Morgan's March Picks

Historical Fiction for March 

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

I loved this young adult novel. It is a fantastic story of friendship during WWII. The two main characters are best friends who meet during their service in England during WWII. One is captured and the other is missing. An intense drama of Nazi capture, hiding out in France and the struggles we face between freedom and life are highlighted throughout the book.

 The story definitely keeps you guessing and I loved the drama when the perspective flipped between the two characters in the middle of the book.

Additionally, this book provides great insight into the roles women played during WWII. Too often the women and girls who were critical in the resistance, flying of planes and general support roles during the war go unnoticed.

I would definitely recommend this for middle to high school students and for adults who just like a good read! 

 

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain

This book was incredible. Although this is historical fiction it reads almost like a tell-all diary of Ernest Hemminway's first wife. The story is wonderfully told and does a good job illustrating an important part of Hemminway's life.

A tragic story and one that is definitely easy to sympathize with I was struck with the simultaneous fragility and strength of the main characters. I also enjoyed the historical context - reading about Paris during the time of some of the greatest writers of all time.

For fans of Hemmiway's work and anyone interested in a historical romantic tragedy. 

  

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

I spent most of this book waiting for it to redeem itself at the end. It did! This book gets a little slow in certain sections but I thought it was a very complex and interesting character study and it had enough twists and turns that I felt like my time spent reading it was worth it.

A look into a bizarre project sponsored by british intelligence this is a love story, a coming of age novel and a look into british society. Very different from Atonement I still felt like Ian McEwan pulled out a win on this one.