Monday, November 22, 2010

A visual preview of the spring season, part one

Here's the first of several visual previews of historical novels for winter/spring 2011.  These are some personal picks, with my usual eclectic mix of settings and timeframes.  Most of these also appear on the HNS forthcoming books list I posted about last week, but as several of you pointed out (and I agree), seeing the covers can really amp up the interest level!





Carol Carr's debut is a hilarious, exciting, and sometimes naughty romp through the grimy lanes and elegant boardrooms of Victorian London, as seen through the eyes of India Black, proprietor of the Lotus House brothel.  India gets drawn into an international mystery when a high-profile civil servant drops dead while visiting her place of business.  Review forthcoming.  Berkley Prime Crime, Jan.





The novels of Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts series - some contemporary, some historical - are slices of Americana that celebrate women's friendships and neighborly ties.  Her latest is set in Water's Ford, Pennsylvania, in 1862, and follows the women of Elm Creek Valley as they cope with their changing roles.  Meanwhile, letters from the men in their lives, off fighting for the Union, are read aloud at their quilting circle.  Dutton, Feb.





The astute observations of Miss Dido Kent, spinster aunt and talented detective in early 19th-century England, were a highlight for me in Anna Dean's Bellfield HallIn her followup investigation, the sudden death of her cousin Flora's neighbor turns out to be murder -- just as Dido suspected all along.  Minotaur, Feb.





Margaret George takes her time in researching and writing her biographical novels (like the others, this one's nearly 700pp long), but  they're worth waiting for.  This is the historical epic that even those weary of Tudormania will want to read:  the story of the later years of the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I, as told by her flame-haired cousin and rival, Lettice Knollys.  And did you know the author has a new blog?  Viking, April.





Hart's fifth novel presents the deep and mysterious relationship between Edgar Allan Poe and Sissy Clemm, his cousin, child bride, and the love of his life, the woman whose death haunted his writings and nearly destroyed him. The blurb promises hints of the fantastic in its exploration of Sissy's innermost self in this world and the one that lies beyond.  St. Martin's Griffin, Feb.





Following the international success of the Otori series, historical fantasy set in an alternate feudal Japan, Lian Hearn turns to mainstream historical fiction with an epic set in 1857, as Western powers begin pounding at the gates of isolationist Japan.  Amid the tumult, a young woman prepares for marriage and studies medicine, yet the changing times lead her into an uncertain future.  The cover is too frilly for my taste (too many blossoms, too few shadows?) but I've got this one on preorder from Book Depository.  No US deal as yet.  Quercus (UK), April; it's already out in Australia.





The Salem Witch trials are an event that historical novelists return to again and again.  Hill is a British writer who's written several nonfiction works on the tragedies of Salem Village, and she's sure to bring a unique perspective to her fiction.  A dark cover for this dark portrait of how a children's game sparks a town's rapid descent into madness.  Overlook, March, and Duckworth (UK), June.





Cobbs Hoffman's self-published novel, In the Lion's Den, garnered a Director's Mention for the Langum Prize for American Historical Fiction in 2009; it also won a San Diego Book Award.  This is a reissue under the new title Broken Promises (see a related article from the SDSU News).   A tale of loyalty and love, it reveals the little-known story of Charles Francis Adams, son of John Quincy Adams and father of novelist Henry Adams, and his involvement in the US Civil War.  Ballantine, April.





Elizabeth Loupas's debut novel is many things at once: a magnificent portrait of an Italian city during the glorious Renaissance; a memorable depiction of Barbara of Austria, the intelligent second wife of Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara; and a creative retelling of Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," as well as what might have come before and after the events in the poem.  I've just finished reading a galley and will be hosting Elizabeth here for an interview next spring.  NAL, March.





Karen Maitland's Company of Liars is a book I've come to appreciate more over time, for both its creepily twisting plot and the authentic-seeming worldview of its medieval characters.  The Gallows Curse looks to evoke the same grim, strange atmosphere.  In 1210, all of England has been placed under interdict, thanks to the religious schemings of King John.  And in the village of Gastmere, a servant girl is dragged into a conspiracy to absolve the lord of the manor's sins.  Penguin UK, March (no US details as yet).

19 comments:

  1. Thank you Sarah. I'll be looking for some of these!
    Marci

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  2. I have Carr's book which I"m planmning on reading in January. It's outside what I normally read, but it sounded like it might be fun and interesting.

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  3. Alright, the covers have sucked me in to a few of them! Thanks.

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  4. These look great. I'm especially looking forward to the new Lian Hearn, Margaret George and Karen Maitland novels.

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  5. I have been searching for a multi-layered historical novel set in Japan that does not deal with geishas or warlords. You have found it for me, so thank you! (This led me to a much less blah cover, by the way, displayed on the Hachette Australia site - it is quite beautiful, I think.) And although I really don't want to add another British historical to my TBR stack, well, Lettice Knollys...and the intriguing Maitland titles...

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  6. Thanks for these posts--they always get me excited about my next trip to the bookstore!

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  7. Okay so my favorite cover is Margaret George's Elizabeth! I got to have it!

    http://allthingshistoricalfiction.blogspot.com/

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  8. They all look wonderful, but the Carol Carr book looks like something I would enjoy. Thanks for the update!

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  9. Tudormania. I like that! :)

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  10. Thanks for all the feedback - I hope to be posting part 2 sometime later this week.

    Daphne - I'll look forward to your review of India Black. I thought it was a lot of fun.

    Danielle - have you read Ellis Avery's The Teahouse Fire? It can't be called an epic, really, but it's set in 19th c Japan and deals with how its culture is being transformed by Western influences. I loved it. You're right, the Australian cover for the Hearn is much more attractive. I hope a US publisher snaps it up as well.

    Troutbirder - I can't take credit for it, but the term fits! I've been dealing with Tudor overload but will make an exception for the George.

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  11. have you read Ellis Avery's The Teahouse Fire?

    Off to look it up. Thank you, Sarah!

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  12. I've just received an ARC of The Raven's Bride in the mail. Have not started it yet but it sounds so good,

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  13. Congrats on getting the ARC. Let us know how it is!

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  14. Interesting how the covers almost all seem very geared towards female readers. These books sound quite interesting but I have to wonder how many potential male readers are lost due to girly covers... Rather like you aren't drawn to the "frilly" cover of the new Lian Hearn book, I am not very drawn to any cover here other than Maitland's new book (it also looks the most interesting, in my mind). Quite interesting.

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  15. Based on the storyline, girly covers seem appropriate for many of them. Publishers could have made the effort to make them more gender-neutral, but most opt not to because women are the primary readers of historicals, and these covers sell books. For Broken Promises in particular, the parts of it I've read indicate it could be equally appealing to male readers. Compare it to the original cover, for instance.

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  16. This is the cover for the Australasian version of Lian Hearn's "Blossoms and Shadows" - even less interesting than your one, which at least has a figure in it. I feel that much more inspired cover art would have been in order for this title. The covers for the "Otori Tales" had a certain sense of Japanese mystique about them which is definitely missing here.

    We have a copy in the library already, but someone was quicker off the mark than me in putting a reservation on it, so now I have to wait- sigh--

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  17. Annis, is it possible there are two versions? The one I saw was similar design-wise but a deep blue instead of the washed-out white.

    That's too bad someone snagged it first! You'll probably still get to it before I do :)

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  18. Ooh, India Black sounds so fun! I am also interested in the second book of the Dido Kent series. I enjoyed the first one, though I didn't LOVE it, and I look forward to seeing how the character evolves.

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  19. It appears that the blue cover of Hearn's "Blossoms and Shadows" is for the hardback edition, the cream-coloured one the paperback - not sure why Hachette did that- usually covers are the same for both h/b and pbk.

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