Category Archives: Historical Fiction

September 12, 2026 · 5:04 pm

May We Feed The King – Rebecca Perry

Cover of May We Feed The King by Rebecca Perry.

This was selected for my book club, and I do like historical fiction.

Here’s the blurb …

She is a curator, who spends her time dressing the rooms of historic buildings to bring them to life. But in the lush private quarters of a medieval palace, she finds herself so transfixed by the reign of an almost-forgotten King that the edges of her life begin to blur.

He is a reluctant ruler with no hunger for power, rushed to the throne after the untimely deaths of his older brothers. But it isn’t long before whispers begin to fly around the court. And with the growing belief that the King is not fit for the throne comes the idea that another might rule in his stead.

May We Feed the King dances between the lives of a historical subject who risks the future of his kingdom and a woman who turns to the past to hide from her present. Laced with desire and longing, it is a playful, stirring meditation on history and storytelling: on what makes a King ‘Great’, and a life meaningful.

This is an interesting novel, particularly for a first novel. The structure is intriguing. The chapters are short and disjoint. No one has a name, just a role – the curator, the King, the cousin’s wife. We start and end with the Curator, and spend the rest with the King. A very reluctant medieval king. Rumours swirl and we as readers must wonder about the reliability of history. The action takes place in an unnamed palace (and an unnamed country), I kept thinking of Stirling Castle in Scotland.

The writing is beautiful…

When my circumstances changed, and it became plain to those around me that I was floundering, my work served as a kind of conversational solace. Tell me what you’re working on, people would say when it dawned on them that the questions had run out, and there was no other comfort to offer. In this way, my work has sustained me when people could not.

I believe you can tell a lot about a person who doesn’t believe the rules apply to them, but that is another thing entirely.

He has often wondered whether his entire person has been shaped by what he was – and wasn’t – in relation to his brothers. He was not the wood or the worm, but the hole that spoke of its presence. Not the person or the chair, but the indent left behind on the seat.

A review

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September 3, 2026 · 8:03 am

Henrietta – Georgette Heyer

Cover of Sophie Irwin's novel 'Henrietta'.

As I like both Georgette Heyer and Sophie Irwin, I had to read this novel (and it didn’t disappoint)

Here’s the blurb …

Could this be the Season she wins his heart? 

Henrietta has secretly loved Arthur, Lord Allerton, since childhood. He is the only man who is interested in her rather than her fortune – just not in the way that she wants.

After three years away at war, Arthur has returned to London to find everything changed. His finances are ruined, his family in chaos. And sweet, shy Hetty is … different.

For Hetty has set herself a challenge: she has one summer to become the charming, dashing Diamond she’s always wished to be. And either Arthur will notice her, or she’ll give up her dreams entirely.

But in a glittering Season plagued by scandal and intrigue, is there still room for love …?

I loved this novel – the characters were fabulous – Arthur, the older brother, very responsible, Timothy, the dandy younger brother, Trixie, the younger sister determined to find some excitement (and probably ruin herself), and Henrietta, our heroine, who was a ward of the Allertons, but now just lives with them. She’s also incredibly wealthy (80 000 pounds) and very shy and awkward. The perfect set up for a regency romance.

There is descriptions of frocks, regency cant (slang), balls, the theatre and a balloon ascension. We’re just missing a trip to Vauxhall Gardens. There are fortune hunters and lovely shy young men.

Sophie Irwin has done a fabulous job of emulating Georgette Heyer. This is one of my favourite novels of the year.

A review.

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August 24, 2026 · 9:41 am

The Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion (Vol 1) – Beth Brower

f Emma M Lion

I pre-ordered this novel (on Kobo) and then I received an email telling me I could download it, but no I couldn’t. Then I got a surly email from Booktopia informing that it wasn’t available yet. So eventually it arrived.

Here’s the blurb …

“I’ve arrived in London without incident. There are few triumphs in my recent life, but I count this as one. My existence of the last three years has been nothing but incident.”The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighbourhood of St. Crispian’s. But Emma’s plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian’s.Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.

This is a series of journal entries set in the late 1800s. It does feel quite authentic and Emma is a charming character.

Here she is describing how she wants to live to her banker.

I simply wish to keep myself in London, in Lapis Lazuli House, and buy books. I have considered owning a cat, but I believe that expense won’t put mw out in the streets just yet.

This is a short, quick to read, and charming novella. I will definitely move onto Volume 2 (I want to know about the tenant in Lapis Lazuli Minor – is there going to be romance?)

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August 20, 2026 · 10:51 am

The Odyssey – Homer (Translated by Emily Wilson)

Cover of The Odyssey by Homer - translated by Emily Wilson

Obviously I had to read this after seeing the latest film, which was visually spectacular, but, to me, felt like ‘a boy’s own adventure’. I selected this version because it was translated by a woman, and I chose an audible version because I thought it would be easier to listen to it than read it myself.

Here’s the blurb …

Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.

Emily Wilson is the first woman to take on the daunting task of translating over 100,000 lines of a three-millennium-old poem from Ancient Greek to modern-day English. Her breathtaking rendition captures the poetic immediacy of the original text, while allowing listeners to experience The Odyssey with an honesty and directness few other versions have achieved. The result is a lean, fleet-footed translation that recaptures Homer’s “nimble gallop” and brings an ancient epic to new life. A fascinating introduction provides an informative overview of the Bronze Age milieu that produced the epic, the major themes of the poem, the controversies about its origins, and the unparalleled scope of its impact and influence. 

I enjoyed it. The introduction was extremely informative – it gave me information about the time, location, social history of its creation. It’s a beautiful translation with many mentions of ‘rosy fingered dawn’ and ‘the wine dark seas’. Not to mention all of the weaving of purple cloth, putting sandals on well-oiled feet and a lot of weeping. There is a lovely flow and rhythm to it, and Claire Danes is a fabulous narrator.

I can see now that Nolan removed most of the women’s agency from the film. In my opinion Athena is the architect of everything. She transforms herself into various characters, makes Odysseus look old, handsome and virile, and even taller as required. She convinces Zeus to force Calypso to let Odysseus go – none of that is apparent in the film.

I am going to be one of those people who say ‘the book is better than the film’. However, would I have read it if I hadn’t seen the film? No, so Nolan is bringing new people to the book.

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July 29, 2026 · 4:31 pm

A Tale for the Time Being – Ruth Ozeki

A Tale for the Time Being – Ruth Ozeki

I don’t know where I first heard about this novel. I think it was one of the Lit Hub Recommends emails, which is a fabulous resource.

Here is the blurb …

Nao lives in Tokyo. She is sixteen, and has decided to write a diary before she kills herself, she particularly wants to chronicle the life of her great-grandmother, a Buddhist nun. Ruth lives on the Pacific coast of Canada. A few months after the 2010 tsunami she finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the shore.

This is a beautiful, enchanting novel. Like Ruth, I wanted to keep reading Nao’s story. The structure is fabulous, we switch between Nao’s and Ruth’s perspective. Learning about their lives both inner and outer. Who knew that Japanese school children could be so brutal?

A review

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July 24, 2026 · 5:17 pm

The Matchbox Girl – Alice Jolly

The Matchbox Girl – Alice Jolly

All I knew about this novel was that it had won the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction. I love historical fiction, so I bought both a digital and audio copy (instant gratification!).

Here’s the blurb …

Adelheid Brunner does not speak. She writes and draws instead and her ambition is to own one thousand matchboxes. Her grandmother cannot make sense of this, but Adelheid will stop at nothing to achieve her dream. She makes herself invisible, hiding in cupboards with her pet rat, Franz Joseph, listening in on conversations she can’t fully comprehend.

Then she meets Dr Asperger, a man who lets children play all day and who recognises the importance of matchboxes. He invites Adelheid to come and live at the Vienna paediatric clinic, where she and other children like herself will live under observation.

But the date is 1938 and the place is Vienna – a city of political instability, a place of increasing fear and violence. When the Nazis march into the city, a new world is created and difficult choices must be made.

Why are the clinic’s children disappearing, and where do they go? Adelheid starts to suspect that some of Dr Asperger’s games are played for the highest stakes. In order to survive, she must play a game whose rules she cannot yet understand.

I listened to it – this version – the narrator is fabulous. I didn’t even read the blurb, so I went into this novel completely cold. It took me ages to realise who Doctor A was! It is beautifully written, Adelheid is a fabulous character (I enjoyed being in her head). Ms Jolly must have done a huge amount of research, but the novel wears it lightly – it just felt like someone was telling me a story about Vienna, neurodivergence, and the children’s hospital. I didn’t know anything about the history of autism (despite being a neurodivergent family), so that was all fascinating (and horrifying when the Nazis got involved).

It’s a wonderful way to learn history – Vienna during the war, autism research, and the treatment of neurodivergent children. I hope all children have a Sister Viktorine in their lives.

A review

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July 12, 2026 · 2:36 pm

Miss Benson’s Beetle – Rachel Joyce

Miss Benson’s Beetle – Rachel Joyce

I bought this in January 2025 (because I loved the title) and finally decided to read it.

Here’s the blurb …

It is 1950. In a devastating moment of clarity, Margery Benson abandons her dead-end job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist.

Enid Pretty, in her unlikely pink travel suit, is not the companion Margery had in mind. And yet together they will be drawn into an adventure that will exceed every expectation. They will risk everything, break all the rules, and at the top of a red mountain, discover their best selves.

This is a story that is less about what can be found than the belief it might be found; it is an intoxicating adventure story but it is also about what it means to be a woman and a tender exploration of a friendship that defies all boundaries.

This is a ‘girls’ own adventure’ for two incredibly unlikely explorers (or entomologists). The dialogue between Margery and Enid is brilliant. The descriptions of the places and the people are also excellent (and occasionally very funny, for example, the description of the Friday coffee and craft morning among the British wives in New Caledonia)

[…] and share an activity, though the knitted space rockets for the local orphanage, their last project, had turned out looking like woolly condoms, and the women had been a laughing stock.

And there are some lovely thoughts, Enid to Margery

‘We are not the things that happen to us. We can be what we like’

This is a beautifully written, witty story about friendship and resilience.

A review

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July 2, 2026 · 2:23 pm

Land – Maggie O’Farrell

Land – Maggie O’Farrell

I am a fan of Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet in particular, but I have read several.

Here is the blurb …

On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.

The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping, and get them both home?

Land is a novel about separation and reunion, tragedy and recovery, colonization and rebellion. It is a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away.

As spellbinding and various as the landscape that inspired it, Land is, above all, a story of survival, for our times, and for all time. 

I think this novel had a wide scope and I don’t think it all came together. Maybe it needed some of the strands removed? The story moves from ancient Ireland, to Ireland just after the Potato Blight, to Rome, to India and to Quebec. We follow Tomás, Phina and their children. There is religion (ancient and catholic), colonialisation, class, music, emigration and family relationships.

The writing is beautiful

Tomás felt his words desert him, as if they had been written in chalk and sudden rain had washed them away.

He is invaded, colonised by instant fury.

I think this would be a good movie – there is action and colour and a large cast of characters, but Hamnet is still my favourite.

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May 30, 2026 · 4:40 pm

Yesteryear – Caro Claire Burke

Yesteryear – Caro Claire Burke

This novel is apparently all the rage at the moment. Anne Hathaway has bought the film rights and I believe it is a TikTok sensation. I listened to it.

Here’s the blurb …

A traditional American woman, a beautiful wife and mother who sells her pioneer lifestyle of raw milk and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of social media followers, suddenly awakens cold, filthy, and terrified in the brutal reality of 1855—where she must unravel whether this living nightmare is an elaborate hoax, a twisted reality show, or something far more sinister in this sensational debut novel.

My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive.

Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the heir to a political dynasty? What Natalie’s followers—all 8 million of them—don’t know won’t hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an antifeminist iconoclast? They’re sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn’t simply living the good life, she’s living the ideal—and just so happens to be building an empire from it.

Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn’t hers. Her home, her husband, her children—they’re all familiar, but something’s off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she’s expected to haul firewood and handwash clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a ruthless reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible. 

I am fascinated by the traditional wife movement. Does it exist anywhere outside of the United States? And I have often thought that those perfect online lives must hide mess and mayhem.

Natalie is not a sympathetic character and a very unreliable narrator. Just like her posts on social media she is telling us a different story. She moves from an amateur doing everything herself to having two nannies, a producer, and multiple farm workers (all kept hidden from the cameras). All appears well in her world until her husband has an affair with the producer. There is an altercation – she can bring them down with her knowledge of behind the scenes.

Natalie then finds her self back in 1855 and finds life without hidden modern conveniences is very unpleasant. How does she end up back in 1855? Is it time travel?, a reality TV show, is she mad?, in a coma? From this point the narrative shifts backwards and forwards between the past and present day Yesteryear Ranch. How it is resolved is very good – in my opinion, no spoilers.

There is a great review at The Guardian

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May 24, 2026 · 1:39 pm

You Dreamed of Empires – Alvaro Enrigue

You Dreamed of Empires – Alvaro Enrigue

The theme for my ‘serious’ book club is ‘Translation’. I already had this in my pile, it was recommended in a list somewhere.

Here’s the blurb …

One morning in 1519, conquistador Hernán Cortés entered the floating city of Tenochtitlan – today’s Mexico City. Later that day, he would meet the emperor Moctezuma in a collision of two worlds, two empires, two languages, two possible futures. Cortés was accompanied by his nine captains, his troops, and his two translators: Friar Aguilar, a taciturn, former slave, and Malinalli, a strategic, former princess. Greeted at a ceremonial welcome meal by the steely princess Atotoxli, sister and wife of Moctezuma, the Spanish nearly bungle their entrance to the city. As they await their meeting with Moctezuma – who is at a political, spiritual, and physical crossroads, and relies on hallucinogens to get himself through the day and in quest for any kind of answer from the gods – the Spanish are ensconced in the labyrinthine palace.

Clearly both the Spanish and the Mexicans (Aztecs?) are blood thirsty people. There was human sacrifice, the rending of humans into fat to polish boots, and capital punishments (‘Take yourself to the palace guards and tell them to kill you privately’). There wasn’t a sympathetic character – except, maybe, Atotoxli, or Caldera.

The settings were magnificent, and the characterisations were great – the conversations with everyone trying not to say anything or saying the truth but with a double meaning

As the emperor bade him farewell, still in Greek, he said he’d been told that Cortés had been to the temple with his men and it hadn’t gone well; just now he was busy with the Tlaxcalteca in Iztapalapa and the Texcoca in the middle of a civil war, but in two or three days they would go together to the temple so that Cortés could see the house of the emperor’s gods and the Caxtilteca would be treated as his guests deserved.

And what do they deserve?

It has a very fable, mythic feel to it. And the ending with the hallucinogens, what’s true what’s not? Is there a blue person?

And I researched the different characters and Tenochtitlan, so I feel that I have learnt something as well.

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