Thursday, September 19, 2019

Bits and pieces of historical fiction news: critical reviews, bio-fiction, HF for new readers and WWII

Here's a roundup of historical fiction articles I found on the web recently.

Negative reviews can be dismaying for authors, but they can hold value for readers trying to decide whether a novel is worth their time. Sometimes I'll read a critical review that persuades me to read a book, and the review of Philippa Gregory's Tidelands in Entertainment Weekly did this for me. In contrast to the reviewer (staff journalist Maureen Lee Lenker), I'd grown steadily more lukewarm about Gregory's Tudor series and didn't read the last two, figuring I'd had my fill of Tudor drama and angst. I'm predicting that a novel that avoids juicy subplots in favor of something less obvious, more of a "slow burn" in other words, may be more to my taste. The comment about Gregory's handling of an "icky" abortion subplot (no spoilers if you've read it, please!) concerns me a bit, but the observation that this situation isn't handled in a way that echoes modern politics does not, since this is a novel set in the 17th century.  I'll be reading Tidelands soon and will post my review then. For more background to Gregory's writing choices, she did a separate interview with EW about it.

For the History News Network, novelist Gill Paul discusses writing fiction about real people: the motivations, pitfalls, techniques, and occasional surprises (like if a person upon whom you've based a character reads your book and emails you).  I liked this comment: "The best novels about real people make us re-evaluate the subject and perhaps alter our preconceived ideas."

At Book Riot, Jeffrey Davis has an essay called 5 Historical Fiction Books to Read if You Don't Like Historical Fiction. For several years, I was a regular guest presenter in an English class examining the reading interests of adults, and historical fiction was a tough sell for most of those students, too. I always enjoy reading other takes on the genre and noted the author's realization that while WWII is the most popular setting, historical fiction encompasses a broader period than that one era. Check out the recommendations there of "gateway" books for newcomers to HF.  A couple of them take place in the '80s -- that is, my high school and college years, which does seem like a distant place at times.

Continuing with this theme, writing for Parade Magazine, author Kristen Harmel (The Winemaker's Wife) analyzes why WWII Fiction Is So Hot Right Now, providing some good reasons and also some fiction recommendations. Among them, the ones I've read are Kate Quinn's The Huntress and Ann Mah's The Lost Vintage, both of which I recommend as well.


8 comments:

  1. I got the impression that Gregory was returning in Tidelands to the kind of storytelling she did so well in the Wideacre Trilogy. I agree the Tudor novels have become predictable and over-written, but if there's a connection between this novel and her 2002 The Wise Woman, I'm looking forward to a change of pace!

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  2. I would love it if Tidelands was more in line with her style from the Wideacre trilogy. I like the new era, plus I'm hoping for less repetition. The Wise Woman wasn't one of my favorites, so I'm hoping for a new direction there!

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  3. I really enjoyed Tidelands and found it to be a nice change of pace for Gregory. I'll admit that it did get off to a slower start for me, but once things really picked up I was really drawn into the story and by the end I was hooked and am ready for the next book already. I really hope you enjoy it!

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  4. That's very encouraging! Thanks, I hope I do too.

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  5. I read Tidelands and was a bit intimidated by the reviews as well. It was slow paced, but I enjoyed the setting. I decided I wanted to read it because she said this was the start of a series and she’s not sure how many books it will have. I found the ending a bit abrupt, but I will read the next in the series because I’d like to see what happens with these characters.

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  6. That sounds positive overall. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I don't mind slow paced novels if the story is interesting, and this one sounds like it will be.

    The theme of a family rising up from poverty over centuries of English history reminds me of Valerie Anand's novels, which are long out of print by now - but still good!

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  7. I am glad I read this post.

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  8. I'm pleased to hear that - thanks!

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