A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Ralph Truitt, a wealthy businessman, ran a newspaper ad, seeking a “reliable wife”. As a widower, he was lonely living in a desolate Wisconsin town. Catherine Land responded and journeyed through the middle of the winter with plans to marry Ralph and then slowly poison him to gain his wealth.

This story takes place in Wisconsin at the turn of the century when the local economy has suffered major setbacks. Ralph, as the wealthiest citizen, is both envied and pitied. As the story develops, we learn of his tragic life and of his "reliable wife's" checkered past. Throughout the story, we see scenes from their past lives which help us to understand their relationship and the culmination of the gradual effects of the poison. Goolrick’s development of the characters throughout this story gives us an intriguing look into lives which were torn apart by love and greed. The surprising ending reassures us that sometimes love does prevail. - Reviewed by Deb

The Novels of Ariana Franklin

If you like, historical fiction, mysteries or just plain good writing, I highly recommend Ariana Franklin. She is described by Karen Harper, author of the Elizabeth I mystery series, as "bold, brilliant... the medieval answer to Kay Scarpetta and the CSI detectives." She is as good as Ellis Peters and is a winner of the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award. A former journalist herself, Franklin writes with the immediacy of journalism. She does meticulous research and seamlessly matches fiction with fact. Start by reading Mistress of the Art of Death when you will be introduced to her heroine Adelia, who is doctor and medieval pathologist - not a common or safe career for a woman. Follow with City of Shadows and you will be left poised for more. Be warned, however, today's torture is nothing compared to medieval torture and she leaves none of the cruelty and horror of those times out of her writing. Highly recommended and TCPL has both books. - Reviewed by Sally

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan

This book transported me to India in the 1500’s. This is the fictionalized story of a real woman named Nur Jahan. She was born to a poor Persian nobleman and his wife. After suffering through a great many difficulties, her family’s luck began to change. As a beautiful young woman, she experienced life in the Imperial harem (the zenana) and began to understand the role of women and the power that they exerted. While there, she falls in love with Prince Salim, but unfortunately is required to marry a cruel Persian soldier, Ali Qui. We follow the parallel lives of Prince Salim and Nur Jahan through their marriages and births of children to the conquest of an empire.

Indu Sundaresan engages the reader of this historical romance through the use of vivid descriptions of clothing, food and customs. She gives the reader a peek into the daily life of both the poor and nobility. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Power Behind the Veil. - Reviewed by Deb

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Told through a series of letters between writer Juliet Ashton and those who lived through the WWII German occupation of Guernsey, this historical fiction was engaging and imaginative. I learned a lot about what life must have been like during the five years that the English lived under German rule, but I was also taken with the lively and witty writing of the authors. It was a great summer read, one of those books that you can’t put down and when you finish, you wish for more. - Reviewed by Janet

March by Geraldine Brooks

Set during the Civil War, March, explores the moral complexities of war, racism, slavery, and family. Told from the view of Mr. March, the absent father from Louisa May Alcott’s classic, Little Women, the historical novel follows March as he decides to join the Union forces in his forties as a chaplain. Author Geraldine Brooks based Mr. March on Louisa May Alcott’s father, Bronson Alcott, and like Alcott, the main character is an abolitionist, participates in the Underground Railroad, and has radical beliefs in education. Throughout this Pulitzer Prize-winning story, glimpses of March’s life before his marriage, and his letters home to his wife and girls convey wonderfully lush historical details and a beautiful love story. - Reviewed by Sarah

This summer, the Tompkins County Public Library is sponsoring our 7th annual Community Read. We urge all Tompkins County residents to read this historical novel and meet with friends, neighbors, community organizations, and area libraries to discuss March by Geraldine Brooks. TCPL has 300 copies of March for people to check out, and copies are available at all other local libraries. We also have copies in various foreign languages, as well as foreign language copies of Little Women. TCPL also has extra copies of Little Women available, as well as the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Eden’s Outcasts: the Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson (Matteson will be at TCPL on August 16th at 1 PM for a lecture). Copies of Cornell’s New Student Reading Project title, Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills, are available in addition and together these books offer readers a wonderful reading complement to the Civil War era.

Please join us for our Community Read Kick-Off this Saturday at 1 PM in the Borg Warner Community Meeting Room, when Jan Turnquist, director of Orchard House, Louisa May Alcott's famed childhood home, will assume the identity of Alcott to tackle 19th Century issues like suffrage, abolition, the Underground Railroad and equal education. For more information, please visit: http://www.tcpl.org/march/events.html.

The Hummingbird's Daughter by Louis Alberto Urrea

The Hummingbird's Daughter is a fascinating tale of Mexican history that focuses on a young woman now known as Santa Teresita. The author, Urrea, explains that she was a distant relative and that he spent 20 years researching the novel.

The story follows the life of Teresita, illegitimate daughter of a 14 year old peasant, Cayetana (the "hummingbird" ) and a powerful Mexican land owner, Don Urrea (surname of the author), a man driven by his instincts for land, money, sex and power. Teresita possessed a special talent for healing and becomes the student of the old curadera of the ranch who recognizes her gifts.

The personal evolution of Teresita's life upon the backdrop of the Mexican revolution kept me turning the pages. The book dives into Christian mysticism and surfaces on the gruesome frontiers of a cruel Mexico, harsh for Indians and the "people."

I thought the ending of this work was a bit unsatifsying, but, generally, I would recommend it to anyone with a taste for Latin American fiction - especially historical fiction, which, some say, the Spanish do best. - Reviewed by Joyce