American Historical Fiction
What better way to celebrate July and the summer season than by reading some fiction set during different periods in American history. Some of these titles are set in present day, some are set during World War II, and others are set during different decades. There’s something for every reader in this display! Check out some of the available titles:
“Florence Adler Swims Forever” by Rachel Beanland is set in 1934 Atlantic City. “Every summer, Esther and Joseph Adler rent their house out to vacationers escaping to “America’s Playground” and move into the apartment above their bakery. The apartment is where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and, despite the cramped quarters, it still feels like home. Now Florence has returned from college, determined to spend the summer training to swim the English Channel, and Fannie, pregnant again after recently losing a baby, is on bedrest, leaving her young daughter Gussie in Esther’s care. After Joseph insists they take in a mysterious young woman whom he recently helped emigrate from Nazi Germany, the apartment is bursting at the seams. Esther wants nothing more than to keep her daughters close and safe, but some matters are beyond her control: there’s Fannie’s risky pregnancy–not to mention her always-scheming husband, Isaac–and the fact that Stuart Williams, the heir of a hotel notorious for its anti-Semitic policies, seems to be in love with Florence. When tragedy strikes during one of Florence’s practice swims, Esther makes the shocking decision to keep the truth about Florence’s death from Fannie-at least until the baby is born. She pulls the rest of the family into an elaborate web of secret-keeping and lies, forcing to the surface long-buried tensions that show us just how quickly the act of protecting those we love can turn into betrayal.” This breathtaking debut is a study in how far we’ll go to protect our families.
“The Dressmakers of Prospect Heights” by Kitty Zeldis is set in 1919 Brooklyn New York. “As New York City continues to reel from the losses of both World War I and the deadly influenza epidemic, the lives of three very different women are about to take an unexpected turn. Recently arrived from New Orleans, Beatrice is trying to establish her dress shop with help from Alice, a teenaged orphan she brought north with her, while their neighbor, newlywed Catherine, longs for a baby she cannot seem to conceive. When Bea befriends Catherine and the two start to become close, Alice feels left out of their bond. In her search for a family of her own, she’ll set into motion a series of events that will make all three women confront painful secrets from the past in order to envision a better future.” This mesmerizing historical novel is about female friendships and the family we create ourselves.
“The Great Believers” by Rebecca Makkai is set in 1980s Chicago. “In 1985, Yale Tishman, the development director for an art gallery in Chicago, is about to pull off an amazing coup, bringing in an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings as a gift to the gallery. Yet as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDS epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying and after his friend Nico’s funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico’s little sister. Thirty years later, Fiona is in Paris tracking down her estranged daughter who disappeared into a cult. While staying with an old friend, a famous photographer who documented the Chicago crisis, she finds herself finally grappling with the devastating ways AIDS affected her life and her relationship with her daughter. The two intertwining stories take us through the heartbreak of the eighties and the chaos of the modern world, as both Yale and Fiona struggle to find goodness in the midst of disaster.” This remains one of my favorite historical fiction novels, and I consider it a “must read.”
You’ll find these titles and lots more in our “American Historical Fiction” display. For additional title suggestions, see the lists below:
