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Post by jessied44 on Oct 7, 2009 12:07:33 GMT -5
As a lover of both fact and fancy, this is my favorite genre since it is free to steal from all the others such as mystery and adventure. Now I hate bodice rippers. I don't mind fictional characters sharing space with real ones, but using them as an excuse for general skirt flipping isn't desired.
It is those books such as Michener's solidly based in fact and history that attract attention. Any suggestions of favorites would be appreciated.
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Post by Fairweather on Oct 7, 2009 19:14:50 GMT -5
Hi Jamie! Glad you've joined our little gang here--
You may have seen over at Craig's that I'm in the early pages of Robert Hicks's 2005 novel THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH. Just now out in paperback. I found it in that infernal Wally World the other day.
Anyway, the book is based on the life of Carrie Winder McGavock, the mistress of Carnton Plantation, around which, for some five hours on November 30, 1864, the Battle of Franklin raged. This one I've wanted to read for a long time; the battlefield is only a couple or three of hours' drive from here.
Like you, I'm not much on bodice rippers either. What passes for history in a good many of them makes my gorge rise (I majored in history in college, a long long time ago) and generally speaking they aren't very well written either.
There is one I would recommend if you're interested in Scots history: Susan Fraser King's LADY MACBETH. I happened to run across it last year. It doesn't follow Shakespeare and his hatchet job at all; it tells a much different and more accurate story about the reign of Macbeth. I wrote a review of it over at Gimme a Book, come to think of it. King did an excellent job with the story.
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Post by jessied44 on Oct 7, 2009 19:32:47 GMT -5
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