Susan recently made note of a surprisingly large number of bastards appearing in historical novels. Here's something along this "similar title" theme. While typing the details for Frederick Turner's Redemption into my HNR review book spreadsheet (it won't be on the distribution list; one of the editors is stealing it), Excel remembered I'd typed in this title before. And so I had. Three other examples, all from 2006:
Redemption, Carolyn Davidson
The Redemption, M.E. Tyndall
Song of Redemption, Lynn Austin
Why this big need for redemption? Maybe these novels help explain it:
Lady of Sin, Madeline Hunter
Gracie's Sin, Freda Lightfoot
The Seeds of Sin, Anne Herries
An Invitation to Sin, Suzanne Enoch
The Sinner's Tale, Will Davenport
Mortal Sins and Wages of Sin, Penelope Williamson
This phenomenon may or may not be related to the "bastard" theme.
About Me
- Sarah Johnson
- Collection management librarian, readers' advisor, avid historical fiction reader, NBCC member. Book review editor for the Historical Novels Review and Booklist reviewer. Recipient of ALA's Louis Shores Award for book reviewing (2012). Blogging since 2006.
Time to 'fess up, I think:
ReplyDeleteThe Queen's Confession (Victoria Holt)
(Strangely, I couldn't find much on this theme. Hhm.)
I confess, I found a couple more.
ReplyDeleteConfessions of a Pagan Nun (Kate Horsley)
Midnight Confessions (Candice Proctor)
Too funny....
ReplyDeleteDear ladies, I think Holt's "The Queen's Confession" was supposed to be more along the lines of Augustine's "Confessions" rather than the sacrament of penance, which, no, is not in Holt's novel. But it is in "Abundance."
"Confessions of a Pagan Nun," I think I read that....
You forgot "Cardinal Sins" by Andrew Greeley. The first racy novel by a priest after "Manon Lescaut."
Wasn't there a "Sins of the Fathers" by Susan Howatch?
It's interesting how for so long people had a stigma against bastards. I was reading about Pericles and how he had a bastard son and how they are recognized but can never shake that "bastard" label. Does Pearl from The Scarlet Letter count btw?
ReplyDeleteScarlet Letter doesn't have "bastard" in the title like the others, but Pearl definitely counts in that group - and Hawthorne's novel is historical fiction, too.
ReplyDelete