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Every week Tanzanite features upcoming historical fiction and history related non-fiction books that have come to her attention and may be of interest to others. Since she has an out of control TBR pile, so should everyone else!
The epic story of the queen who founded the Tudor dynasty, told through the eyes of her loyal nursemaid. Perfect for fans of Philipa Gregory.
When her own first child is tragically still-born, the young Mette is pressed into service as a wet-nurse at the court of the mad king, Charles VI of France. Her young charge is the princess, Catherine de Valois, caught up in the turbulence and chaos of life at court. Mette and the child forge a bond, one that transcends Mette’s lowly position.
But as Catherine approaches womanhood, her unique position seals her fate as a pawn between two powerful dynasties. Her brother, The Dauphin and the dark and sinister, Duke of Burgundy will both use Catherine to further the cause of France.
Catherine is powerless to stop them, but with the French defeat at the Battle of Agincourt, the tables turn and suddenly her currency has never been higher. But can Mette protect Catherine from forces at court who seek to harm her or will her loyalty to Catherine place her in even greater danger?
India Black and the Shadows of Anarchy by Carol Carr. US and UK release February 5, 2013.
In Victorian London, India Black has all the attributes a high-class madam needs to run a successful brothel--wit, beauty, and an ability to lie with a smile. Luckily for Her Majesty's Government, all these talents also make her a first-rate spy...
India Black, full-time madam and occasional secret agent, is feeling restless, when one of Disraeli's men calls on her to meet the prime minister--alone. Even though all her previous meetings have been organized by the rakishly handsome spy French, it's been decided this is a mission India must attempt on her own.
Revolt has spread across Europe and reached the shores of England--anarchists have begun assassinating lords and earls, one by one. Now India must infiltrate the ranks of the underground group responsible for those attacks, the sinister Dark Legion. To stop their dread plot, India will go from the murkiest slums of London to the highest levels of society, uncovering secrets that threaten her very existence...
Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini. US and UK release February 26, 2013.
Freedwoman Elizabeth Keckley made her professional reputation in Washington, DC, making dresses for the city’s elite, among them Mrs. Jefferson Davis and Mrs. Robert E. Lee. She made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within the White House, and she was a trusted witness to many private moments between the president and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.
In March 1861, Mrs. Lincoln chose Keckley from among a number of applicants to be her personal modiste, responsible not only for creating the First Lady’s gowns but also for dressing Mrs. Lincoln in the beautiful attire Keckley had fashioned. The relationship between the two women quickly evolved as Keckley was drawn into the intimate life of the Lincoln family, supporting Mary Todd Lincoln in the loss of another son and then of her husband from the assassination that stunned the nation and the world.
Keckley saved scraps from the dozens of gowns she made for Mrs. Lincoln, eventually piecing together a tribute known as the Mary Todd Lincoln Quilt. She also saved memories, which she fashioned into a book, Behind the Scenes: Or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years in the White House. Upon its publication, Keckley’s memoir created a scandal that compelled Mary Todd Lincoln to sever all ties with her, but more recently, Keckley’s story has languished in the archives. In this impeccably researched, engrossing novel, Jennifer Chiaverini brings history to life with a rich, moving style.
His Dark Lady by Victoria Lamb. UK release February 28, 2013.
No summary yet, but this appears to be a sequel to The Queen's Secret.
Lady at the OK Corral: The True Story of Josephine Earp by Ann Kirschner. Non-fiction. US and UK release March 5, 2013.
For nearly fifty years, she was the common-law wife of the most famous lawman of the Old West. Yet Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp has nearly been erased from Western lore. In this fascinating biography, Ann Kirschner brings Josephine out of the shadows of history to at last tell her full story – a spirited and colorful tale of ambition, adventure, self-invention, and devotion reflective of America itself, from the post-Civil War years to World War II.
Howe did this aspiring actress and dancer – a flamboyant, curvaceous Jewish girl with a persistent New York accent – land in Tombstone, Arizona, and steal the heart of Wyatt Earp? What inspired five decades of adventure-seeking that led from the Arizona Territory to Alaska to Hollywood? And what sustained her lifelong partnership with a man of uncommon charisma and complex heroism? Answering these questions, Kirschner offers a rare look at a woman’s life on the frontier and sheds new light on the iconic gunfight that made Wyatt Earp a legend, revealing Josephine’s place at its center.
I definitely want to read Mrs Lincoln's Dressmaker-that sounds great! Thanks for alerting me to this title-will be a lovely treat in the dark of February.
July 18, 2012 at 4:10 AM
According to Amazon.com, Lynda Jones wrote about this relationship in 2009. It would be interesting to compare each author's effort.
Hope my library has Ms. Jones' work!
July 18, 2012 at 4:54 AM
Update...Lynda Jones' work is for Young Adults. Still...a good place to start and yes, my library has her book :)
July 18, 2012 at 4:56 AM
I think Lady at the OK Corral and Mr.s Lincoln's Dressmaker both sound like books I'd love to read. So many books, so little time to read....
July 18, 2012 at 4:00 PM
Yay! New India Black!
First time I read it, I thought the Chiaverini book was going to be standalone from her Elm Creek Quilts series but reading it more closely I am not so sure now.
July 18, 2012 at 4:03 PM