A war bride awaits the arrival of her GI husband at the platform…A Holocaust survivor works at the Oyster Bar, where a customer reminds him of his late mother…
A Hollywood hopeful anticipates her first screen test and a chance at stardom in the Kissing Room…
On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell.
Now, ten bestselling authors inspired by this iconic landmark have created their own stories, set just after the end of World War II, in a time of hope, uncertainty, change, and renewal….
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Spotted on Librarything Member Giveaways and on my wishlist because of the aviatrix, Queens Never Make Bargains (like that title!) by Nancy Means Wright.
QUEENS NEVER MAKE BARGAINS is the engaging, evocative tale of three spirited Scottish-American women who carry on their lives through two world wars, a flu pandemic, and a Great Depression. The story opens with young Jessie Menzies who takes ship to America to live in a Vermont machine tool town as nanny to her pious Uncle Wallace's bereaved children. The action moves in and out of a boarding house filled with eccentrics like the feisty artist Llew Arthur, whose polio forces him to paint propped up against a shaky card table. It propels us into the 30's N.Y.C. theater world where a small-minded congressman succeeds in silencing the actors; and into war-time London where rebel-pilot Victoria ferries her beloved Spitfires, has a failed love affair, and mourns a lost child. The novel explores the role of immigrants and their conflicting cultures and religions. It shows us how external events can shape and alter our lives, and how we cope with and survive them.
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Spotted on Edelweiss and on my wishlist. I love historicals of Spain and being Gypsy women, I bet they dance some flamenco! The Barefoot Queen by Ildefonso Falcones.
A historical epic full of bravery and romance that follows two women as they make a life for themselves in 18th-century Spain.It's January of 1748. Caridad is a recently freed Cuban slave wondering the streets of Seville. Her master is dead and she has nowhere to go. When her path crosses with Milagros Carmona's-a young, rebellious gypsy-the two women are instantly inseparable. Milagros introduces Caridad to the gypsy community, an exotic fringe society that will soon change her life forever.
Over time they each fall in love with men who are fiercely loyal and ready to fight to the death for their rights as a free people. When all gypsies are declared outlaws by royal mandate, life in their community becomes perilous. They soon find themselves in Madrid-a city of passion and dancing, but also a treacherous one full of smugglers and thieves. Caridad and Milagros must help in the gypsy's struggle against society and its laws in order to stay together; it's a dangerous battle that cannot, and will not, be easily won.
From the tumultuous bustle of Seville to the theatres of Madrid, The Barefoot Queen is a historical fresco filled with characters that live, love, suffer, and fight for what they believe.
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Spotted on NG and on the wishlist. The Brewer's Tale by Karen Brooks. I love the idea of woman facing difficulties as she starts an ale-brewing legacy.
It had been Mother's secret and mine, one passed down through the de Winter women for generations. I would ensure it was kept that way, until I was ready to pass it on.When Anneke Sheldrake is forced to find a way to support her family after her father is lost at sea, she turns to the business by which her mother’s family once prospered: brewing ale.
Armed with her Dutch mother’s recipes and a belief that anything would be better than the life her vindictive cousin has offered her, she makes a deal with her father’s aristocratic employer: Anneke has six months to succeed or not only will she lose the house but her family as well.
Through her enterprise and determination, she inadvertently earns herself a deadly enemy. Threatened and held in contempt by those she once called friends, Anneke nonetheless thrives. But on the tail of success, tragedy follows and those closest to her pay the greatest price for her daring.
Ashamed, grieving, and bearing a terrible secret, Anneke flees to London, determined to forge her own destiny. Will she be able to escape her past, and those whose only desire is to see her fail?
A compelling insight into the brewer’s craft, the strength of women, and the myriad forms love can take.
An unforgettable tale of love, treachery and ale in medieval England.
These sound so awesome. Very unique and lush historical settings
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