Since we haven't yet picked our next three books, I'd like to make two suggestions.
How does historical fiction sound?
Triangle by Katharine Weber is set against the backdrop of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. The fire really happened in a New York City sweat shop and it killed 146 workers. The book tells the story of a fictional survivor.
Also Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth about the building of a cathedral in 13th century England. It's looong, though. A thousand pages. It was an Oprah Book Club selection in November of last year.
Anyone else have a thought on historical fiction?
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7 comments:
Historical fiction would be great. True, they tend to be 'thick'. Triangle sounds good and The Pillars of the Earth is an excellent choice. If the page number is stressful we might consider breaking it up over two months.
Some additional considerations for historical fiction: Thunderstruck by Erik Larson or The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I will post some descriptions of these two books tomorrow. Some others: any of the Lonesome Dove series of Larry McMurtry. A Painted House by John Grisham (a very un-Grisham novel). All good stuff. So many books, so little time.
These are great suggestions. I thought about Murder in the White City. But it's actually listed as nonfiction. Although I've read it, and it reads like a novel.
I love the suggestions so far. How historical do we want to get? How about The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant, which is set in Renaissance Florence?
Another favorite of mine is Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood; that's got a more recent setting--early 20th century Canada, I think.
I like the idea of historical fiction.
Has anyone read Stones from the River by Ursela Hegi. It's been a long while since I've read it but enjoyed it a lot. It's a story of a dwarf librarian (and town gossip) in a small German town set during WWI and II. Being different sometimes renders Trudi almost invisible to those around her, allowing her to eavesdrop on the daily dramas of her neighbors' adultery, cowardice, heroism, insanity, and Jewish persecution.
Hegi draws on her own youth in small-town Germany (she emigrated to the United States at age 18) to establish an authentic setting, painting the emergence of Nazi Germany on an intimate canvas of a small town and its humanly flawed population. (from one of the online reviews...)
Anyway, just a suggestion.
Does Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "Love in the Time of Cholera" count as historical fiction? It's set in Colombia about 100 years ago I believe. I'm about a quarter of the way into it and really enjoying it.
"Triangle" sounds interesting -- such a tragedy -- and "Stones from the River" sounds like it would be great for discussion. I'm not sure about a 1,000 page book -- well maybe spread over two months, but...
Does anyone like mysteries? I recently read "Death at La Fenice" by Donna Leon. It is set in Venice and really gives you the feeling of being there. It's about the sudden death of a symphony conductor (during a performance) and all the possible suspects and motives -- rather an intriguing ending.
Love in the Time of Cholera definitely is historical fiction.
I'd love to read it so I could actually call myself a literate person.
Becca's suggestions sounds compelling.
These are all really good suggestions. Based on the descriptions you've all put forth, I think I'll read them all! Over time of course. Dunat, Atwood, Hegi, Follett, plus Weber and Leon--we can't go wrong. Anyone else want to weigh in? Scribezilla? Would you like to pick the final three?
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