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by BookPage
The wide world of fiction
When Benito Mussolini invades Ethiopia at the beginning of Maaza Mengiste’s powerful novel, The Shadow King (Norton, $17.95, 9780393358513), a young maid named Hirut wants to fight alongside the men, but she’s not allowed. Joining with other women, including the wife of her employer, Hirut eventually comes into her own as a resistance fighter, and her coming of age and developing political consciousness provide a captivating arc for readers to follow. Mengiste’s fierce novel is a study of loyalty and Four dazzling works of identity in the years leading up to World WarII. historical fiction, all Set in the 19th century, set outside of Europe Esi Edugyan’s Washington Black ( Vintage, $16.95, and America, are 9780525563242) tells the story of Wash, an 11-year-old perfect for book clubs. boy who is enslaved in Barbados and selected to be the manservant of Christopher Wilde, the brother of his enslaver. Christopher takes Wash under his wing, using him as an assistant in his experimental launch of a hot air balloon. When the two are forced to leave Barbados, new possibilities open up for Wash. Complicated examinations of colonization, slavery and power dynamics add richness to Edugyan’s tense, gripping tale of adventure. Expect a rousing good read with somber undertones as Wash struggles to find his place in the world.
In Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko (Grand Central, $16.99, 9781455563920), a young Korean woman named Sunja has an affair with a rich man who turns out to be married. When Sunja discovers she’s pregnant, she marries a goodnatured minister and they move to Japan. Lee spins a hypnotic saga that opens in the early 1900s and unfolds over several decades, first following Sunja’s and her hus- band’s experiences as immigrants, then the stories of subsequent generations of their family. Book clubs w i l l f i n d plenty to discuss in Lee’s sweeping novel, including gender roles and the pressures of family.
The Old Drift (Hogarth, $18, 9781101907153) by Namwali Serpell begins in 1904 Northern Rhodesia (what is now the nation of Zambia) and spans a century. When British photographer Percy Clark makes his home in a colonial settlement known as the Old Drift, his adventures lead to unforeseen involvement with three Zambian families. Serpell draws upon elements of magical realism and Zambian history and mythology to create a singularly innovative and slyly funny narrative that unfurls the history of an evolving nation.
BOOK CLUB READS BOOK CLUB READS FOR SPRING FOR FALL
THE EXILES by Christina Baker Kline “Master storyteller Christina Baker Kline is at her best in this epic yet intimate tale of nineteenth-century Australia. I loved this book.” —PAULA MCLAIN, author of The Paris Wife
THE BRILLIANT LIFE OF EUDORA HONEYSETT by Annie Lyons “An exquisitely poignant tale of life, friendship and facing death. Everyone should read this book.” —RUTH HOGAN, author of Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel
THE LOST JEWELS by Kristy Manning From the author of The Song of the Jade Lily comes a thrilling story of a family secret that leads to a legendary treasure.
JACKIE AND MARIA by Gill Paul A story of love, passion, and tragedy as the lives of Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas are intertwined—and they become the ultimate rivals, in love with the same man.
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