Best New Historical Fiction - April 2024
The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Synopsis:
Summer Sullivan, the youngest founding member of Elm Creek Quilts, has spent the last two years pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Chicago. Her unexpected return home to the celebrated quilter’s retreat is met with delight but also concern from her mother, Gwen; her best friend, Sarah; master quilter Sylvia; and her other colleagues—and rightly so. Stymied by writer’s block, Summer hasn’t finished her thesis, and she can’t graduate until she does.
Elm Creek Manor offers respite while Summer struggles to meet her extended deadline. She finds welcome distraction in organizing an exhibit of antique quilts as a fundraiser to renovate Union Hall, the 1863 Greek Revival headquarters of the Waterford Historical Society. But Summer’s research uncovers startling facts about Waterford’s past, prompting unsettling questions about racism, economic injustice, and political corruption within their community, past and present.
As Summer’s work progresses, quilt lovers and history buffs praise the growing collection, but affronted local leaders demand that she remove all references to Waterford’s troubled history. As controversy threatens the exhibit’s success, Summer fears that her pursuit of the truth might cost the Waterford Historical Society their last chance to save Union Hall. Her only hope is to rally the quilting community to her cause.
The Museum of Lost Quilts is a warm and deeply moving story about the power of collective memory. With every fascinating quilt she studies, Summer finds her passion for history renewed—and discovers a promising new future for herself.
Why We Recommend It!
A captivating tale of heritage and mystery written by one of our favorite authors, The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini unveils the intricate patterns of history woven through generations, confronting important questions about our historical legacy.
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: April 30, 2024
Synopsis:
The New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the “captivating, richly drawn” (Woman’s World) The Paris Library returns with a brilliant new novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France.
1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild devastated French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.
1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.
Why We Recommend It!
An amazing story of resilience and the power of literature, Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles illuminates the true story of Jessie "Kit" Carson, a librarian who worked with the American Committee for Civilian Relief to help rebuild war-torn France.
The Maiden of Florence by Katherine Mezzacappa
Publisher: Fairlight Books
Release Date: April 18, 2024
Synopsis:
Florence, 1584. Rumours are spreading about the virility of a prince marrying into the powerful Medici family. Orphan Giulia is chosen to put an end to the gossip. In return she will gain her freedom, and start a new life with a dowry and her own husband. Cloistered since childhood and an innocent in a world ruled by men, Giulia reluctantly agrees, only to be drawn under the control of the Medicis’ lecherous minister.
Years later, married and with a growing family, Giulia hopes she has finally escaped the legacy of her past. But when a threat arrives from a sinister figure from her youth, she must finally take control of events – and become the author of her own story.
Based on true events and reminiscent of The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell, The Maiden of Florence gives a charismatic voice to a woman cast aside by history.
Why We Recommend It!
Set in the heart of Renaissance Italy, The Maiden of Florence by Katherine Mezzacappa weaves a story of intrigue and empowerment as an orphan girl navigates the treacherous waters of the Medici court to reclaim her destiny despite so much working against her.
These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Synopsis:
Seven years ago, a hidden betrayal scattered three young friends living in the shadow of Biltmore Estate. Now, when Biltmore Industries master weaver Lorna Blankenship is commissioned to create an original design for Cornelia Vanderbilt's 1924 wedding, she panics knowing she doesn't have the creativity needed. But there's an elusive artisan in the Blue Ridge Mountains who could save her--if only she can find her.
To track the mysterious weaver down, Lorna sees no other way but to seek out the relationships she abandoned in shame. As she pulls at each tangled thread from her old life, Lorna is forced to confront the wounds and regrets of long ago. She'll have to risk the job that shapes her identity as well as the hope of friendship--and love--restored.
In this seamlessly woven historical tale, award-winning Appalachian author Sarah Loudin Thomas delivers a poignant novel of friendship, artistry, restoration, and second chances.
Why We Recommend It!
A beautifully intricate narrative set against the backdrop of the majestic Biltmore Estate, These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas weaves a tale of friendship, ambition, and redemption as a master weaver confronts her past to create a masterpiece for Cornelia Vanderbuilt’s 1924 wedding.
1666 by Lora Chilton
Publisher: Sibylline Press
Release Date: April 2, 2024
Synopsis:
The story has been remembered within the Patawomeck tribe for generations, but is largely unknown outside of the tribe until now. Author Lora Chilton, a tribal member through the lineage of her father, has created this powerful fictional retelling.
The story follows three Indigenous Patawomeck women who lived through the decimation of their tribe by land hungry colonists in the summer of 1666, the massacre of their men, the harrowing march south where they and their children were sold and transported to Barbados via slave ship, and, eventually, their brave escape back to Virginia. It is because of these women that the tribe is in existence to this day.
This work of historical fiction is based on oral tradition, interviews with tribal elders, written colonial records and extensive research by the author, including study of the language. The book uses Indigenous names for the characters and some Patawomeck words to honor the culture and heritage that was erased when European colonization of the Americans began in the 16th century.
Why We Recommend It!
A heartbreaking but hopeful tale of survival and resilience, 1666 by Lora Chilton unveils the powerful fictional recounting of three Patawomeck women who overcame the destruction of their tribe and a perilous journey to Barbados, ensuring their legacy through a daring escape back to Virginia, all rooted in the rich oral history of the Patawomeck people.
