Archives de catégorie : Historical Fiction

MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES d’Adam Gidwitz

MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES by Adam Gidwitz is a fast-paced historical novel, with a dash of magic, about a young German Jewish boy named Max who is sent to England alone by his parents for his own safety as World War II is about to start, only for him to return to Germany as a British spy with two mythical creatures helping him along the way.

MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES
by Adam Gidwitz
Dutton Books for Young Readers, February 2024
(via The Gernert Company)

Max Bretzfeld doesn’t want to move to London.

Leaving home is hard and Max is alone for the first time in his life. But not for long. Max is surprised to discover that he’s been joined by two unexpected traveling companions, one on each shoulder, a kobold and a dybbuk named Berg and Stein.

Germany is becoming more and more dangerous for Jewish families, but Max is determined to find a way back home, and back to his parents. He has a plan to return to Berlin. It merely involves accomplishing the impossible: becoming a British spy.

Thought-provoking historical fiction with a dash of magic, Max in the House of Spies is a World War II story as only acclaimed storyteller Adam Gidwitz can tell it—fast-paced, hilarious, and filled with heart.

Bestselling author Adam Gidwitz was a teacher for eight years. He told countless stories to his students, who then demanded he write his first book, A Tale Dark & Grimm. Adam has since written two companion novels, In a Glass Grimmly and The Grimm Conclusion. He is also the author of The Inquisitor’s Tale, which won the Newbery Honor, and The Unicorn Rescue Society series. Adam still tells creepy, funny fairy tales live to kids on his podcast Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest—and at schools around the world. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, daughter, and dog, Lucy Goosey.

THE MONSTROUS KIND de Lydia Gregovic

Sense and Sensibility meets The Walking Dead.

THE MONSTROUS KIND
by Lydia Gregovic
Delacorte, Summer 2024
(via Sterling Lord Literistic)

Merrick and Estella Darling are the last residents of Norland House, and the heirs apparent to their family’s Manor seat after the disappearance of their mother leads to their father’s suicide. As the next Manor Lord, one of them will assume the responsibility of ruling over the Darling province of Sussex—and, more importantly, guarding it against the monsters that lurk, unseen, in the fog that edges the province’s borders. History tells that the Phantoms used to be human, until the mist crept into their veins and turned their blood white instead of red. Now, the Manors are all that stand between the creatures and their redblooded prey. Vain and beautiful Merrick just wants to get back to the bustle of New London, where she never wants for an admirer. She sees an advantageous marriage to a Manorborn man from one of the wealthier, more cosmopolitan, Inner Ring provinces as her ticket out of provincial, countryside Sussex. But when her return home to Norland House results in the reveal of a world-altering secret—that her father was himself a Phantom—her future changes in a flash.
Merrick discovers that her father’s condition isn’t the only skeleton in Norland House’s closet. There may be more to their mother’s death than meets the eye—and the deeper Merrick looks, the surer she becomes that whoever killed her isn’t finished quite yet.
THE MONSTROUS KIND is a fantasy retelling of Jane Austen’s classic romance
Sense and Sensibility, set in an alternate, Victorian-inspired England. A meditation on sisterhood, privilege, and the strict system of class hierarchy that governed Austen’s novels, it will appeal to fans of Hannah Whitten, Melissa Albert, and Erin A. Craig.

Lydia Gregovic grew up in the suburbs of Texas and along the coastline of Montenegro, where she inherited her love of storytelling from her grandmothers. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York, along with a couple half-dead plants and the complete works of Jane Austen. THE MONSTROUS KIND (prev. titled A Bleeding Like Smoke) is her first novel.

THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL de Penny Haw

Carl Benz may be known as the “Father of the Automobile,” but Bertha Benz was the woman behind the wheel driving the world into a new era. THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL is a gorgeous historical fiction novel that takes a peek under the hood, examining the life of a fascinating woman who refused to let men hit the brakes on her revolutionary machine.

THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL
by Penny Haw
Sourcebooks Landmark, November 2023

He is known as The Father of the Automobile, but she drove their success.

Bertha Benz not only invested her dowry in the invention of the world’s first motorized carriage, which she and her husband, Carl labored over for years; she’s also the chief designer, mechanic, and tester of the machine.

Now, however, with the moguls who promised to back the machine withdrawing their support, Carl is ready to throw in the towel. Bertha knows that to give up would not only bankrupt the Benz family, but that it would also ruin everything they’ve worked for and their marriage. Besides, Bertha believes in the machine.

Ignoring the cynics and the men who ridicule her, Bertha takes matters into her own hands, secretly planning a trip that will either hasten the couple’s passage to absolute derision and impoverishment or prove to the world their genius. What Bertha doesn’t know is that Carl is on the cusp of making a deal with their nemesis. She is not only risking her marriage and life’s work, but is also up against her husband’s doubt and duplicity, the bias of every man she knows— and the clock.

Penny Haw is a long-time journalist and columnist and latter-day author. She has written for many leading South African newspapers and magazines for more than three decades. The Wilderness Between Us was her debut contemporary novel for adults and The Invincible Miss Cust was her debut historical fiction novel. Haw lives in Cape Town, South Africa.

THE WOMAN IN THE WALLPAPER de Lora Jones

A propulsive historical debut for fans of The Miniaturist and The Doll Factory, following three women living at a textiles factory in late eighteenth-century Paris.

THE WOMAN IN THE WALLPAPER
by Lora Jones
Sphere, 2025
(via Mushens Entertainment)

After the death of their father, gentle Lara and headstrong Sofi find work at a factory renowned for the intricate illustrations on their wallpaper. They quickly notice that the same woman appears in every idyllic vignette: the former mistress of the house, who met an untimely death years before and who bears more than a passing resemblance to Lara.

As the sisters adapt to the rhythms of life at the factory, Lara attracts the attention of the factory owner’s son, Josef, and the scorn of his unhappy wife, Hortense. Lara soon realises there is something uncannily familiar about her interactions with Josef and that her life is mirroring the scenes illustrated on the wallpaper that lines her bedchamber.

As the strange occurrences surrounding the wallpaper become ever more unnerving, Lara finds herself wondering: is history is repeating itself and, if so, will she share the same tragic fate as her doppelgänger, a fate that seems to be, literally, written on the wall?

After studying English Literature at the University of Durham, Lora Jones began her career in the TV industry, reading scripts and writing for ITV, the BBC, Channel 4 and others. Lora lives in the rugged, myth-steeped hills of North Wales. The Woman in the Wallpaper is her first novel.

THE BEHOLDERS de Hester Musson

The gothic historical debut of 2024.

THE BEHOLDERS
by Hester Musson
4th Estate, January 2024
(via Mushens Entertainment)

June, 1878. The body of a boy is pulled from the depths of the River Thames, suspected to be the beloved missing child of the widely admired Liberal MP Ralph Gethin.

Four months earlier. Harriet is a young maid newly employed at Finton Hall. Fleeing the drudgery of an unwanted engagement in the small village where she grew up, Harriet is entranced by the grand country hall; she is entranced too by her glamorous mistress Clara Gethin, whose unearthly singing voice floats through the house. But Clara, though captivating, is erratic. The master of the house is a muchlauded politician, but he is strangely absent. And some of their beautiful belongings seem totell terrible stories.

Unable to ignore her growing unease, Harriet sets out to discover their secrets. When she uncovers a shocking truth, a chain of events is set in motion that could cost Harriet everything, even her freedom…

Hester Musson studied English Literature at Bristol University and has a Masters in drama from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. While pursuing an acting career, her day jobs included working in TV as a freelance autocue operator. She currently writes for Art Fund, the national charity for art, and its magazine Art Quarterly, and blogs for a nature conservation and rewilding organisation in Devon.