Best Historical Fiction

 Many of us have walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, but probably most of us don’t know the story behind this bridge and what an enormous achievement back then it was to build such grand bridge and to take on such massive project. And the dedication it took. 1865, Emily Warren marries Captain Washington ‘Wash’ Roebling. She marries into the family of engineers. Father and son are working on finishing “the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge, which had been long delayed by the war (…),” linking Ohio and Kentucky. And this “is just a prototype. The real challenge is the East River.” And that’s when Emily is asked to help with “Speeches, meetings, dinner receptions, whatever necessary. We have to raise about seven million dollars.” She is left speechless. “They were responsible for finding the project as well as building it?” An office is established to run all the logistics pertaining to building the bridge. And the most qualified person to manage the office turns out to be Mrs. Roebl...

 Gabrielle Bonheur ‘Coco’ Chanel (1883-1972) remains to be an icon of couture and perfume Chanel No. 5. But what probably most of us don’t know, she was also a Nazi spy. By playing with fire, she put herself into fire. To save something or someone she dearly loved, she had collaborated with the Nazi's. French Riviera, 1944. Gabrielle Chanel – Coco to most – just learned that her business partner has stolen the No. 5 perfume formula. Pierre Wertheimer, Jewish businessman, flees Europe for America taking with him the formula to produce it in the US. “Since closing her line of couture last year after the worker’s strike, No. 5 has become her primary source of income.” She takes the case to court. The story alternates between 1940-1944 and her past. 1909. On a hot humid day, “on a whim I tied a black grosgrain ribbon around the rim of a straw boater, a lighter, cooler hat than fashionable ladies wore.” Then suddenly, some ladies crave her hat. Before she knows, she is in ...

 Maria Ignatyevna Zakrevskaya (1893-1974) of high birth was the so called woman of a thousand names as no one saw the same image of her, but they all agreed that she symbolized Life. Life against all odds. She was determined to survive the October Revolution, which eradicated her social class. Russia had “a population that’s been starving for three centuries,” while aristocrats blindly lived in opulence. And she recognized that and wanted to see a change. She is born with a silver spoon in her mouth. From her governess, she inherits calmness, kindness, and willingness to indulge. At six years old, she speaks three languages fluently. At fifteen, she becomes an ambassador between her older sisters and mother. “As a diplomat, Mourushka used her skills to smooth over sharp edges and plead their cases, and on occasion she was able to reestablish harmony.” Being torn between her affections, her escape was books. At seventeen, on her way to visit her sister in Germany, she meet...

 Inspired by the true stories of Jewish children being hidden during WWII. Could you bear to part with your child? What if that meant the only way for your child to survive war? Poland, 1941. Roza and her five year old daughter Shira hide in a neighbor’s barn. Shira, a musical prodigy, is told to keep quiet, but struggles with it as any child would. Her mother invents elaborate stories to keep Shira engaged with her mind and not words. One of those stories is an imaginary bird who sings the songs she composes in her head. But when the risks become too much to bear and the food supply is very low, Roza considers her neighbor’s offer to part with her daughter for her protection. Zosia, as she is named now, lives at a convent. She is even encouraged to play violin, which makes loud noises. Zosia is afraid to make that loud noise at first. But under a tutelage of Sister Nadzieja, Zosia blossoms as violin player. Roza is hiding in the woods. She needs to make sure that her sho...