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Frida's Cook by Florencia Etcheves

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  This historical novel explores the character of Frida Kahlo and her fascination with Tehuanas – indigenous women from Oaxaca, renowned for their strong matriarchal society and vibrant traditional attire – famously adapted by Frida. Nayeli Cruz is a fictional character who represents Tehuanas. In 1939, young Nayeli Cruz arrives in Mexico City, after fleeing from her Oaxaca home per her older sister’s insistence, who took on the burden of getting married, but wanted a different life for her younger sister. Nayeli’s fate leads her to La Caza Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo. Frida finds a constant connection with the lost girl standing in her garden and takes her under her patronage. Nayeli becomes Frida’s cook, through Nayeli’s cooking and Frida’s artistry; both women form a deep bond. In present time, Buenos Aires, Paloma - Nayeli’s granddaughter – explores a mystery. After the death of her grandmother, Paloma is given a key which leads her to a painting depicting her grandmoth...
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The Lost Book of Elizabeth Barton by Jennifer N. Brown

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  This dual timeline story brings to light the Holy Maid of Kent, namely Elizabeth Barton. The story begins in 1525, with Elizabeth Barton at the age of nineteen. She is placed on a farm where she finds the work very hard and doesn’t like it, but her visions open the door for her. She is taken from the farm and brought to St. Sepulchre’s Priory to become a nun. Her visions are recorded by her spiritual advisor – Edward Bocking. With the help of a local patron, he is able to publish her visions. Her visions attract many pilgrims and attention of powerful men. She is presented to Cardinal Wolsey and used to fight against a new religious influence which is taking over the country. Her visions are used to keep Henry VIII close to the Church and not divorce his wife Katherine of Aragon. The story of Elizabeth Barton, who becomes a tool in men’s hands who wanted to stir the country in certain direction, is revealed in a linear way which is well-narrated and making an interesting re...
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The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins Anderson

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  The Moonshine Women brings a fascinating story of three sisters from the Ozark Mountains and the regions’ rich folk tradition of moonshine whiskey. Rebecca, the oldest sister, loves the farm life, surrounded by animals and nature. Elsie, the middle sister, craves beauty and a family atmosphere far from rural hardship. Shine, the youngest, is full of verve and the most inclined to carry on their father’s legacy. The story begins in 1929 Missouri, with seventeen-year-old Shine introducing the moonshine tradition. Even before the Prohibition, their father made his own moonshine, as many respected farmers did. None of them would waste money on store-bought alcohol. The formulas for moonshine were handed down from generation to generation like cake recipes. When crops became nearly worthless and couldn’t feed the family, they turned them into something that could. And with human nature, what was forbidden quickly became lucrative - especially when Grandma Lidy Strong added her own sec...
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Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

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 Daughter of Egypt  brings to light two extraordinary women: Evelyn Herbert who helped uncover Tutankhamun’s tomb, and Hatshepsut with her mysterious reign as the first woman Pharaoh of Egypt. 1919, England. The novel begins with the backstory of Evelyn Herbert who comes from privileged family. Her father, Lord Carnarvon, employed Howard Carter to lead excavations in Egypt. Howard Carter has been tutoring Eve in history and archeology of ancient Egypt every summer since her childhood. And that’s when her fascination with Hatshepsut began – why her successors tried to erase her from history. That’s the puzzle she’s been determined to solve. The story portrays well the spirit of Eve and her fascination with Hatshepsut. While traveling to Egypt with her parents, she witnesses the excavations of the final layer at the site possibly tied to Tutankhamun and Hatshepsut. Her anticipation is contagious. She also experiences what she only heard of and never imagined that could happe...
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It Girl by Allison Pataki

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 It  Girl brings to light the story based on real-life of Evelyn Nesbit - model, actress, and one of those first girls for whom beauty and talent allowed to become independent. They were one of those giving birth to the pop-culture. The novel is based on the life of Evelyn Nesbit with her last name changed to Talbot in the story. Evelyn’s story begins in 1897 Pittsburgh when she is an apple in her father’s eye who encourages her to dream big, but the fairy tale talk ends when her father dies suddenly. In order to help pay the bills, the mother takes thirteen year old Evelyn out of school and gets her a job at department store. Evelyn is told to present herself as sixteen year old, and to observe what life could be. Evelyn’s features grab attention of a customer who is a sketch artist and approaches Evelyn to pose for her. This is the beginning of cascading steps that lead Evelyn to the Broadway stage and ultimately her greatest fame. After arriving in NYC in 1899, she begins ...
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A Great Act of Love by Heather Rose

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  A Great Act of Love begins with an event that on the surface is easy to judge, but once the story goes deeper with characters, revealing their past, it brings a deeper theme of taking time to get to know someone without rushing to judge. The story begins in 1836 London where Caroline’s father makes their name infamous by committing a crime. She blames herself for not seeing that he had become dangerous to himself and other people. She feels that the stain will never leave her. Thus, she embarks on a journey with her new identity. At twenty-three, as a lady of means, she travels to Van Diemen’s Land before it becomes Tasmania. Jacques-Louis’s story, Caroline’s father, begins when he is a boy and his father introduces him to a new movement called enlightenment – claiming that man’s thought should turn inward. The father sees his son loving the industry of agriculture but he wants him to balance it with the cultivation of the mind. Thus, the father teaches the son how to make a good...
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Skylark by Paula McLain

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 Skylark explores timeless themes through two storylines separated by nearly three centuries. Time is an illusion - but human traits and actions transcend it, shaping lives across generations. In 1664, Alouette Voland, the daughter of a master dyer, dreams of escaping her constrained existence. One morning, while drawing water at the river, she notices a tanner downstream at his work. In that instant, a single movement of his inspires hope for the secret experiment she’s been conducting – her quest to achieve the legendary indigo color. But her discovery is forbidden. As her father tries to protect her, both find themselves ensnared in dangerous circumstances. Alouette’s misstep leads her to the Saint-Lazare ward, where women are confined for daring to think and question knowledge deemed off-limits. She has heard whispers of the interrogations that take place within such institutions - but not of women sent there by their own husbands, as punishment for defiance. Now, imprisoned an...
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