The Briar Club is a haunting historical mystery set in an all-female boardinghouse in Washington, D.C., during the turbulent McCarthy era. The novel opens in November 1954 with a shocking act of violence at Briarwood House, leaving a dead body and a community in turmoil. As the police arrive and the residents await questioning, the narrative rewinds to explore the years leading up to the tragedy. In 1950, Briarwood House residents keep to themselves until the mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room. Her arrival sparks unlikely friendships among them: Fliss, a harried new mother; Nora, a police officer’s daughter entangled with a gangster; Bea, a former pro […]
Read more...Tag Archives: books set in the 1950s
A Testament of Faith and Sacrifice
Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot is a deeply moving account of faith, courage, and sacrifice. The book chronicles the tragic yet inspiring story of five American missionaries—Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian—who were determined to reach the Huaorani tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. Written from a deeply personal perspective, Elisabeth, the wife of Jim Elliot, recounts the events leading to the men’s deaths with compassion and insight. The narrative is enriched by personal letters and journals from the missionaries, offering an intimate glimpse into their thoughts and motivations. This adds depth to the story, highlighting the emotional weight of their journey and […]
Read more...Fascinating History Unveiled in Armstrong’s Touching Debut
The Light of Luna Park is a historical fiction novel that intertwines the lives of two women from different eras—1926 and 1950. In 1926, Althea Anderson, a young nurse at Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital, feels horrified as she witnesses the death of a premature baby caused by the callousness of the doctors. Althea saves a baby girl by entrusting her to Dr. Martin Couney, who incubates premature infants while exhibiting them at a sideshow at Coney Island’s Luna Park. Fast forward to 1950, where we meet Stella Wright, a special-education teacher fighting for the rights of students with disabilities. When Stella discovers a hidden letter from her late mother, she unravels […]
Read more...Science Novel Critique
Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict tells the story of Rosalind Franklin, an unsung hero of science who braved the storm of gender bias to map the structure of DNA, despite constant harassment and undermining in the late 1940s and 1950s. As an X-ray crystallographer, Franklin battled not only the complexities of scientific discovery but also the demeaning attitudes of her male colleagues in academia. Despite her pivotal contributions, the theft of her work shadowed her achievements by other scientists who later won a Nobel Prize. Benedict, who has a knack for bringing the stories of overlooked women in history to light, paints Franklin as a tenacious and intelligent trailblazer. […]
Read more...The River We Remember
“Our lives and the lives of those we love merge to create a river whose current carries us forward from our beginning to our end. Because we are only one part of the whole, the river each of us remembers is different, and there are many versions of the stories we tell about our past.”–William Kent Krueger, The River We Remember. William Kent Krueger has done it again with The River We Remember, a captivating mystery set in the heart of small-town Minnesota. Set on Memorial Day 1958, the story opens with the discovery of the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn in the Alabaster River, dead from a […]
Read more...Lessons in Chemistry
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is a captivating story that combines science, romance, and a search for equality in the early 1960s. The story follows chemist Elizabeth Zott, who faces challenges working with an all-male team at Hastings Research Institute. Elizabeth falls in love with her colleague, has his child, and is fired due to double standards and scandal around her out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Her career takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the host of a popular daytime cooking show, Supper at Six, which introduces a revolutionary approach to cooking. The novel introduces readers to a quirky protagonist and a colorful cast of characters, including the intelligent dog, Six-Thirty, […]
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