Saturday, September 15, 2012

A Canadian historical fiction showcase, part 3

Based on my site stats, some of my most visited posts are those which focus on Canadian historical fiction. Apparently there are many people out there seeking these books! It's been a year since I posted on this last, so here's the 3rd entry in an ongoing series that showcases recent and forthcoming historical novels from Canadian authors and published by Canadian presses. The settings include not just Canada, but the Civil War-torn United States, ancient Greece, and mid-19th century Paris. Part 1 and Part 2 can be found in the archive.


In this novel, based on the true story of a 1915 maritime disaster which inspired a song, a woman whose husband and brother-in-law were lost at sea looks for answers. From a small press based in Newfoundland. Flanker Press, August.




In this literary novel spanning the second half of the 20th century, a wife and mother from small-town Manitoba searches for personal meaning and her own path in life as traditional women's roles give way to modern feminism. HarperCollins Canada, September.




A friendship between a Union army surgeon and a mysterious soldier, formed during the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, ties them together after the second man goes missing, possibly a victim of business rivalries in British Columbia's salmon industry some twenty years later. Brindle & Glass, September.




The three Van Goethem sisters are the focus of Buchanan's sophomore novel (after The Day the Falls Stood Still), set in the glittering world of ballet in 1870s and 1880s Paris. Marie van Goethem is best known as the model for Degas' statue Little Dancer. HarperCollins, Canada, January 2013, pictured first; also Riverhead US, January.



In this coming of age story, the bygone days of 1950s small-town New Jersey prove to be anything but nostalgic and secure. A family tragedy involving a teenage girl is observed from the outside - at least at first - by two other young women. Penguin Canada, July.




Here we have another angle on women's lives in the Canadian colony of New France. A young Jewish woman named Esther, newly arrived in Quebec harbor in 1738, aims to distract officials from her background by telling wondrous stories. Cormorant, July.




The story of two women, one the daughter of white homesteaders and the other from the Blackfoot Blood tribe, who share the love of the southern Alberta prairie in the mid-19th century. Second Story, October.




The sequel to Lyon's Writers' Trust-winning The Golden Mean focuses on Aristotle's daughter, Pythias, too intelligent for her own good in a world full of superstition, and her yearning to create her own life after her famous father's death. Random House Canada, September.




An elderly, ill Halifax woman confronts her past, revisiting her troubled history and haunting secrets from decades before; episodes take her back to 1930s Newfoundland and to elsewhere in the maritime provinces during the war years. Viking Canada, September.



An atmospheric, character-centered story of Quaker pioneer life set in the late 18th century, based on the author's genealogy, beginning when a Pennsylvania father trades a horse for a slave. McClelland and Stewart, September.

17 comments:

  1. Thank you, Sarah. As a Canadian I definitely appreciate this series of posts :-)

    A number of books you have on your list will be placed on my wish list, and I'm sure will end up on my shelves in the not too distant future. I'm particularly looking forward to Cathy Marie Buchanan's new book.

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    1. Thanks, Melissa! I'm sure there are plenty more I'm missing, too. I always discover new titles when I'm in Canadian bookstores (which has only been every few years or so, when visiting relatives in Ontario). These are ones I've found while browsing catalogs, and other Canadian reviewers pointed out a few of these to me. I'm particularly interested in Painted Girls, The Tale-Teller, and The Purchase, but I'd take any of them, really!

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  2. Anonymous11:29 AM

    Thanks for the informative post. I've added a couple more books to my scarily long to be purchased/obtained and read list. I, too, am especially interested in Painted Girls.

    Mary Galliver

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    1. Glad you liked the post - and I figure everyone should have as long a TBR as I do!

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  3. Tiffany12:07 PM

    The ARC of Bride of New France arrived on Saturday! Thank you again!!!

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    1. Great, glad it got there safely and hope you like it too!

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  4. Oh I am SO glad to have found your blog! Historical fiction (and nonfiction) are my very favorite! I'll be following you via email :) Thanks!

    The Relentless Reader

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    1. Glad you found my blog too, and thanks for listing yours - I'm a new follower!

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  5. A few thoughts: (1) do Canadian historical fiction stories appeal to readers beyond Canada (2) writers do not need to be bound by the country where they live, (3) perhaps Canada's rich multi-ethnic population provides us with even more histories to write about.

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    1. Interesting thoughts, Mary!
      Some of these books will be published outside Canada - not just Painted Girls but The Sweet Girl, and I wouldn't be surprised to see The Purchase find a US publisher either. As was the case with Bride of New France, this will probably happen after I buy it from Canada. :) There is the perception from a US standpoint that much Canadian fiction has predominantly regional appeal, but that may depend on the setting and the universality of the characters' experiences. I'm thinking about titles like Ami McKay's The Birth House, which was a book club favorite in the US as well.

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  6. Aristotle had a daughter? For real?

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    1. Yes, Pythias is a historical character... her mother had the same name.

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  7. Anonymous2:29 PM

    Mid-19th century Paris fiction seems to be enjoying a little boom . . .

    Sarah Other Librarian

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    1. Especially the world of the fine arts... and there's also Tatiana de Rosnay's The House I Loved.

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  8. Anonymous10:26 AM

    And The Unruly Passions of Eugenie R, and Where the Light Falls (Feb 2013, via Edelweiss) . . . and then they can merge with the Titanic and Downton Abbey and India in the 1920s' . . . Whew!

    Sarah Other Librarian

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    1. I have a copy of Unruly Passions... though it's buried behind other books at the moment!

      There are two recent novels involving Victor Hugo that would fit: Elizabeth Caulfield Felt's Syncopation and Helen Humphreys' The Reinvention of Love, the latter of which is also Canadian fiction.

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  9. These all sound so intriguing! Love the cover art too...yes, I do notice a book by it's cover, isnt that terrible?! Well, they all sound fascinating! Thanks for the suggestions!

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