Updated: Feb 7
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is an excellent novel looking at World War II from multiple perspectives - different people at different times. Jumping back and forth in years works nicely: going forward increases tension, going back gives depth.
Short chapters help maintain pace.
I recommend this for anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction.
If you're a writer, it's well worth reading to examine the structure.
Updated: Feb 7
In These Lost and Broken Things, Helen Fields takes us inside a woman who is a killer in the early 1900s. The historical background is handled well. Formative pieces of the main character are given bit by bit. I didn't like her throughout, even at the end, but came to understand her enough to want to know what was going to happen.
Good plot construction; good getting inside an anti-hero. Nice linking the character's situation to overall women's issues and presenting those in the historical context.
A good novel for aspiring historical fiction writers to read.
Updated: Feb 7
A delightfully well-written family saga/romance/women's novel with two blended story lines: Nana Elaine's passionate wartime (WWII) romance with a famous photographer and the contemporary life of her granddaughter - a woman whose husband has left her for a younger woman at the outset. While there are definitely romances in both lives, the book is more than that. It is a powerful description of the women who stepped up during the war and were then sent home once it was over, and while her grand romance is key, Elaine's story entails much more. Her granddaughter recognizes parallels between them and must decide what choices to make for her own life.
An excellent book for writers to read:
Historical Fiction: Page doesn't bury the reader in her research. Instead she selects details that are pertinent to her characters' lives. For example, the dichotomy between the general scarcity of food and that available to the wealthy shows up as Elaine goes between scraping together bits at home and eating out with her lover.
Women's Fiction: This book is categorized as family saga because it embraces the generations. That is valid, but I'd also place it firmly in women's fiction because Page's characters are realistic women facing universal situations. While Elaine's romance may be the high point of her life, there is so much more about her journey included in this story. While her granddaughter, Jen, is not privy to all of the details we as readers have, the outline of Elaine's story and her direction hints at decisions she made. Recognizing parallels between them, Jen has to make her own life-determining decisions.
Romance: The core of Elaine's story is her grand romance and Jen is dealing with a philandering husband, a possible romantic interest, and decisions to be made. These are nicely handled. If your goal is to write romance that goes above and beyond, this is an example to read.
