I studied the Puritans years ago in college as an English Literature major, but I never understood how punitive and unforgiving they were until I read Beth Powning's wonderful work of historical fiction. A Measure of Light is the story of true-life Mary Dyer, who cannot reconcile her conception of a loving God with the Puritan ideal. At great cost to her family and self, she defies the Puritan authorities of Massachusetts to promote Quaker beliefs. Powning writes with stunning clarity and purpose, leading the reader to weep, rejoice, and suffer with Mary. Highly recommended.
With Beth Powning’s trademark elegance and insight into the hearts and minds of unforgettable women, A Measure of Light brings to life an extraordinary historical figure.
Mary Dyer is a seventeenth-century Puritan who flees persecution in England, only to find the colony of Massachusetts Bay as dangerous as the country she left behind. Though she is the wife of a successful merchant and mother to their children, she becomes stigmatized following a birth gone terribly wrong and is reviled as a friend to the infamous heretic Anne Hutchinson. Mary tries to accept New England’s harsh realities, but is outraged by…
Lauren Groff's fantastical take on Cooperstown, NY--which she calls Templeton--is a surprising, jolly, dark, and unforgettable ride through the history of the fictional Templeton family. The novel begins with the death of a lake monster and crescendoes from there. Groff has an impeccable sense of timing and intrigue, making memorable her large and unruly cast of characters. I couldn't put it down.
FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FATES AND FURIES AND MATRIX
'Everything a reader might have expected from this gifted writer, and more' Stephen King
'Bold and beautiful' Lorrie Moore
'Pleasurably surreal' Guardian
'Will give you paper cuts from turning pages' Marie Claire
Willie Upton returns to her ancestral home of Templeton, New York after a disastrous affair with her married archaeology professor.
The same day, Willie discovers a hard truth about her long-lost father's identity and a prehistoric monster is discovered in the nearby Lake Glimmerglass, bringing frenzy to the quiet town and her life.
Written in gorgeous and delicate prose, I Always Loved You tells the story of the troubled romance of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. Oliveira deftly portrays a who's who of famous artists--Manet, Morisot, Pissarro, and more--but focuses on the tender heart of Cassatt. The novel details Cassatt's increasingly desperate wish to be accepted into the Paris Salon and Exhibition, the family ties that drag her down, and her own self-doubt about her art. Highly recommended.
A story of Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas, from the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter
Robin Oliveira’s latest novel, Winter Sisters, will be available in February from Viking
The young Mary Cassatt never thought moving to Paris after the Civil War to be an artist was going to be easy, but when, after a decade of work, her submission to the Paris Salon is rejected, Mary’s fierce determination wavers. Her father is begging her to return to Philadelphia to find a husband before it is too late, her sister Lydia is falling mysteriously ill,…
I was born Jane Morton in Arbilot, Scotland, in 1841, but that is not who I am or where I stayed. So begins the story of an extraordinary journey from the green fields of Scotland, through fire-ravaged Chicago, to the untamed prairies of Colorado. Relying on historical research and family stories, award-winning author Laurie Marr Wasmund has brought to life the tale of her indomitable great-great-grandmother, Jane Morton Scott. Determined to escape a life in drudgery in Arbroath, Scotland, Jane yearns for a new life in America. When she marries widower Alexander Scott, her dreams of immigrating to America take flight. After tragedy strikes, Alex, Jane, and their young family set off to Colorado Territory, where opportunity is rich, land is plentiful, and everything seems possible.
