Harriet And Isabella, Patricia O'Brien; Touchstone

“A novelization based on a nineteenth-century sex scandal traces how the downfall of Henry Ward Beecher divided the nation and severed the loving relationship between his sisters, author Harriet Beecher Stowe and suffragist Isabella Beecher Hooker.”
Robin’s Note: For anyone interested in American culture and history.  It’s part history, part gossip, and part biographical portrait.  The conflict of appearances versus fact and between two headstrong sisters (who are famous each in their own right) makes for a dramatic story.  The courtroom scenes as well as family betrayals are suspenseful, moving the story along, and the depth of the history lends weight to what could be just a scandal-driven tale.

The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows; The Dial Press

“January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb…. As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Liz’s Notes: Don’t let the title fool you. This novel brings the period just after WWII to life, and creates characters that are thoroughly believable. The island of Guernsey is a setting one does not often see, and the period emphasis makes this a charming and moving novel.

The Air We Breathe: A Novel, Andrea Barrett; W. W. Norton

“Detached from the rest of the country on the eve of World War I, the tuberculosis-stricken residents of an Adirondack lakeside sanatorium are housed in accordance with their economic status and languish in their isolation before an enterprising patient initiates a weekly discussion group.”
Robin’s Note: Angela Barrett is well known for compelling historical fiction, often paired with investigations into the history of science and medicine.  Most of all, though, her stories are human and beautifully described without being too dense.  You might also try Ship Fever, her collection of short stories, to get a taste of her style and her first novel, The Voyage of the Narwhal.

A Live Coal In The Sea, Madeleine L'Engle; Farrar, Straus, And Giroux

“Three generations of a family struggle with loyalty, commitment, and identity when Camilla Dickinson is confronted by her granddaughter, Raffi, with the news that her father has hinted that Camilla is not really her grandmother.”
Robin’s Note: Another read-alike for Irving, L’Engle’s adult works are often eclipsed by her reputation as a writer for children.  That is a shame: her adult novels beautifully explore characters in depth and she has a knack for making the ordinary evocative and special.  She tends toward the spiritual, but she’s neither preachy nor judgmental.

The Inner Circle, T. Coraghessan Boyle; Viking

“In 1940, innocent young John Milk accepts a job as an assistant to Dr. Alfred Kinsey, an Indiana University zoologist studying human sexuality, and takes part, along with his wife, in sexual experiments that become ever more uninhibited.”
Robin’s Note: T. Coraghessan Boyle is an author highly recommend as a read-alike for John Irving given his evocative characters, settings, and his treatment of ideas both extraordinary and mundane.  This novel explores many of Irving’s favorite issues: fidelity, sex, and love.

Year Of Wonders: A Novel Of The Plague, Brooks, Geraldine., Geraldine Brooks; Viking

“This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, the “Plague Village”, in the rugged mountain spine of England. In 1666, a tainted bolt of cloth from London carries bubonic infection to this isolated settlement of shepherds and lead miners. A visionary young preacher convinces the villagers to seal themselves off in a deadly quarantine to prevent the spread of disease. The story is told through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Anna Frith, the vicar’s maid, as she confronts the loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love.”
Robin’s Note: If you like atmospheric historical novels, Year of Wonders is an evocative look at a terrible time (when the Black Plague was rampant throughout Europe) through the eyes of an 18-year-old.  Based on a true story, it delves into why a village would choose to quarantine itself and the difficulties the villagers face as they try to maintain order in the face of both death and society coming apart at the seams.  It’s beautifully written, and paints a rich and ultimately hopeful picture of a challenging time.

Jellicoe Road, Melina Marchetta; HarperTeen

“In this absorbing new novel by the award-winning author of “Saving Francesca,” nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor Markham tries to put together the pieces of her past.”
Robin’s Note: If you enjoy rich language, intense drama, and building suspense, this novel is outstanding.  This one takes a bit of time to get into, so you may have to push yourself to get through the first fifty pages (the novel is purposefully disorienting at the start), but once you get into the story and the characters, it’s unforgettable.  The setting is Australia, although it takes a while to figure out quite where you are, and the interlocking tales of these teens current lives and past connections are slowly unraveled.  I’ve rarely read a more haunting book about past incidents pushing forward unexpected consequences on the current generation, and the power of friends to both hurt and save you.