Review: Mrs. Gulliver, by Valerie Martin Doubleday, 2024. 304 pp. $28 Lila Gulliver runs a brothel on the fictional tropical island of Verona. The publisher calls this novel historical, for the year is 1954, but since nothing in the narrative defines that era, consider it timeless, a depiction of the oldest profession and its implications.…

Novelhistorian

08.10.2024

Finding Her Place(s): Restless Dolly Maunder | Novelhistorian

Review: Restless Dolly Maunder, by Kate Grenville Canongate, 2024. 256 pp. $24 When Sarah Catherine (Dolly) Maunder turns fourteen, the law says she may leave school, but she’d rather not. She excels in the classroom and wants to become a teacher. However, this is rural Australia in the 1890s, and her father’s an abusive tyrant.…

Novelhistorian

17.10.2024

Vengeance Is Mine: Chenneville | Novelhistorian

Review: Chenneville, by Paulette Jiles Morrow, 2024. 307 pp. $28 In September 1865, John Chenneville wakes in a Virginia military hospital, unaware of how he got there or how long he’s been there. He hears that the war in which he fought on the Union side ended months before, and he may leave for home—St.…

Novelhistorian

22.10.2024

A Decade, and Done: The Tenth Blog Birthday | Novelhistorian

With this post marking Novelhistorian’s tenth anniversary, I’m calling it quits. I’m sad, because this blog has been a significant presence in my life and taught me a lot about historical fiction, publishing trends, and the novelist’s art. Even so, to find fifty novels a year worth reviewing and write 800 thoughtful words about one…

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Men, Women, and Money: Mrs. Gulliver | Novelhistorian

Finding Her Place(s): Restless Dolly Maunder | Novelhistorian

Vengeance Is Mine: Chenneville | Novelhistorian

A Decade, and Done: The Tenth Blog Birthday | Novelhistorian

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