Historical Fiction Aimed At A Young Adult Audience
Pysanky Eggs play a roll in My Real Name Is Hanna (image courtesy of pixabay.com) |
Pysanky Eggs play a roll in My Real Name Is Hanna (image courtesy of pixabay.com) |
Read an Excerpt |
Migrant Mother (1936) Credit: Dorothea Lange/Public Domain |
Dorothea Lange (1936) Credit: The Library of Congress/No Restrictions |
Woman of the High Plains (1938) Credit: Dorothea Lange/Public Domain |
If you embrace the saying, revenge is a dish best served cold then you will love this historical novel by Megan Chance.
A Recommended Read |
Although this author has many titles to her name this is the first novel of hers I have read and I loved it. The novel is divided into 3 parts. The first part introduces us to May Kimble who has been living in Brooklyn, New York until after her mother's death. She receives a letter from her mother's sister of whom she had no idea even existed and is welcomed into the arms of her newfound family in San Francisco in 1904.
She has lots of questions, but receives no answers to them and is unfortunately too naive to realise that she is being manipulated. She suspects things are amiss, but doesn't act on her instincts or her laudanum addled aunt's ravings at her to go home.
Part one culminates in the death of her aunt and the ultimate betrayal from her family and May realises just how she's been played.
Part two is terrifying as May learns how to survive in a place that her mother hadn't even thought to prepare her for. She learns her lessons quickly and uses her knowledge to improve her conditions while thinking of her revenge. Why do I call it terrifying? It's certainly not a scary, horror book, but it's terrifying as to how easy it was in 1904 for this to happen and it's something that I have read about in other historical books and novels alike.
Part Three is called Retribution and begins on April 18th, 1906. For any American history buffs out there you may recall that this is the date of the great San Francisco earthquake. The earthquake gives May a chance to escape where she was and she takes advantage of that.
May proves to be very resourceful and brave. You really see how she has grown since arriving in California. She plots her revenge and also falls in love (well, I believe the seeds for falling in love were planted in part one, but now she is ready).
The ultimate revenge doesn't come in the way that May and her paramour planned, but was the perfect moment and absolutely embodied the saying, revenge is a dish best served cold.
I really enjoyed this historical novel and a little glimpse into San Francisco's turn of the century society and also how the earthquake was dealt with by the people on the ground - the author portrayed the confusion that would have been about really well.
I recommend this read for anyone that enjoys historical fiction with a strong heroine (although she was frustratingly naive in the first part, she certainly grew into a strong heroine). I will certainly be reading other books from this author.
This book was available as part of Amazon Prime - I love Amazon Prime as not only does it have Kindle books, it has a number of television series that I enjoy on it and also gives me free shipping when I purchase anything - find out more about it here.
It is also available as part of Kindle Unlimited which is great if you enjoy reading, I started with a free trial and am now in my second month of it. Definitely worth the free trial, especially over these holidays when there aren't as many get together as usual - more time for reading!
Scene from Port Clyde Area |
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, photo by Lou16 |
The Queen of Spies herself, courtesy of Wikipedia |
Get Ready to Wear Your Leprechaun and Shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day!
St. Patrick's Day is only a week away. Last year, we let the holiday slip-up on us and we were not prepared to wear our green. For me, I work at home, so there was no one around to pinch me for not wearing green. However, our son works in an office that has apparel restrictions.
Thinking outside of the box this year, I wanted him to be able to have fun wearing the traditional green shamrocks or leprechauns. The only things I could think of that would be hidden apparel that he could wear were undershirts, boxer shorts and socks. It is already too warm to wear a thick undershirt and you can't really show off boxer shorts in the office setting. I thought socks would be the perfect choice.
I had no idea there were so many St. Patrick's Day socks available! Since he still needed to appear to be in dress code with his black socks, I opted for black socks with green shamrocks, but I also purchased the socks with the St. Patrick's Day puppy on them for after work.
If you are free to wear whatever your heart desires on St. Patrick's Day, there are a lot of fun designs on socks for you. Choose from leprechauns, clovers, lucky horseshoes, the puppy I chose, just plain green socks or a combination of fun designs.
Whatever your preference, embrace the luck of the Irish and have fun
sporting the green on St. Patrick's Day. Above all, avoid being
pinched!
Be sure to look for the socks that ship from Amazon for faster delivery!
Which is your favorite?
Parquet St. Patrick's Day Dog Novelty Socks for Men…Check Price Good Luck Sock Men's St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Socks, AdultCheck Price 15 Pairs St. Patrick's Day Socks Shamrock Clover Stripe Crew Socks Green Irish Leprechaun Socks for Adults Men Women Party Holiday Gift Cosplay, 15 StylesCheck Price Triple M Plus Men's Mid Calf Green Dress socks,One size fits most men; Sock Size 10-13. (Bright Green/Black 1 Pairs)Check Price
March 17th St. Patrick's Day Some Facts and Fiction You May Not Know!
What do you know about St. Patrick's Day? Is it Fact or Fiction? Read on and I know you will learn something new!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Crafting in St. Patrick's Day Green
Craft ideas for St. Patrick's Day! Creating crafts in green is a fun way to add to the pleasure of St. Patrick's Day.
The Famous Wigleys Corned Beef Reviewed
Enjoy the "Best" corned beef! Wigleys Famous Corned Beef will not disappoint. Perfect for St. Patrick's Day and the traditional boiled dinner.
Galway Bay - A Must-Read Irish Historic Fiction
Galway Bay is a story of an Irish mother's love and so much more. A beautifully-written historical fiction based on a the epic tale of a family who survives the Great Starvation.
Irish Mug Reviewed
An Irish mug for St. Patricks Day or just to celebrate your Irish ancestry.
Kindle Paperwhite - photo by Amazon |
Lighted Leather Case for Kindle Keyboard - photo by Amazon |
Amazon Gift Cards |
A Girl Named Samson (photo created in AI) |
The book, Timeless Treasure by MaryLu Tyndall, took me by surprise!
I have read several books by Tyndall and always loved them. She is one of my favorite authors because I know I can depend on her for a great story with clean content. However, Timeless Treasure is more than a great story. It is an exceptional historical fiction that I would highly recommend.
When I read historical fiction, I want historical accuracy. Tyndall certainly did her "homework" for Timeless Treasure. The story is based on a real pirate, Stede Bonnet, who was executed in 1718. The author built a romantic story around Bonnet's real life with a fictitious tale of why he turned to pirating even though he was a well educated, wealthy landowner, married and with children.
So many things in Bonnet's real life story seem unexpected, contradictory, perhaps even unbelievable, but they were true. He was factually known as "The Gentleman Pirate" because of his own behavior, yet his association with Blackbeard, who was certainly no gentleman, is well documented. It should also be noted that he knew nothing about sailing prior to becoming a pirate.
The fictional suggestion that he was in love with someone other than his wife and wished to secure a separate fortune to support their life together, would be a plausible explanation for why a wealthy gentleman would turn pirate. Thus the reason this book is exceptional!
Chapter One takes place present day and introduces us to a decedent of Stede Bonnet. Lexie Cain has just returned from her mother's funeral to a home where she is no longer welcome since it belongs to her step-father. She is there only to retrieve an ancestral chest containing photos, school papers, a scrapbook, and some old letters. Flipping through the letters she discovers they were written by Bonnet. Those letters change the course of her life.
The opening paragraphs of chapter two introduce us to Stede Bonnet and the woman he loves, Melody, at the burial site of his firstborn son. We discover just how bereaved, miserable and unhappy Stede is with his life. When Melody informs him that her father is moving her family away from Barbados to Charles Town, a city in the colony of Carolina, Stede's desperation intensifies. He must do something to change the course of his life.
Current day Lexie Cain moves to Charleston in the hopes of finding buried pirate treasure. She gets a job in the local museum, takes the first "Bonnet" letter to a college history professor for authentication, and then finds herself the target of criminals.
As Lexie reads through the letters with the professor, Barret Johnson, we are all hearing Bonnet's tales of piracy, his longing for a life with Melody, and his plans for a happy future together. In spite of the fact that we know from the beginning that Bonnet is hung, we hold on to the hope that it was somehow not him that was executed. That he somehow managed to find the happiness he so desperately sought.
_______________________
There is no way I will tell you more of the story, yet there is so much more than this brief introduction of the book, including the romance that develops between Lexie & Barrett.
I would never wish to ruin this marvelous book for anyone else. You deserve to be able to "walk" through this adventure for yourself. It would be dastardly indeed for me to rob you of this experience and I refuse to do that. After all, I am no pirate!
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