We’re running a roundup of historical fiction titles in the April edition of BookPage. The plots move from Renaissance Italy to 16th-century England, and feature “struggling artists and merciless monarchs, dysfunctional families and doubt-wracked lovers,” writes contributor Julie Hale.
Two of the four books in the roundup come out this week: Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt (out tomorrow) and Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet by Stephanie Cowell (out today). And, lucky for us, there are book trailers of each book to compliment our reviews.
Daughters of the Witching Hill takes place in Lancashire, England, in 1612, as two women are targeted in a witch hunt. Hale raves: “Striking just the right balance between the demands of fact and the allure of a good story, [Sharratt] has produced a novel that’s both convincing and compelling. . . literally—a spellbinding book.” In the trailer below, Sharratt tells the true story of the witches of Pendle Hill.
Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet tells the story of Monet and his wife and inspiration, Camille Doncieux. In her review, Hale writes that Cowell fleshes out “the artist’s biographical outline with fresh imagery, well-paced dramatic scenes and carefully calculated dialogue.” Look at some of Monet’s gorgeous paintings in this trailer:
Have you seen any memorable book trailers lately? Do you have a great historical fiction title to recommend?
I’m very much awaiting my copy of “Claude & Camille.” I keep seeing it around the blogs and I’m eager to read it. Here’s another good book of historical fiction, “Confucius Jade,” by Frederick Fisher and set in China. It’s an adventure novel about those bying for a piece of carved jade. You will learn lots about the history and politics of China and the region, and about jade, in the midst of a good story.
Thanks for the suggestion, and please let us know how you like “Claude & Camille”!
I have now seen SO much about Claude and Camille — there seems to be a lot of interest! Looking forward to it.