3 Enjoyable Stories of Historical Fiction

by Susan Roberts

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. I've read previous books by all three of the authors and their new books did not disappoint. Each book is about a different point in time, but they are all enjoyable reads.

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The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel

June 2025; ‎ Little A; 978-1662525674
audio, ebook, print (317 pages); historical fiction

An epic novel spanning decades about the broken bonds of family, memories of war, and redemption and hope in the face of heartbreaking loss.

This emotional story looks at a family at two different times in history.  It's a story of love and loss, forgiveness and redemption, but most importantly, it's a vivid portrayal of how secrets and trauma from one generation can have catastrophic effects on the next generation.

This dual-time novel takes place during WWII  in Poland and the 1960s in New York.  Most of the story is told in the current timeline with flashbacks back to the war years to explain the storyline.

1940s in Poland - Anya and Josef live in Lodz, and Anya is the head baker at her family bakery.  When her father dies, Anya and Josef become the owners.  Anya had always wanted a daughter and is thrilled when their first child is a girl.  They named her Ruby, and she was a great joy to her parents.  She was curious about life and interested in becoming a baker like her mother.  Her only problem was that she was born with a club foot but she was such a vivacious child that no one really paid attention to her deformity until the Nazi's invaded Poland.  One of their main goals was to rid the world of people with deformities, and after Ruby was murdered,  her parents were sent to and survived Auschwitz, and thanks to an American relative, they were sponsored to emigrate to America.  They settled into America and had a second daughter, Lena.  Raising her was difficult for 

Anya, because she kept comparing her to her memories of her first and, in her memories, perfect first daughter, Ruby.

1960s and forward in New York - Lena never felt accepted by her mother.  Her biggest joy in life was her best friend Pearl, who understood her more than anyone.  But the,n when they were young, Pearl disappeared from her life and she didn't see her again for many years.  Lena tried to be a good daughter; she wanted to bake like her mother did, but she eventually put all of her energy into school and decided to go to law school.  She met Luke when she was in college and dropped out to marry him.  She felt like they had a perfect marriage, but was unsure when he surprised her with the purchase of a bakery.  Baking was a hobby for her - not a profession, but she made the best of it, and the bakery was a success - something that Luke took all the credit for.  As her relationship with Luke deteriorated, Pearl showed up in her life again and was always there when Lena needed someone to talk to.  

The poor relationship between Lena and Anya continues for many years.  There doesn't seem to be any common ground between them, and neither one of them wants to work to make their relationship better.  When life falls apart for both of them, will they be able to reach out to each other and be able to help each other heal?

This emotional and beautifully written book is a look at the pain from war and how it affects future generations.  I liked both of the main characters and was strongly hoping for them to learn to forgive each other and, most importantly, forgive themselves.

Buy The Baker of Lost Memories at Amazon

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

March 2025; Atria Books; 978-1668011874
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); historical fiction

Inspired by a true literary mystery, New York Times bestselling author of the mesmerizing The Secret Book of Flora Lea returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both.

This dual timeline novel is about a child's longing for her mother after she disappears, which continues in adulthood and colors many aspects of her life.  Can she ever uncover the truth behind her mother's disappearance, or will it remain a mystery forever?

In 1927, eight-year-old Clara's life is totally changed when her beloved mother disappears off the coast of South Carolina.  Her mother Bronwyn was a famed author who had written a world-renowned book when she was 12 years old and created a secret language.  There is a sequel, but no one can translate it because the secret to her language has disappeared with her.  The world wonders and speculates what happened to her, but for Clara, the loss of her mother affects her greatly.

In 1952, Clara is a well-known illustrator who is raising her daughter Wynnie as a single parent.  She's contacted by a man in London, Charlie,  who claims to have a copy of the dictionary of her mother's secret language as well as a letter from Browyn to Clara.  Her ex-husband doesn't want her to travel to London with their daughter, but she has yearned for information about her mother for so long that she feels like she has to go.  They arrive in London during the Great Smog, which is bad for Wynnie's health due to her asthma. Charlie manages to get them out of London to his family estate despite the danger of being on the road during the deep fog.  Will Clara be able to learn more about her mother while she is at Charlie's home, or is it all a dead end?  

I loved the characters of Clara, who is still longing for her mother despite the 25 years since she disappeared, Charlie, who wants things to work out for Clara and hopes that he can help, and Wynnie who has conversations with her secret friend who is also the main character in her grandmother's book.  This book has mystery, romance, and intrigue along with a deep longing for family, especially for a mother.  

I've read all of this author's books, and she just keeps getting better.  This is a book that you don't want to miss. 

Be sure to read the Author's Notes at the end of the book, where she shares her research and the real people and events that this story is based on.

Buy The Story She Left Behind at Amazon

  

The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian

March 2025; Doubleday; 978-0385547642
audio, ebook, print (336 pages); historical fiction

In this Civil War love story, inspired by a real-life friendship across enemy lines, the wife of a missing Confederate soldier discovers a wounded Yankee officer and must decide what she’s willing to risk for the life of a stranger.

I've read every book that Chris Bohjalian has written, and he has never disappointed me.  He doesn't follow a formula like some authors - each of his books is unique in terms of plot, characters, time periods, and settings.  I also think that he writes female characters better than any male author who is writing today.

The Jackal's Mistress takes place in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia in 1864 during the Civil War.  This is an area that changed several times during the war - sometimes held by the Union Army and other times by the Confederate Army.  Life is tough for Libby.  Her husband has been gone for a long time and even though she has found out that he's in a Union prison, she doesn't know if he is even alive.  She lives on a small farm with her teenage niece and her hired hand, and his wife.  Her hired hand and his wife had been slaves, but her husband freed all of his slaves before he joined the Army - something that is extremely disliked by her Southern neighbors.  Libby and her family run a gristmill and provide flour to the Arm,y which makes her important enough that she has been able to keep her horses. She and her husband had only been married a short time before he left, and even though she had grown up in a very genteel family, she works very hard at the mill along with the help of Joseph, the hired hand.  Hearing the cannon fire in the distance over many days, she expects to wake up one morning and find her home in the middle of a battlefield.

After a battle that was close to her home, she finds a wounded Union soldier in an abandoned home.  He was left for dead when the Union Army moved out.  Despite the danger and the fact that she will be charged with treason and hung by the Southern Army if he is discovered, she can't let him die and do nothing to help, so she and Joseph move him to her home to try to save his life.  The Army discovers that there was a wounded Union officer left to die and stops at Libby's home several times to try to find out if he is there.  Libby and Joseph get involved in several tense acts to try to save the soldier.  Despite the danger to Libby and her family, she has to do the right thing and try to keep the soldier alive - he may be an enemy in the war, but he is a human being and deserves to be helped.  Eventually, a friendship forms between Libby and the Captain, but can and will that friendship progress to more?

I thought that the characters were very well written and believable.  They were both portrayed as people who cared about helping others more than they cared about the labels that are used to describe others.  There were several very tense, nail-biting scenes in the story when Libby came close to being caught at what she was doing.  The book was a real page-turner as I rooted for human kindness to win over hatred of others during a war.  This author has once again given his readers a book that is both entertaining but will also give them something to think about after the last page.

Be sure to read the Author's Notes at the end, where he shares his research and tells us what parts of the story are based on real people and real circumstances during the Civil War.

Buy The Jackal's Mistress at Amazon

 

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

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