Best Historical Fiction

  1920s New York City is blazing with jazz and one of the rising stars George Gershwin is blending classical music with jazz. A musician endowed with “the most brilliant, most enchanting and perhaps the most profound talent.” On the other end of spectrum, there is a classically trained composer – Katherine “Kay” Swift. This story brings two legends and their musical influences on each other. NYC, 1924. Katherine is not convinced of old musical pieces being presented in a new style. But Paul Whiteman of P.T. Barnum convinces her to attend a concert, the piece – Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Gershwin’s music transforms her. 1917. As the story goes back in time, it reveals how Katherine meets James Warburg, their courtship and their contrasting family backgrounds. It is revealed with so much depth, evocative layers. It’s a pure joy. 1925. By now, she knows of her husband’s infidelities. And her path crosses with George Gershwin again. Upon meeting him in person, they connect mu...

  As readers know, Agatha Christie (1890-1976) was an English writer known for her detective novels. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie uncovers the untold story of her mysterious eleven day disappearance. When she reappears, she claims amnesia, never revealing what happened. England, 1912. At Ugbrooke House ball Agatha Miller accepts a dance invitation from someone she has not been properly introduced to. “Because really, how dangerous could one dance be?” England, 1926. Archibald Christie receives a phone call that his wife is missing. And right before his first questioning, he finds a letter from his wife. A letter he burns right after reading it. The story alternates between those two timelines. As it goes back in time, it reveals their courtship and her passion for writing. An altercation with her sister leads her to proving her sister wrong and setting a goal of writing a detective story. What she thought of as just a hobby until she snatches a husband, now is her mission. The pres...

 This story brings “a little-known chapter of WWII history: the story of the American librarian, Miss Reeder, who created the Soldiers’ Service to deliver books to servicemen, and who later faced the Nazi ‘Book Protector’ in order to keep her library open. She and her colleagues defied the Bibliotheksschutz by delivering books to Jewish readers after they were forbidden from entering the library.” Montana, 1983. Lily, a lonely teenager, is working on a school project, a report on France. She goes to her French neighbor Mrs. Gustafson to interview her for the report. Mrs. Gustafson is defined as the epitome of solitude. And what starts as a school project, turns into a heartfelt relationship. As the relationship deepens, Lily starts wondering about certain things about Odile’s life in Paris. Paris, 1939. Odile Gustafson has just started working as a librarian at the American Library. When England and France declare war on Germany, requests for magazines and books from soldie...

  Into the Unbounded Night takes us to a time of ancient stones paving the way to the great temples. A time, when different ideologies rub shoulders leading to the birth of Judeo-Christian monotheism. It is also a time when accumulation of wealth and power leads to rebellion and destruction. With Kaplan’s gifted storytelling, the reader is transported into the ancient times of turmoil and history in the making. The year is 40 C.E., on the island of Britannia, in the village of Albion. Fourteen-year-old Aislin is being raised by her aunt, after an illness left her motherless. Her aunt Muirgheal is a local warrior, “a great warrior and a leader of her people.” A visitor appears at their village warning of invading warriors, warriors “well-armed and extraordinarily disciplined. (…) They come from a place called Roma, and their general is a giant called Vespasian.” When her village is depopulated, after a brutal Roman invasion, Aislin travels to Rome to avenge her people. Yohanan, son ...