New Reviews: Historical Fiction

Listeners will be immersed in this fictionalized retelling of actual events that occurred between 1865 and 1869. Louella spent her first 24 years enslaved on the Montgomery Plantation. After Emancipation, she is determined to create a better life for herself and her people. She and Reverend William lead a group of formerly enslaved people to a place they call "The Kingdom of... Read More

In an impressive performance, Nicol Zanzarella takes listeners into the beauty, sensuality, and deadly dangers of sixteenth-century Venice. Valentina Riccardi is both a courtesan and a paid assassin. She has no moral qualms about her work, believing that her contract killings are for the good of the Venice she loves. That's true until her employer, Ambrogio Malatesta, presents... Read More

Author Willow Smith narrates this audiobook, which is set when the Vikings are raiders who worship Odin. The tale focuses on Yafeu, who is taken from her village in Ghana by slave traders and freed by Alvtir, the female leader of the Viking raiders, only to be enslaved again when the Vikings arrive home. She eventually becomes the personal slave of Freydis, a princess. Each... Read More

An all-star ensemble of historical fiction authors and talented narrators make this collection excellent listening. Each short story features a compelling female character who is breaking barriers, pushing back against limiting expectations, and finding her power. The stories span decades and showcase characters impacted by war, artistic and social movements, cultural shifts,... Read More

This novel imagines jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald's harsh early life. In 1932, at age 14, Ella is impossibly dreaming of stardom as a singer. In 1948, she makes that dream a reality by appearing on Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town." Overall, narrator Alexandra Grey's distant tone and staccato intonation detract from the emotional punch the story deserves. However, she captures... Read More

Mozhan Navabi performs an enchanting narration of this robust historical fiction. In 1939, Annabel leaves behind her troubled past to work at her uncle's Grand Hotel on the French Riviera for the summer. During that time, she becomes close with a charming yet devilish actor and a cunning screenwriter while they film in the area. With them, though, come Nazi guests, visiting... Read More

Tracy Chevalier's rich tapestry of a novel features the glassmaking Rosso family, who live and work on the island of Murano, off the coast of Venice. Lisa Flanagan keeps the listener engaged as protagonist Orsola Rosso skips through six centuries like a stone skipping across a smooth-as-glass lagoon. Flanagan's exquisite tone, intonation, and pacing allow the listener to stay... Read More

Cassandra Campbell brings her usual insightful delivery to Baker's multilayered family drama. Campbell is an experienced, steady narrator with a smooth, consistent delivery. She adds nuance to Cecily Larson, subtly aging her from the 4-year-old who's been deserted by her mother, through growing up and adulthood, and ending with the 94-year-old matriarch whose "hidden life" is... Read More

Jack, an avid Civil War buff, feels he doesn't have enough mementos of his favorite war and sets off for Gettysburg to experience the atmosphere that made it the most significant battle of the war. Narrator David Allen Vargo creates a smooth vocal transition as Jack time travels from the present day to 1863, when the war was at its height. He brings the characters Jack meets to... Read More

Tanya Saari skillfully narrates a novel inspired by the few details contained in an actual letter found in author Eileen Brill's new home. Listeners meet manipulative Quaker Joan Dumann, who obsesses about how she is perceived despite her success and wealth. Nasty Joan, well rendered by Saari, marries three times, has four neglected children, and moves from Pennsylvania to... Read More

This audiobook about a terrifying event in American history is expertly narrated by Paul Michael. In October 1962, Nikita Khrushchev attempted to install nuclear missiles in secret in Cuba by camouflaging them on ordinary supply ships. Michael re-creates the conversations between President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, as they work to... Read More

Jenna Lamia and Christine Lakin deliver alternating chapters of this historical novel based on true events in the mountains of Oklahoma. Lamia portrays 11-year-old Olive, who in 1909 flees her abusive stepfather to find shelter deep in the mountains. Lamia's young-sounding voice is well suited to depict Olive's scrappy determination when she joins forces with the "elf... Read More

Gutsy, quick-witted, and strong-minded: These are the characteristics that narrator Kate Reading expertly portrays in this novel about a young woman who travels to the New Mexico Territory in 1857. Midwife Carrie Ballentyne treks west via train, steamer, stagecoach and horseback for her new post in Santa Fe, surviving dangers and forging friendships. Reading's crisp narration... Read More

Narrator Max Meyers grabs attention and holds it throughout Schaffert's exploration of a group of ticketed passengers who never boarded the TITANIC for its maiden voyage. Bookstore owner Yorick, Japanese American candy heiress Zinnia, and handsome photographer Haze meet at a gathering of TITANIC "survivors," folks who missed the boat. As Yorick becomes enamored with Haze, a... Read More

London's historical Bethnal Green Library comes to life as the WWII Blitz turns every day into a fight for survival. Fenella Woolgar narrates with a comforting British accent, immersing the listener in the stories of three courageous women who are dedicated to the library and its community. Juliet Lansdown, the newly arrived deputy librarian, speaks with determination as she... Read More