Historical fiction

  • The Lieutenant

    Creator

    Grenville, Kate

    Abstract

    In 1787 Lieutenant Daniel Rooke sets sail from Portsmouth with the First Fleet and its cargo of convicts, destined for New South Wales. As a young officer and a man of science, the shy and quiet Rooke is full of anticipation about the natural wonders he might discover in this strange land on the other side of the world. After the fleet arrives in Port Jackson, Rooke sets up camp on a rocky and isolated point, and starts his work of astronomy and navigation. It's not too long before some of the Aboriginal people who live around the harbour pay him a visit.

    Audience
    General**
    Non spécifié
  • Bring up the bodies

    Creator

    Mantel, Hilary,

    Abstract

    Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • Winter of the World

    Creator

    Follett, Ken.

    Abstract

    This novel continues the stories of five interrelated families who struggle with social, political, and economic turmoil in the mid-twentieth century, during which they witness the rise of Nazi Germany, the Spanish Civil War, and the horrors of World War II. It picks up right where the first book left off, and continues up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs. Carla von Ulrich, born of German and English parents, finds her life engulfed by the Nazi tide until she commits a deed of great courage and heartbreak.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • The lady and the unicorn

    Creator

    Chevalier, Tracy.

    Abstract

    The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are a set of six medieval works of art. Beautiful, intricate and expertly made, they are also mysterious in their origin and meaning. Weavers, patrons, designers, artists, merchants and apprentices were involved in their making - and behind them were the wives, daughters and servants who exercised influences over their men. Like the many strands of wool and silk woven together into one cloth, so these people came together in a complex dance to create the whole picture.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • River Gods

    Creator

    Smith, Wilbur A.

    Abstract

    A romance in Egypt in 2000 BC. Tanus, ayoung warrior, loves Lostris, the daughter of Lord Istris, the grand vizier. But the father is against the match, wanting his daughter to marry Pharaoh Moamose. Thestory is told by Taita, a eunuch in Lostris' employ.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • The Return

    Creator

    Hislop, Victoria.

    Abstract

    Sonia knows nothing of Granada's shocking past, but ordering a simple cup of coffee in a quiet cafe will lead her into the extraordinary tale of a family's fight to survive the horror of the Spanish Civil War. Seventy years earlier, in the Ramirez family's cafe, Concha and Pablo's children relish an atmosphere of hope. Antonio is a serious young teacher, Ignacio a flamboyant matador, and Emilio a skilled musician. Their sister, Mercedes, is a spirited girl whose sole passion is dancing, until she meets Javier and an obsessive love affair begins.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • Wolf among Wolves

    Creator

    Fallada, Hans,

    Abstract

    Wolf Among Wolves is a sprawling saga of the collapse of a culture - its economy and government - and the common man's struggle to survive it all. Set in Weimar Germany soon after Germany's catastrophic loss of World War I, the story follows a young gambler who loses all in Berlin, then flees the chaotic city, where worthless money and shortages are causing pandemonium. Once in the countryside, however, he finds a defeated German army that has deamped there to foment insurrection.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • Yew Tree Gardens

    Creator

    Jacobs, Anna.

    Abstract

    Sisters Mattie, Nell and Renie have all managed to escape their bullying father, but now separated, the girls must draw upon their courage to build new lives for themselves. Renie, the youngest sister, is happy in her waitressing job at the King's Head Hotel. But a shadow falls over her the day Mr Judson arrives as assistant manager.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • Forbidden

    Creator

    Lowell, Elizabeth,

    Abstract

    Fleeing the remarkable love that was prophesied at her birth, Amber the Untouched does not suspect that the wounded warrior with no memory who has come to her in the darkness is that same foretold lover.

    Audience
    Non spécifié
  • Chinese Cinderella

    Creator

    Mah, Adeline Yen,

    Abstract

    During the Japanese occupation of parts of China, twelve-year-old Ye Xian is thrown out of her father's and stepmother's home, joins a martial arts group, and tries to help her aunt and the Americans in their struggle against the Japanese invaders.

    Audience
    Pre-adolescent
    Non spécifié