New Reviews: Historical Fiction

A young mother and daughter who are struggling to survive the horrors of WWII London find solace in books in this novel, smoothly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. With a pleasing accent and a mostly straightforward delivery, Maarleveld describes the community of a subscription library. Called booklovers' libraries, these staples of early-twentieth-century England provided curated... Read More

A terrific performance by Christopher Lane transports listeners to Dickens's London 20 years before the events made famous in his novels. We learn why Miss Havisham became the embittered woman in GREAT EXPECTATIONS, as well as the origin stories of many other notable characters in Dickens's works. After being jilted at the altar and robbed of her fortune by Compeyson, a con... Read More

Bahni Turpin's narration draws listeners into the fifth in Ibrahim's Yellow Crocus series. The audiobook opens with a birth and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. (Turpin gets five stars for realistic childbirth sounds.) Friends since childhood, next-door neighbors Kay Lynn and Japanese-American Kimiko face the challenges brought by WWII. Filled with fear of the unknown, they find... Read More

Narrators are expected to distinguish between men and women--and Shayna Small does it exceptionally well. Historical fiction comes alive with this account of the life of Effa Manley, who became a Negro League team owner with her husband Abe from 1935 to 1948. Effa faced racial stereotypes, as well misogyny from entering a male domain. The audiobook is entertaining from start to... Read More

Narrator Emilia Clarke uses a soft voice and a crisp British accent interspersed with fluid Italian phrases for this story of music in early- eighteenth-century Venice. Venetian orphan Anna Maria della Pietà, daughter of a local prostitute, is a violin prodigy who studies under Antonio Vivaldi. Descriptions of the harsh life in the Pietà, an orphanage for the children of... Read More

Edoardo Ballerini's spellbinding performance of this intergenerational tale of love and survival lingers in the mind long after one is done listening. Based on memories of the author's Dutch grandmother, the novel incorporates two stories--the child Mieke, who is trying to survive Holland's "Hunger Winter" of 1944, and Mieke's adult grandson, Will, who visits his now elderly... Read More

Rebecca Lowman presents this provocative novel based on Peggy Guggenheim's diary and other historical sources. Lowman's thoughtful pace serves the narrative well as the listener experiences Peggy's reminiscences of her unconventional life and accomplishments. Because of her inherited wealth, Guggenheim was able to live a flamboyant bohemian existence, but Lowman also depicts... Read More

Nicola Barber masterfully portrays Liz Houghton, a determined journalist who is stuck in the Obituary Department of a national British newspaper. Liz is on a mission to launch her career by uncovering the link between the mysterious disappearances of three girls during WWII and a present-day case in 1968. Barber's voice work shines as she differentiates Liz's posh British... Read More

Candace Joice performs this fictionalization of Julia Child's overseas service in WWII with brio. While her narration can veer into the melodramatic, its eagerness matches the author's enthusiastic writing style. In conversational sections, Joice's delivery becomes more low-key as she creates nuanced vocal portraits of a range of characters. She also does an impressive job of... Read More

Victoria Villarreal and an ensemble cast narrate a thrilling epic set in 1950s Hollywood. Sword-and-sandal films are all the rage, so when an unknown actress--from Mexico, no less--is chosen to play Salome in the latest picture, tempers flare. Villarreal capably portrays the three main characters: Vera Larios, the unknown Mexican ingénue; Nancy Hartley, a bit player who feels... Read More

Olivia Vinall's slight English accent and careful diction allow the listener to enjoy the lyrical language in the overlapping stories of Arthur, a young man in Victorian London; Narin, a Yezidi girl in Turkey in 2014; and Zaleekhah, a woman in London in 2018. Vinall's pleasant narration starts with a raindrop that falls beside the River Tigris in olden times, which will wind... Read More

Aimee Crocker was a real person, born into a wealthy, conventional family in 1864. Narrator Suzanne Toren's interpretation of Aimee's development from naïve teenager to a beautiful intellectual and sexual gourmand well into her 50s is phenomenal. Toren's fine performance will give listeners an understanding of this mysterious woman whom no one understood in her time. Women... Read More

Narrator Nick Mondelli masterfully spins a web of empathy and heartbreak in this novel set in Waverly Hills, a historic tuberculosis hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, in the Prohibition era of the 1920s. Dr. Wolfgang Pike believes in the healing power of music. While composing a requiem for his late wife, he creates an orchestra for the patients and medical staff. But because... Read More

Impressive performances from a stellar cast transform this "Novel in Five Acts" into an absorbing listening experience. Focusing less on Oscar Wilde's affairs and gross indecency trial, Bayard's look behind the scenes probes their damaging psychological effects on Wilde's wife and young sons. Elisabeth Rodgers is simply amazing as Oscar's wife, Constance, suddenly realizes... Read More