26 review for Daughters of the Past: A Historical Fiction Anthology

1. 

   4 out of 5

   Karen Eisenbrey – Oct 26, 2019

   If you like historical fiction, this collection of novellas is a good way to sample work by five different authors, set in five very different places and times. Should you find a new favorite, all five have longer work available. Rose By Nola Li Barr This story centers on a Taiwanese immigrant family, trying to make it in America after World War II; Josephine, the baker next door; and Rose, the enigmatic Taiwanese woman she hires to assist her. Although each chapter is dated in 1947, the story is l If you like historical fiction, this collection of novellas is a good way to sample work by five different authors, set in five very different places and times. Should you find a new favorite, all five have longer work available. Rose By Nola Li Barr This story centers on a Taiwanese immigrant family, trying to make it in America after World War II; Josephine, the baker next door; and Rose, the enigmatic Taiwanese woman she hires to assist her. Although each chapter is dated in 1947, the story is light on period details and uses some anachronistic language, such as “hanging out” and “24/7.” This ends up emphasizing the timelessness of the challenges the characters face: immigrants trying to maintain identity or assimilate into the dominant culture, and small business owners threatened by loan sharks and/or developers in a time of rapid growth and change. Lizzie By Louisa M. Bauman In contrast, this story is packed with convincing period details for its setting of 1550s Antwerp. Lizzie is a young woman of good family who has lost her parents. She lives with relatives and works as an embroiderer, but has an inheritance coming to her when she turns twenty-one. Out of curiosity, she visits a secret Anabaptist worship service and ends up falling for Jerome, the brother of a friend and a devout member of the congregation. Their courage and faith are tested when they are arrested by the Inquisition. Much of the story consists of the couple’s letters in jail, exhortations in the style of St. Paul (condensed from actual letters but still lengthy for a work of fiction). This well-written but unusual romance does a good job of contrasting cosmopolitan, progressive Antwerp with the darkness of the Inquisition, demonstrating why it is so important to separate church and state. The Mitanni Princess By Lauren Lee Merewether This story takes us way back to the ancient Mitanni Empire, an ally of the Pharoahs of Egypt. The author has taken what little is known about the Mitanni Empire and spun it into a lively tale of love and duty. Princess Tadukhipa wants to paint, an activity forbidden to one of her station, and to love the man of her choosing, which is also not happening because he is a servant. She endures severe punishment, attempts an escape, and is called upon in the end to make heartbreaking choices. Will she follow her heart or serve the empire? Esther By Kimberly C. Miller The Victorian era setting on Martha’s Vineyard felt positively modern after the visit to the Mitanni Empire. Spinster Esther (she’s 26) is resigned to life of caring for her high-maintenance mother but surprised by love when she meets an engaging young Irishman during the weeks of the summer revival meetings. His past almost spoils it but dramatic events intervene. Can a good person do bad things? Can a bad person change? And can a hidebound mother change her mind? Molly By Gracie Stathers This story, mostly set in the English countryside in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, packs enough events for a sprawling family saga into a novella. Though well-written and apparently based on true events, I’m not sure this approach of telling the whole story serves the central romance plot. The most developed section is devoted to a somewhat melodramatic love story. After her father’s death, a young woman, Molly, finds a position as a governess to a clergyman and his wife on the estate of a wealthy family where she will also have time and space to ride her beloved horse. She believes she has escaped a stalker who had been pursuing her, only to have him show up and threaten her in her new life. At the same time, she becomes acquainted with a shining example of a Good Guy, who persuades Bad Guy to go away. He is never heard from again and the central couple gets a brief happy ending, followed by a long coda involving tragedy, showjumping, a new love, and a move to New Zealand.

2. 

   4 out of 5

   Dena Akbar –

3. 

   5 out of 5

   Lauren – Feb 14, 2020

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Jessica Sinanan –

5. 

   4 out of 5

   Amanda Haeberlin –

6. 

   4 out of 5

   Tina Moore –

7. 

   5 out of 5

   Karela McKennie –

8. 

   5 out of 5

   Kiersten Thomas –

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Kimberly C. – Oct 09, 2019

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Grace –

11. 

    4 out of 5

    Judy Thomas –

12. 

    5 out of 5

    Jeanna Massman –

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Terri –

14. 

    5 out of 5

    Emmy McCabe –

15. 

    4 out of 5

    Amber –

16. 

    4 out of 5

    Mick Loves Books –

17. 

    4 out of 5

    Karen Mann –

18. 

    5 out of 5

    Ann –

19. 

    4 out of 5

    Tamara Herriott –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Melissa Shirey –

21. 

    4 out of 5

    Linda Goebel –

22. 

    5 out of 5

    Debbie Allen –

23. 

    4 out of 5

    Alice S –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    Rose English –

25. 

    5 out of 5

    Rita McDowell –

26. 

    4 out of 5

    Jean Hall –