Tag: historical fiction

#BlogTour #GuestPost The Hidden Child by Louise Fein @HoZ_Books

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The Hidden Child was one of my favourite books of 2021. Its subject matter really resonated with me and you can find out exactly why here.  The Hidden Child is now available in paperback and to celebrate its publication I’m delighted to welcome Louise Fein to What Cathy Read Next today to share her five favourite historical fiction novels. (They happen to include some of my favourites too.) If you haven’t read them, be prepared to add them to your shopping list – along with The Hidden Child of course!

The Hidden Child PBAbout the Book

From the outside, Eleanor and Edward Hamilton are the epitome of the perfect marriage but they’re harbouring a shameful secret that threatens to fracture their entire world.

London, 1929. Eleanor Hamilton is a dutiful mother, a caring sister and adoring wife to a celebrated war hero. Her husband, Edward, is a pioneer in the eugenics movement.  The Hamiltons are on the social rise, and it looks as though their future is bright.

When Mabel, their young daughter, begins to develop debilitating seizures, they have to face an uncomfortable truth: Mabel has epilespy – one of the ‘undesirable’ conditions Edward campaigns against.

Forced to hide their daughter away so as to not jeopardise Edward’s life’s work, the couple must confront the truth of their past – and the secrets that have been buried. Will Eleanor and Edward be able to fight for their family? Or will the truth destroy them?

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‘My Top 5 Historical Fiction Novels’ by Louise Fein

Louise writes: Reading is crucial for any historical fiction novelist, and for writing The Hidden Child I tried to read not only factual books, but also fiction set during the time period in which I was writing. Trying to narrow down my all-time top five historical novels is tricky, as there are so many, but I have narrowed them down to the following:

All The Light We Cannot SeeAll The Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr

This is a beautiful novel, set during World War Two, which I found very inspirational when writing my debut novel. It remains one of my all-time favourite books. Exquisitely written, it tells the story of Marie-Laure, a blind French girl and Werner, a bright German orphan boy who find a connection against the odds and across Europe, illuminating how small acts of kindness make all the difference, and see people through during the darkest of times. An extraordinary book which really is a must read!

The Kite RunnerThe Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

This is another of my all-time favourites. Set in Kabul in the 1970’s this is a heart-breaking and eye-opening novel of Afghanistan past. Set in 1975, in times of peace, Amir is a twelve-year-old boy whose only concern is to win a fiercely competitive kite-flying competition. His loyal friend Hassan will help him. But a horrific traumatic event caused to Hassan and witnessed by Amir that afternoon shatters their lives and friendship. The Russian invasion follows and the family is forced to flee to America. As an adult, Amir must return to a modern and very different Afghanistan to seek some sort of peace with his past. A book which will stay with you long after the last page. 

FingersmithFingersmith – Sarah Waters

This is a historical crime novel set in Victorian London and contains the best twist I have ever read in any book. It’s so clever, as well as being brilliantly and absorbingly written. Sue Trinder is an orphan and brought up by thieves and pickpockets in a house of fingersmiths in South London. She is certain of one thing – her place as favourite and the love of Mrs Sucksby who took her in when her own mother was executed for a crime. But her fate is sealed when she is recruited by the well-spoken ‘Gentleman’ to dupe a rich young lady, Maud, and she is to help persuade Maud into marrying him. I won’t say more as I don’t want to give anything away, but this novel is so evocative and brilliantly twisty, with flavours of Dickens – I couldn’t recommend it more!

Small Island PBSmall Island – Andrea Levy

This affecting book is set shortly after World War Two and is an extraordinary novel about the false promises of empire and the prejudices and racism inherent in British society. When Hortense and husband Gilbert, who had fought against Hitler for the RAF, arrive in England from Jamaica in 1948 in search of a better life, they do not get the welcome they had been led to expect. They are forced to lodge with Queenie Bligh who earns her neighbours’ wrath when she must take in lodgers since her husband Bernard hasn’t returned after the war. The author skilfully and with great observation,  humour and generosity, examines prejudice and the pre-conceived ideas we all have for each other. Absolutely wonderful.

To Kill A MockingbirdTo Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

I have read this book several times and am always affected by its wisdom and powerful storytelling, especially given that it was written in 1960, a time when attitudes were very different to today. Told from the perspective of Scout Finch, mainly as a child, but also reflective from her adult perspective, it is the story of her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the 1930’s deep South of America, who chooses to defend a black man, Tom, who has been accused of raping a white woman, Mayella, who has most certainly been abused, but everyone knows it wasn’t Tom. Lee tells this story with such warmth and humanity, whilst at the same time exposing the worst of human nature. It is definitely one of life’s ‘must reads’.

Louise FeinAbout the Author

Louise Fein is the author of People Like Us, her debut novel. It is a story of forbidden love and the brainwashing of a nation, set in 1930’s Leipzig, and was inspired by the experiences of her family who fled Leipzig as refugees in 1933. The novel has been published in thirteen territories and has been shortlisted for the RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021, as well as for the RNA Historical Novel of the Year award 2021. Her second novel, The Hidden Child, is set in 1920’s England and tells the story of a couple who are ardent supporters of the burgeoning Eugenics movement, until their own daughter turns out to be not quite perfect. She holds an MA in creative writing from St Mary’s University, London, and lives in Surrey with her family.

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#BookReview Elektra by Jennifer Saint

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ElektraAbout the Book

The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.

Clytemnestra – The sister of Helen, wife of Agamemnon, her hopes of averting the curse are dashed when her sister is taken to Troy by the feckless Paris. Her husband raises a great army against them, and determines to win, whatever the cost.

Cassandra – Princess of Troy, and cursed by Apollo to see the future but never to be believed when she speaks of it. She is powerless in her knowledge that the city will fall.

Elektra – The youngest daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, Elektra is horrified by the bloodletting of her kin. But, can she escape the curse, or is her own destiny also bound by violence?

Format: Hardcover (352 pages) Publisher: Wildfire
Publication date: 28th April 2022 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mythology

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My Review

I have a rather chequered history when it comes to retellings of Greek myths. I enjoyed Colm Toibin’s House of Names, which also focuses on Clytemnestra, Elektra and Orestes – but wasn’t blown away by it. Again, I found a lot to like about The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker but didn’t think she completely succeeded in giving a voice to the ‘silenced’ women. It was pretty much the same story with Jennifer Saint’s previous novel, Ariadne, which, whilst admiring the quality of the writing, I couldn’t get as enthusuastic about as other readers. I guess it’s partly because there are only so many ways you can retell a story that has been set down many times before. The author’s challenge is that, if they want to remain true to the original myth, they can’t change the outcome of events only try to explore the characters’ motivations.

To be rather simplistic, Greek tragedy seems to basically consist of people killing other people because they killed other people. ‘Blood must be repaid in blood.’ The story of the House of Atreus is one of patricide, matricide, matiricide and filicide. (I confess I had to look up the last two.)

Based on the book’s title, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Elektra’s story is the main focus. In fact, Elektra is a background figure for much of the book and it is Clytemnestra’s story that is most prominent. It’s also the one I found the most compelling. Her grief at the murder of her eldest daughter, Iphigenia, is raw, heartrending and completely understandable.  Her unwavering detemination to exact revenge on her husband borders on madness but the prospect of it, of planning it down to the last detail, is perhaps the only thing that keeps her from ending her own life. Never was the phrase ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’ so apposite.

The sections from the point of view of Cassandra convey her anguish that she is unable to prevent the downfall of the city of Troy because her prophecies are destined never to be believed. She also provides a Trojan perspective which would otherwise be missing from the book.

I think the author set herself a challenge in making Elektra a character we can either understand or feel some sympathy for (assuming that was her intention). Elektra seems too accepting of her father’s actions – he did murder her sister after all. When she says, ‘Iphigenia was a sacrifice. The gods demand a heavy price sometimes, and it is an honour to pay it’ my immediate thought was, that’s easy for you to say.  She is also dismissive of her mother’s grief at Iphigenia’s death. ‘But my mother was not dead, so I didn’t understand why she was behaving as though she was’. Like a stroppy teenager, she seems to resent her mother’s lack of attention to her.

Ironically the character I most warmed to was Georgios, the farmer who proves a steadfast friend to Elektra, and later to her brother Orestes. I found myself feeling quite sorry for him when Elektra abandons him.  And I think he hits the nail on the head when he observes, ‘There’s a terrible crime, unbearable pain and then the lashing out of vengeance, and then it all begins again.’

Although the author puts the three women front and centre from a narrative point of view, I’m not sure a sense of female empowerment comes across that strongly, except perhaps when Clytemnestra takes over as ruler of Mycenae in Agamemnon’s absence. Ultimately, the fates of all three women are the consequence of the actions of men.

If you love Greek mythology I’m sure you will enjoy Elektra but I’m afraid – and I appreciate I’m in a minority here – I found the book rather slow.  Although it’s beautifully written, the story only really came alive for me at certain points.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Wildfire Books via NetGalley.

Try something similar: House of Names by Colm Tóibín

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Jennifer Saint Author picAbout the Author

Jennifer Saint is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her debut novel, Ariadne, was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year 2021 and was a finalist in the Goodreads Choice Awards Fantasy category in 2021. Her second novel, Elektra, is another retelling of Greek mythology told in the voices of the women at the heart of the ancient legends.

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