Best Historical Fiction

 Camille Claudel (1864-1943) was a French sculptor, recognized for the originality and quality of her work. She had experimented with materials, “demonstrating her immeasurable talent for crafting with difficult materials.” France, 1881. Camille Claudel studies are progressing well. Upon finishing her studies, her mother expects her to find a husband and end the absurd of being an artist. She persuades her father to hire an art tutor. And the new tutor persuades the father to enroll Camille at a school of art in Paris, as females are allowed to attend this school. Her “works show violent contrast, light and its absence, and an intimacy all her own. The very antithesis of Rodin’s style.” He “prefers harmony in his silhouettes and musculature.” Auguste Rodin becomes her tutor. “At last she had met someone as consume with sculpture as she was.” He is an accomplished artist and a skilled teacher, who falls in love with her. She tries to resist him as there is Rose Beuret, his p

 Martha Jefferson Randolph (1772-1836) was “a multifaceted woman who had played a large role in her father’s – and our – history… (…) She struggled throughout her life to reconcile her roles as wife, mother, daughter, slaveholder, and educated thinking woman. She struggled with the issue of slavery in general…” Virginia, 1789. After five years in Paris, Martha Jefferson is back with her family on her family’s beloved plantation Monticello. Her father’s first diplomatic mission to Paris has not only influenced him – Thomas Jefferson, but also her. Now, seventeen years old, she is blessed with her father’s sharp mind and independent spirit. 1790, she marries Tom Randolph. As a young couple learning how to manage their new properties, they also learn how to better treat and manage slaves while Thomas Jefferson works on emancipation via legislation. Due to opposing views of the cabinet members, Thomas Jefferson resigns as secretary of state and retires at Monticello. The letters