This month’s notable historical fiction releases explore dramatic epochs and compelling characters—from the turbulent days of the French Revolution to the harsh frontiers of the Yukon gold rush.
The Tarot Reader of Versailles
Anya Bergman’s latest novel, The Tarot Reader of Versailles (Manilla Press, £16.99), transports readers to the volatile streets of revolutionary France. The story centers on two extraordinary women: Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand, the renowned tarot card reader and loyalist to Queen Marie Antoinette, and Cait, an Irish scullery maid with psychic abilities and republican sympathies. Together, they navigate the upheaval of Versailles, seeking fortune amid political chaos. Bergman combines lush prose with poignant love stories, while realistically portraying the brutal realities of the Reign of Terror.
The Hounding
Xenobe Purvis’s debut novel, The Hounding (Hutchinson Heinemann, £16.99), is set in 18th-century Oxfordshire’s small village of Little Nettlebed during a stifling heatwave. The story follows the enigmatic Mansfield sisters, who are rumored to possess the ability to transform into dogs. Against a backdrop of suspicion and danger in a “season of strangeness,” Purvis weaves a dark, atmospheric tale rich with foreboding and tension. Critics have noted its stylistic echoes of Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides, praising its finely crafted and haunting narrative.
The Rush
Set against the backdrop of the 1898 Yukon gold rush, Beth Lewis’s The Rush (Viper, £18.99) chronicles the intersecting lives of three determined women amid the lawlessness of Dawson City. Journalist Kate searches for her estranged sister, Martha fights to protect her brothel business from a local thug, and Ellen fears for her safety as her prospector husband descends into obsession. When a woman is found murdered, their stories entwine in a gripping mystery filled with adventure and drama. Lewis’s novel is celebrated for its vivid portrayal of the gold rush era and strong, complex female protagonists.
