A Canadian historical fiction showcase, part 2

I've been getting a lot of visitors to my first visual preview of Canadian historical fiction so decided to do a followup.  Most of these historical novels will be appearing in fall 2011.

In addition, no cover art is available for this one yet, so I haven't listed it below, but I wanted to make a special note of one book I'm highly anticipating.  Michael Ennis (author of the fabulous Duchess of Milan) will have a new novel out in late January from McClelland & Stewart.  A Most Beautiful Deception is a fact-based historical thriller set in the world of Niccolò Machiavelli and Leonardo da Vinci.  Ennis isn't Canadian, but the novel doesn't appear to be published elsewhere.

Happy browsing.  Did I miss any important titles?  Let me know! 





In a series of connected short stories spanning 1901 to 1999, DeGrace takes readers through a century of change in the company of a large cast of characters.  The setting moves through the vast Canadian landscape, from early 20th-century Ontario to 1920s Montreal to Depression-era Saskatchewan and beyond.  McArthur & Co., Sept.




The story of Molly Norton, the half-native daughter of the governor of Hudson's Bay Company in 18th-century Manitoba, and Samuel Hearne, the explorer she married.  A sensitive rendering of a tragic clash of cultures that took place over two centuries ago.  The characters are based on historical figures. HarperCollins Canada, March (it's already out, and my copy arrived in yesterday's mail).





The love triangle between novelist Victor Hugo; Hugo's long-suffering wife, Adèle; and Hugo's would-be friend, French journalist and literary critic Charles Sainte-Beuve, set during the reign of Napoleon III.  HarperCollins Canada, Sept.; published in the UK in July by Serpent's Tail.





Maureen Jennings' Detective Murdoch mysteries set in late 19th-century Toronto are hugely popular in Canada.  Season of Darkness, first in her new series, takes place in rural Shropshire a year into WWII.  A detective who expected to be bored by his seemingly dull assignment finds himself investigating the death of a land girl.  Read the review from the NY Times.  McClelland & Stewart, Aug.





Another of Johnston's literary epics, this time set in late 19th-century Newfoundland, New Jersey, and North Carolina. When his personal circumstances turn sour, a man turns to his wealthy former Princeton classmate, George "Van" Vanderluyden, for help, and gets drawn into his deceitful net. (Van is based on George Washington Vanderbilt II, who constructed Biltmore.)  Knopf Canada, Aug.





It's been four years since McKay's debut, The Birth House, her celebrated and bestselling novel about the trials of a determined young midwife in an early 20th-century Nova Scotia fishing village.  Expect plenty of demand for The Virgin Cure, which was inspired by her great-great-grandmother's story.  Moth grows up in the slums of New York's Bowery district, where she befriends a female physician and become wise to the cruel ways of the adult world.  Knopf Canada, Oct; to be pub by HarperCollins US in Feb 2012.






The Forgetful Shore by Newfoundlander Trudy Morgan-Cole reveals the stories of two friends, closer than sisters, who grow up in a small coastal town in the early 20th century.  Although they remain in touch after their adult lives diverge, their friendship abruptly changes when a long-held secret emerges.  The author has also written novels about biblical women as well as The Violent Friendship of Esther Johnson, about a shadowy woman who was Jonathan Swift's good friend and possibly more. Breakwater, Sept.





Gayla Reid is a multi-award winning Australian-Canadian writer, and her latest work incorporates elements from the history of both countries.  It tells the story of an Australian nurse longing for news of her Canadian lover, a volunteer on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War.  While she waits, she reveals her life story to her daughter.  Cormorant, Aug.





Polish-Canadian writer Stachniak's third work of fiction is an epic historical novel about Catherine the Great's rise to power in mid-18th century Russia, as seen from the viewpoint of her servant, Varvara.  The US publisher is gearing up for promotion already (my copy arrived last week) and I'm sure we'll be seeing much more of it this winter.  Let's hope this means Russian settings are on the upswing.  Doubleday Canada, Dec; also Bantam US, January, and Doubleday UK, January.





Vanderhaeghe, an author of significance in modern Canadian literature, presents his 3rd epic of the American and Canadian West in the late 19th century.  The first two books in this loosely formed trilogy are The Englishman's Boy and The Last Crossing.  McClelland & Stewart, Sept., and Atlantic Monthly (US), Jan.




In 1788, Lt. George Cartwright's trading expedition set out to make peaceful contact with the Beothuk, the native inhabitants of Newfoundland, in 1768.  Literary historical adventure along the early Canadian frontier.  Breakwater, Sept.