , |

Year of Wonders

Interesting Premise, But Breaks the Historical Mystique Author: Geraldine Brooks It’s 1666 and recently widowed Anna Frith is beginning to see hope and possibility. Not only has her new lodger brought some much-needed money into her domicile, but his love of her children, his inappropriately amusing city stories, and the bolts of colorful cloth he uses to weave the latest fashions are slowly drawing her back into the world. Perhaps there is more between them – or could be. Perhaps it is time to let go of grief and embrace life again. But then her boarder dies, horribly, and she [...]

2023-04-16T19:10:11-07:00April 16th, 2023|Tags: , , , , , |
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