News and Random Musings about Historical Novels

Tues., January 3: What was your favorite book of 2011?

Every January, Powell's Books runs its Puddly Awards contest, when readers vote for the best book of 2011. Which book did you like best? Here's hoping it was a historical novel - lots of good ones were published in 2011!

Weds., Dec. 21: New Listings for December

The new historical novels published (or about to be published) in December are now listed on the website. Just a handful this time, many of them mysteries, with a couple of the Jane Austen-inspired genre, and one intriguing feminist tale set in a Hungarian village during the World War I period:

Margaret Frazer, A Play of Heresy, about a traveling player in fifteenth-century England who investigates the case of a missing person in Coventry, where a sect of heretics are working against the Church ; #7 in the Joliffe Players mystery series.

Fiona Buckley, Queen Without a Crown, about a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth I who investigates a plot to put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne; #9 in the Ursula Blanchard mystery series; Fiona Buckley is a pen name of Valerie Anand.

Karen Charlton, Catching the Eagle, about an innocent Northumberland farm laborer accused of stealing a vast sum from a manor house in 1809 and his younger brother, whose efforts to clear his name are complicated when he falls in love with his brother's wife; #1 in the planned Regency Reivers series.

Amanda Grange, Henry Tilney's Diary, a retelling of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey from the perspective of Henry Tilney.

Patrice Sarath, The Unexpected Miss Bennet, a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice centering on Elizabeth's shy and bookish younger sister Mary.

Jessica Gregson, The Angel Makers, about the women in a remote Hungarian village whose lives improve when their men go away to war, and who resort to extreme measures to preserve their freedom after the war ends.

Mon., Dec. 19: Review of How Far to Bethlehem?

Just in time for Christmas, Annis has contributed a review of Norah Lofts' 1965 classic How Far to Bethlehem?, a warm-hearted retelling of the Nativity story. For more, see the review of How Far to Bethlehem?.

Sat., Dec. 17: Sharon Kay Penman's "Best of 2011" List

Sharon Kay Penman picked five books as her choice for the very best historical novels of 2011. I wish I had read more of them. Perhaps I will catch up with some of them in 2012, which seems to be rocketing our way with tremendous speed. Here's my list for not necessarily the best historical novels published in 2011, but the best of the bunch that I read in 2011: Best Historical Novels of 2011

Fri., Dec. 16: Review of The Spring of the Ram

Second in Dorothy Dunnett's "House of Niccolo" series about a rising Flemish cloth merchant, The Spring of the Ram is classic Dunnett, a rich and complex adventure story for highly intelligent readers. I've just posted a review of The Spring of the Ram for those of you who have read the first in the series and are wondering whether you might want to read on. If you haven't read any Dorothy Dunnett yet, or if you've only read her "Lymond Chronicles" series, you might like to read the review of the first novel in the "House of Niccolo" series, Niccolo Rising.

Coming soon: A review by Annis of a Christmas classic by Norah Lofts, How Far to Bethlehem?

Tues., Dec. 13: New Listings for November

Novels published in November have now been added to the website, thanks to the valuable assistance of volunteer Ellen J. Grogan. Those of most interest include:

Diana Gabaldon, Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner, in which the reluctant Jamie Fraser, having renounced politics and soldiering, is given an urgent mission; #4 in the Lord John series.

Umberto Eco, The Prague Cemetery, about the forged document, "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," purportedly the work of a power-mongering Jewish conspiracy, which set off a wave of anti-Semitism in nineteenth-century Europe.

Luis Alberto Urrea, Queen of America, sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter about a Mexican healer.

Maria Duenas, The Time In Between, about a woman who follows her lover to Morocco where she must reinvent herself as a couturier and undercover agent to survive after he abandons her.

Erri DeLuca, The Day Before Happiness, about an apartment building superintendent in Naples who has the gift of reading people's thoughts and takes an orphaned boy under his wing in the aftermath of World War II.

Simon Scarrow, Praetorian, #11 in the Cato series about two Roman legionaries, now veterans.

Several new historical romances and romantic historical novels came out in November:

Gillian Bagwell, The September Queen,about a young woman who helps Charles II escape to safety during the English Civil War.

Katharine McMahon, Season of Light, about a young English woman who travels to Paris before the Revolution and meets a dashing idealist at a literary salon.

Tamera Alexander, A Lasting Impression, about a woman whose passion is to create a lasting work of art; Christian message; #1 in a planned series.

Lauraine Snelling, Valley of Dreams, about a young woman who works as a trick rider for her late father's Wild West show; #1 in a planned series.

Kerry Jamieson, The Forgotten Lies, about three starlets competing to win a major role and the picture's highly desirable leading man in 1935 Hollywood.

Plus, a number of series mysteries had new additions published in November:

Maureen Ash, A Deadly Penance, #6 in the Templar Knight mystery series.

Peg Herring, Poison, Your Grace, #2 in the Simon and Elizabeth mystery series.

Emily Brightwell, Mrs. Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-Up, #29 in the Mrs. Jeffries series.

Ann Parker, Mercury's Rise, #4 in the Silver Rush mystery series.

Jacqueline Winspear, The Mapping of Love and Death, #9 in the Maisie Dobbs series.

Kate Kingsbury, Herald of Death, #19 in the Pennyfoot Hotel series.

Fri., Dec. 9: The Best Historical Novels I Read in 2011

My list of the Best Historical Novels I Read in 2011 is compiled and posted now. This year, I read eleven novels, one children's story, and two mysteries that qualified for the list. Although the list is not quite as long as some of the lists for previous years, that's no reflection on the quality of historical novels published in 2011. I moved to a new house this summer, which really cut into my reading time. Most of what I did have time to read, I heartily enjoyed, and this list includes some richly rewarding novels. I hope some of my website visitors will enjoy one or more novels from this year's list just as much!

Thurs., Dec. 8: Review of The House of Silk

Can a new Sherlock Holmes mystery authorized by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate be as juicy a read as one of the many unauthorized Holmes mysteries? Yes, says Annis, of Anthony Horowitz's The House of Silk. She calls it "a cracker of a period mystery." See the full review.

Tues., Dec. 6: Review of The Richest Hill on Earth

Readers interested in a cynical - and justifiably so - tale of mining rivalry in nineteenth-century Butte, Montana, will likely enjoy Richard S. Wheeler's latest novel, The Richest Hill on Earth. Wheeler is a five-time winner of the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. For more about this novel, see the review of The Richest Hill on Earth.

Weds, Nov. 30: Choosing a gift for the historical fiction fan in your life

It's easy, isn't it? Just wrap up any historical novel and put it under the tree, right? Wrong!

There are as many styles and genres of historical fiction as there are of contemporary fiction. You wouldn't give a copy of Sweet Susannah and the Wounded Jacobite to the reader with a standing order at his favorite bookstore for each new installment in Barry Bravado's "Blood-Soaked Encounters" series.

A reader who knows numerous passages from Jane Austen's novels by heart and loves mysteries, too, is likely to be delighted with P.D. James's Death Comes to Pemberley, an Austen-inspired mystery by a critically acclaimed doyenne of the mystery genre. The same book might not appeal to a reader who gravitates to earthier fare like The Scottish Prisoner, the latest in Diana Gabaldon's "Lord John" series about the toothsome but tortured Jamie Fraser and his vicious enemy.

Of course, any fan of historical fiction will likely be touched by a gift that says the giver noticed this passion, even if the particular book that emerges from the wrapping paper isn't a big winner. It's easiest, though, to evoke that sudden smile that says, "Wow!" if you devote some energy to figuring out what type of historical fiction your giftee most loves to read. More

Tues., Nov. 29: IHR Novel Approaches Conference now available online

The Institute of Historical Research is offering a 'virtual' conference, Novel Approaches: academic history to historical fiction. Its focus is the relationship between two ways of studying the past: through the academic study of the historical record and through the imaginative reconstruction of history through fiction. Featured speakers include Elizabeth Chadwick, Hilary Mantel, Ian Mortimer (James Forrester), and Alison Weir, among others.

The physical conference concluded on November 25, which means you can now access a wide variety of blog posts on conference topics (scroll down to the end of the "Day 5" post for links) and hear podcasts of lectures and roundtable discussions (click on the "Lectures" tab for a menu). Have fun!

Fri., Nov. 17: Review of Rosemary Sutcliff's The Changeling

Though Rosemary Sutcliff's novels for young people remain much beloved, years after she wrote them, a few have become obscure. Such is the case with The Changeling. In order to find out enough to write a thumbnail description of the story, I had to hunt down a copy through Interlibrary Loan and read it myself. Though it's not Sutcliff's best work, even a lesser Sutcliff story is pretty good. For more about this short tale for preteens, see the review of The Changeling.

Weds., Nov. 16: Interview with author Yona Zeldis McDonough

It's great to visit with Yona Zeldis McDonough, author of the charming historical children's book The Cats in the Doll Shop, about a girl in 1915 who lives with her family above her parents' dollmaking shop.

The food in this story sounds delicious, from the corned beef and cabbage to the raisin cake. Do you like to cook?

I do, but I don't cook as much as I would like to - not enough time! I did, however, think readers would enjoy getting a sense of what the characters might be eating so I made a point of including descriptions of their meals and snacks. What characters eat reveals so much about them - who they are, where they are from, what they are like. The girls in The Cats in the Doll Shop eat the kinds of foods that were commonplace at the time, and they all love treats like candy, egg creams and chocolate. Tania lends another dimension to the eating theme. Because she has been deprived, she needs to horde food, even in a situation when she does in fact have enough.

Have you ever made a doll the way Anna does in the story?

No, I am terrible at things like that! I am, however, a huge doll collector. I loved dolls as a girl and still do. I collect only dolls that are old though - contemporary dolls hold little interest for me. I have bisque and china dolls, rag dolls, wooden dolls, as well as early plastic and composition dolls. I also have a fair number of vintage Barbie dolls; my daughter Kate likes them as much as I do. Kate shares my doll love: she's had American Girl dolls and Madame Alexander dolls too; it's the Madame Alexanders - which I coveted but never owned as a child - that were the basis of my inspiration for the first Doll Shop book, The Doll Shop Downstairs.

Little Plucky the kitten steals every scene he is in. Do you have cats?

I wish I did because I adore them. But I am, alas, highly allergic, so I have to confine myself to writing about them. I do, however, own a very cat-like dog named Queenie. She is a Pomeranian, and weighs about nine pounds. When she is content - in my arms or lap - she is prone to grunting, which is, I learned, a canine form of purring. So maybe she is a cat at heart.

Thanks, Yona! Readers may be interested in the review of The Cats in the Doll Shop or the listings at Powell's Books or Amazon.com.

Tues., Nov. 15: Review of The Cats in the Doll Shop

Among the few historical chapter books for children younger than twelve which is listed on this website is Yona Zeldis McDonough's charming The Cats in the Doll Shop. Set in 1915 New York, it's about an eleven-year-old girl, the daughter of Jewish immigrants from Russia, who lives with her family above her parents' dollmaking shop. (Bliss for a little girl who loves dolls!) For more about this book, see the review of The Cats in the Doll Shop.

It would be great if I had time to add a whole new section for historical chapter books for preteens, but that would require packing more than 24 hours into a day. Instead, I've slipped a few of the best historical children's books into the YA section.

Mon., Nov. 7: Review of The Doctor and the Diva

December is fast approaching, and my "Best of" list for 2011 is still looking a little thin, so I'm seeking out books with a good chance of making the list. One of them is Adrienne McDonnell's elegantly sexy The Doctor and the Diva, about a mezzo-soprano struggling with infertility in the early years of the 20th century. It has a twisty plot, which surprised me several times by not unfolding the way I expected it to. For more about this novel, see the review of The Doctor and the Diva.

Mon., Oct. 31: Interview with author Monika Schroder

It's great to talk with Monika Schroder (and her dog Frank). Her YA novel My Brother's Shadow is about a German teen in 1918.

You grew up in Germany. When did you learn about the painful history you write about in My Brother's Shadow?

I first learned about the time after World War I in school and I've always been a history-nerd. Then, when I began working on the novel I watched an interesting documentary made in cooperation with German and French television channels about the "Great War." It showed footage about the struggles of the social democratic women, who fought for peace and worked against the regime, and also included a section about the veterans and what we now call "post traumatic stress disorder." These images as well as interviews with surviving soldiers about their experiences left a deep impression on me.

In 1918, Germany formed a democratic government, which later crumbled as Hitler rose to power. Do you think Germany's democracy could have been saved?

The seeds for the destruction of this young democracy sprouted right after 1918. The stipulations of the Versailles Treaty left Germany humiliated and also economically too weak to pay back the demanded reparations. The returning veterans, like Hans in my book, had no work and couldn't find their place in the new Germany. Politically the country was divided between the extreme right, represented by militarists who didn't shy away from violence, and the left. Soon after my book ends, in 1919, communist politicians were assassinated. A civil war ensued and the weak economy helped the rise of the National Socialists who promised a new "strong Germany." In addition, the structure of the Weimar Parliament gave room for too many small political parties, making it hard to form coalitions and maintain a stable government. So, I don't think this democracy could have been saved, too many factors were working against it.

You write very sympathetically about hunger. Have you known hungry young people?

I lived for eight years in India, where unfortunately poverty among children is a fact of life. I have written about that in my second novel, Saraswati's Way. But I have just moved to western North Carolina and learned that almost 70% of schoolchildren in my county depend on school lunches and charity organizations handing out food bags to secure adequate food for their families on the weekend. A recent national study found "food insecurity" (a strange choice of words) to be a growing problem among children in the US. It seems that hunger is becoming also a sad reality for many young people here in America, one of the richest countries in the world.

Thanks, Monika, for an important perspective on both past and present. Readers may be interested in the review of My Brother's Shadow or the listings at Powell's Books or Amazon.com

Fri., Oct. 28: Review of YA novel My Brother's Shadow

Today's protesters may not realize a widespread protest movement also swept Germany in 1918, when a few wealthy individuals avoided the sacrifices most Germans had to make as World War I neared its end. Monika Schroder's YA novel My Brother's Shadow is about a sixteen-year-old German boy whose mother and brother cannot agree on what course the country should take. It makes an interesting read for young people wondering what course our own country should take, as wealth becomes more concentrated and the majority of Americans find themselves making less money than they used to. For more about this novel, see the review of My Brother's Shadow.

Thurs., Oct. 27: New listings for October added

Thanks to intrepid volunteer Ellen J. Grogan, the new listings for October have been posted. Sharon Kay Penman's newest novel, Lionheart, which fans have been eagerly awaiting, is now listed on the "Medieval: Angevins" page. This has been a big month for mysteries and historical romance.

The new mysteries include:

Priscilla Royal, A Killing Season, about a prioress who investigates the case of a Crusader whose sons have been dying in mysterious accidents, leading people to wonder whether he has been cursed for his sins; #8 in the Eleanor of Tyndal mystery series.

Barbara Hamilton, Sup with the Devil, a mystery featuring Abigail Adams, the wife of attorney John Adams, who agrees to investigate a murder attempt on her nephew Horace after he is hired to translate an Arabic text involving pirate treasure; #3 in the Abigail Adams mystery series.

Carol K. Carr, India Black and the Widow of Windsor, about a woman who manages a London brothel and takes on a spying mission in Scotland at Christmastime when Prime Minister Disraeli suspects a plot to assassinate Queen Victoria; #2 in the India Black series.

Michelle Black, Seance in Sepia, a standalone about a present-day woman why buys a spirit photograph and discovers the ghostly images in the photograph were connected with an 1875 murder trial, and about the man accused of the murders. Review at Reading the Past

New historical romance novels include:

Janet Woods, Lady Lightfingers, set in the nineteenth century about an educated girl from the London slums who must survive as a pickpocket and steals from a man who becomes intrigued by her.

Laurie Alice Eakes, A Necessary Deception, about a young widow in 1812 London whose assistance to a French prisoner could lead her into danger; #1 in the Daughters of Bainbridge House series.

Serena Miller, The Measure of Katie Calloway, about a woman who flees her violent husband and takes work as a cook in a lumber camp after the Civil War.

Lily Baxter, Spitfire Girl, about an eighteen-year-old London girl in 1940 who wants to learn to fly so she can help defend her country and the flying instructor she falls in love with before she discovers he is missing in action.

Deeanne Gist, Love on the Line, about a switchboard operator in Brenham, Texas, in 1904, who becomes involved with a Texas Ranger who has gone undercover to catch a gang of train robbers.

Lyn N. Austin, Wonderland Creek, about a bookish young woman during the Depression whose life changes after her boyfriend breaks up with her, she loses her job, and she begins doing volunteer work in the east Kentucky mountains; Christian message.

Tues., Oct. 25: Review of Nanjing Requiem

Ha Jin's new novel, Nanjing Requiem, takes a detailed look at the experiences of Chinese civilians during the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanjing. Most Americans were long unaware of this massacre, overshadowed by the Pearl Harbor attack and World War II. Even now, few realize an American woman played a heroic role in sheltering many Chinese from catastrophe. For more about this novel, see the review of Nanjing Requiem.

Weds., Oct. 19: Review of The Dovekeepers

Alice Hoffman's latest novel, The Dovekeepers, takes a new look at the Masada story through the eyes of four fictional women. Consistent with more recent scholarly interpretations, Hoffman portrays the Jews at Masada as a diverse and contentious group. While some characters display impressive courage, they do so in the service of life. For anyone interested in the Masada story, this novel not to be missed. For more about it, see the review of The Dovekeepers.

Fri., Oct. 14: Ellis Peters Historical Award shortlist announced

The shortlist for the Crime Writers' Association's Ellis Peters Historical Award for best historical crime novel has been announced. To be considered, a novel had to be published in English in the U.K. between September 16, 2010 and September 15, 2011. The winner will be announced November 30. Meanwhile, the mysteries that made the shortlist are:

Rory Clements, Prince (2011), a thriller in which John Shakespeare investigates an outbreak of bombing attacks on Dutch immigrants in London; #3 in the John Shakespeare series.

Sam Eastland, The Red Coffin (titled Shadow Pass in the U.S.), about a detective summoned by Stalin in 1939 to investigate the murder of the man designing a military tank; #2 in the Inspector Pekkala mystery series.

Gordon Ferris, The Hanging Shed, about a former paratrooper who returns to Glasgow in 1946 to try to clear an old friend, horribly changed by his WWII experiences, from an accusation of murder.

Andrew Martin, The Somme Stations, a thriller about a British railway detective, now fighting in the trenches during World War I, who faces as much danger from his fellow soldiers as from the Germans after evidence emerges of an enemy within the ranks; #7 in the Jim Stringer mystery series.

R.N. Morris The Cleansing Flames, about a Russian police inspector investigating a group of intellectuals who favor revolution during the spring of 1872; #4 in the St. Petersburg mystery series.

Imogen Robertson, Island of Bones, about a pioneering anatomist and a society woman who investigate the discovery of a fresh corpse in a three-hundred-year-old island tomb in Cumbria; #3 in the Crowther and Westerman mystery series.

Mon., Oct. 10: New Travel-by-Novel Page

Are you planning a trip to Washington D.C. anytime soon? Or do you just wish you could? Our newest "Travel by Novel" page is for you.

The "Travel by Novel" pages are especially for travelers - whether by plane, boat, train, car or armchair - to a destination rich in history. See the Articles page for links to all the "Travel by Novel" pages. Currently, there are six. Just posted today is the page for Washington D.C.. The others are for Austria and Vienna, Ireland, New Orleans, Paris and San Antonio.

Happy travels!

Fri., Oct. 7: Interview with author Katy Moran

We're fortunate to have Katy Moran visiting the blog today to talk about her YA novel Bloodline, set in Anglo-Saxon England. Annis recently reviewed Bloodline and describes it as a "vivid, fast-paced adventure." She had these questions for Katy:

What inspired you to use the little-known Anglo-Saxon period as the setting for Bloodline?

I was studying Anglo-Saxon archaeology at university when my parents gave me a brooch they'd found in an antique shop. It was sold to them as a fake Viking artefact but when I took it to show my tutor, we ended up deep in the bowels of the British Museum. They have about 16 other brooches the same as mine, all made by an Anglo-Saxon artisan about 900 years ago. I couldn't stop thinking about that person, who the owned the brooch, and why they lost it. It acted as a time machine, taking me back over 1,000 years.

Bloodline is the first in a trilogy. Did you always intend to follow Essa's story with those of his own bloodline - his son and grand-daughter?

Ah, well spotted with the connection between Essa and Asena! I didn't really plan a trilogy - Spirit Hunter is more of a stand-alone title than Bloodline Rising, which has a very clear link to the first book.

All the Bloodline novels have a thread of magic running through them. Do you see this as fantasy or something rooted in the Dark Age worldview?

I don't see the magic as fantasy at all, particularly not with Bloodline and Bloodline Rising - it's part of their world. There's a part of me that really believes any of us could develop the unusual skills Essa, Cai and Asena all have - it's just that the world has changed and we have forgotten.

Thanks, Katy. What a thrilling discovery that brooch must have been! Perhaps with a little help from novels like Bloodline and its sequels, people will begin to remember a few of the things we have forgotten over the centuries. Readers may be interested in Annis's review of Bloodline or the listings at Powell's Books or Amazon.com.

Thurs., Oct. 6: Review of The Sekhmet Bed

It's rare for me to discover a self-published novel I can bear to read past the first few pages, much less enjoy to the end, but it does happen. The Sekhmet Bed, first in a planned series about the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, has its flaws but is full of vivid descriptive passages and exciting scenes. For more about this novel, see the review of The Sekhmet Bed.

Tues., Oct. 4: Review of The Favored Queen

Carolly Erickson's latest novel, The Favored Queen, is narrated by Jane Seymour, who becomes Henry VIII's third wife near the end of the story. I was surprised to find a novel about the rather colorless Jane to be so replete with sensational scenes. For more about this surprising novel, see the review of The Favored Queen.

Mon., Oct. 3: Review of The Corpus Conundrum

A mystery featuring Pliny the Younger as sleuth, The Corpus Conundrum by Albert A. Bell, Jr., is worth reading for ancient history buffs interested in a rational perspective on some of the stranger beliefs of ancient times. Pliny the Younger was the nephew of Pliny the Elder (author of the Natural History) and important in his own right for his letters, one of which described the eruption of Vesuvius in which Pliny the Elder died. For more about this mystery, see the review of The Corpus Conundrum.

Thurs., Sept. 29: Review of Only Time Will Tell

Jeffrey Archer's best-known novel, Kane and Abel, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. His new novel, Only Time Will Tell, launches the Clifton Chronicles series, and has also been appearing on the list. That's no surprise; it's a family story full of twists both shocking and heartwarming, just the kind of thing that attracts readers in droves. For more about this novel, see the review of Only Time Will Tell.

Weds., Sept. 28: New Historical Fiction Imprint Looking for Writers

The U.K. publisher Pen & Sword Books tells me they are "interested in launching a historical fiction imprint and are currently on the look out for new authors." Pen & Sword is an established publisher of military history, but recently extended their interests to include general history, family history, transport, true crime, nostalgia and collectables. For the new historical fiction imprint, they will be considering a wide variety of historical fiction with settings ranging from ancient history to modern history. For more information about Pen & Sword Books, see their website at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk. The contact person for historical fiction is Jonathan Wright. Writers "with a range of experience including first time writers" who would like to submit a historical novel can contact him by email at marketing@pen-and-sword.co.uk.

Thurs., Sept. 22: Review of In the Name of the King

Readers who enjoyed A.L. Berridge's debut novel, Honour and the Sword, will no doubt want to follow up with the sequel, In the Name of the King, which finds the heroic Chevalier Andre de Roland now seventeen years old and as ready as ever to follow the idealistic impulses that will get him into hot water. For more about this swashbuckler set in France during the Thirty Years' War, see the review of In the Name of the King.

Weds., Sept. 21: Interview with author Claudia H. Long

A key character in Claudia H. Long's Josefina's Sin is Sor Juana, a seventeenth-century Mexican nun and poet. Welcome, Claudia!

How did you discover Sor Juana?

Sor Juana is one of Mexico's most famous poets! Mexico considers her work a national treasure. I did my thesis as an undergrad on "The Feminism of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz" because I was fascinated with this brave woman who wrote poetry and believed, in the 1690's, that women should be educated.

Did the real Sor Juana attend court parties like those in your novel?

Yes. It depended on the order of nuns - the first convent she joined, the Discalced Carmelites, was so rigorous that she returned home three months later, exhausted and ill. But the order she later joined allowed for the sisters to write, offer music, and be part of the grand society of the vice-royalty of the time.

While many nuns nursed the sick or fed the poor, some convents had some very licentious goings on, in Europe as well. Remember Shakespeare's "Get thee to a nunnery"? That was slang for a brothel!

The actual parties in the story, of course, are fiction, but in reading between the lines of Sor Juana's poetry, you can easily see that she was witness to plenty of amorous intrigue!

Josefina is an innocent exploited or betrayed by every man who claims to love her. How realistic a portrait do you think her story offers of a woman of her time, place and class?

Let's start with the second part of your question. How realistic is Sex and the City, or Desperate Housewives?

This is fiction. While each event is realistically placed within the context of her time, class and history, most people then, like most people now, led much more mundane lives. Fiction deals with the disruption of the status quo, events outside expectations.

As to Josefina being exploited and betrayed, she begins as an innocent, but she has hidden desires. She breaks the mold of devoted and domestic wife to satisfy her deep yearning for more than her quiet home can give her. She breaks her vows, loving the Bishop. She returns to Court to write, in defiance of convention.

Men are far more often permitted "extracurricular" relationships. After all, they don't get pregnant! In Josefina's time, the Moorish influence on Spain was still considerable. Their women were veiled and cloistered, but the men moved about freely in society. Think of society's premium placed on virginity: female virginity. Manuel's transgressions are believable in the context of the time, as are Josefina's limitations. His love for her triumphs in the end, and Josefina is strengthened by her ordeals.

Thanks for a fascinating perspective! Readers may be interested in our review or the listings at Powell's Books or Amazon.com.

Tues., Sept. 20: Review of Josefina's Sin

Times have changed. Not so many decades ago, Josefina's Sin would have been banned along with the works of the Marquis de Sade. It has more purpose, though, than de Sade's imaginatively cruel fripperies. The young woman at the novel's center is a lover of poetry, and serves as the reader's introduction to the remarkable Sor Juana, a very real seventeenth-century nun and poet who was full of fascinating contradictions. For more about Claudia H. Long's debut novel, see the review of Josefina's Sin.

Coming tomorrow: an interview with author Claudia H. Long

Mon., Sept. 19: Review of The Inheritors by William Golding

Today is the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Nobel prizewinning novelist William Golding, who died in 1993. Although perhaps best known for his darkly imaginative contemporary novel Lord of the Flies, Golding also wrote a novel set in prehistory: The Inheritors, about conflicts between Neanderthals and our own ancestors, early Homo sapiens. In honor of the Golding centenary, Annis has contributed a review of The Inheritors, a novel she calls "evocative and disturbing."

Mon., Sept. 12: Review of YA novel Bloodline

At last, my whole computer system is up and running, and it works better than before I moved. Hooray!

To celebrate, I've posted a new review by Annis of Katy Moran's YA novel Bloodline, which sounds like an exciting and thoughtful novel. Readers interested in the early Anglo-Saxon period of English history will find this one of a very few YA novels set during that time. Life among the Anglo-Saxons was quite different from life today, and readers may wish that more novels as good as Bloodline would be written about that time. Fortunately, Bloodline is the first in a series - see the YA Medieval page for the others, along with a few more novels set during Anglo-Saxon times.