Historical fiction genre books (1700)


1531.

The Ventriloquist's Tale by Pauline Melville EN

Rating: 4 (3 votes)
Description:
The whole purpose of magic is the fulfilment and intensification of desire, claims the ventriloquist-narrator as he tells his stories of love and catastrophe. The novel is a parable of miscegenation and racial exclusiveness, of nature defying culture and of the rebellious nature of love.

1532.

The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / Ireland flag Ireland
Description:
'He loved all mankind; for fortune prevented him from knowing there were rascals.' Oliver Goldsmith's hugely successful novel of 1766 remained for generations one of the most highly regarded and beloved works of eighteenth-century fiction. It depicts the fall and rise of the Primrose family, presided over by the benevolent vicar, the narrator of a fairy-tale plot of impersonation and deception, the abduction of a beautiful heroine and the machinations of an aristocratic villain. By turns comic and sentimental, the novel's popularity owes much to its recognizable depiction of domestic life and ... continue


1534.

The Villain's Dance by Fiston Mwanza Mujila EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Description:
"The Democratic Republic of Congo, otherwise known as Congo-Kinshasa or DRCongo, has had a series of names since its founding. The name of Zaire best corresponds to the experience of the novel's characters. The years of Mobutu's regime were filled with utopias, dreams, fantasies and other uncontrolled desires for social redemption, the quest for easy enrichment and the desecration of places of power. Among these events: Zairians' immigration to Angola during the civil war boycotting the borders inherited from colonization, as if the country did not have its own diamonds, and the occupation of ... continue

1535.

The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Description:
Set in 20th-century El Salvador, The Volcano Daughters is a powerful novel about sisterhood, art, and a community of women who refuse to be silenced. 'A gripping and spellbinding novel about a sisterhood ripped apart by violence, narrated by a ghostly chorus. An unforgettable debut.' Brit Bennett, author of The Vanishing Half Nine-year-old Graciela is raised in the shadow of El Salvador's Izalco volcano, until the day she is taken to the capital city by the country's fearsome – and fearsomely superstitious – dictator, who believes her to be a muse capable of foreseeing the future. There, Graci... continue

1536.

The voting day by Clare O'Dea EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / Ireland flag Ireland
Description:
In February 1959, Switzerland held a referendum on women’s suffrage. The men voted ‘no’. In this powerful novella, Clare O’Dea explores that day through the eyes of four very different Swiss women. Vreni is a busy farmer’s wife, longing for a break from family life. Her grown-up daughter Margrit is carving out an independent life in Bern, but finds herself trapped in an alarming situation. Esther, a cleaner, is desperate to recover her son who has been taken into care. Beatrice, a hospital administrator, has been throwing herself into the ‘yes’ campaign. The four women’s paths intersect on a d... continue

1537.

The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Country: South America / Peru flag Peru
Description:
An apocalyptic prophet in the Brazilian backlands creates the state of Canudos. In it there is no money, property, marriage, income tax, decimal system, or census.

1538.

The Warden and The Two Heroines of Plumplington by Anthony Trollope EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / England flag England
Description:
John Bold loves Eleanor Harding, but is campaigning against her father, the Warden, for mismanagement of charitable funds. This witty love story combines a comic portrayal of life in an English cathedral close with larger social and political issues. This edition includes Trollope's last Barset fiction 'The Two Heroines of Plumplington'.

1539.

The Wayward Sisters by Kate Hodges EN

Rating: 3 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / England flag England
Description:
Something wicked this way comes... Inverness, Scotland, 1769. On a freezing winter's night, astronomer Nancy Lockaby arrives at Blackthistle House to assist renowned Shakespeare scholar, Caleb Malles, in his research. When three mysterious women arrive, with warnings that Caleb is keeping secrets from her, Nancy is at first dismissive, enthralled instead by his eccentric mind and captivating ideas. But when his behaviour becomes more and more erratic, she begins to suspect that things aren't as they at first seem. There's trouble brewing, and Nancy's been trapped in the middle of it... Enthral... continue

1540.

The Wednesday Club by Kjell Westö EN

0 Ratings
Country: Europe / Finland flag Finland
Description:
1938. Hitler's expansionist policies are arousing both anger and admiration, not least in Helsinki's Wednesday Club. The members of this relaxed gentleman's club are old friends of lawyer Claes Thune. But this year it is apparent that the political unrest in Europe is having an effect on the cohesion of the group. Thune has recently divorced and is at something of a loss, running his law practice with no great enthusiasm. Luckily he has the assistance of an efficient new secretary, Matilda Wiik. But behind her polished exterior Mrs Wiik is tormented by memories of the Finnish Civil War, when s... continue