Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




Recent Historical Fiction (page 3)


Cover art for THE SECOND EMPRESS
FICTION
Released: Aug. 14, 2012

"Richly detailed but diffuse."
The last six years of Napoleon's empire, as witnessed by Bonaparte's sister, her Haitian retainer and the Hapsburg princess Empress Marie-Louise, Joséphine's successor. Read full book review >
Cover art for FREUD'S SISTER
FICTION
Released: Aug. 28, 2012

"A sensitive portrayal and a well-crafted debut."
Smilevski creates a fictionalized version of the life of Freud's sister in a superb debut. Read full book review >
Cover art for LIVE BY NIGHT
FICTION
Released: Oct. 2, 2012

"Power, lust and moral ambiguity combine for an all-American explosion of fictional fireworks."
The acclaimed mystery writer again tries his hand at historical fiction, combining period detail from the Prohibition era with the depth of character and twists of plot that have won him such a devoted readership. Read full book review >
Cover art for CITY OF WOMEN
FICTION
Released: Aug. 7, 2012

"World War II Germany may be familiar ground, but Gillham's novel—vividly cinematic yet subtle and full of moral ambiguity, not to mention riveting characters—is as impossible to put down as it is to forget."
In his debut about 1943 Berlin, Gillham uses elements common to the many previous movies and books about World War II—from vicious Nazis to black marketeers to Jewish children hiding in attics to beautiful blond German women hiding their sexuality inside drab coats—yet manages to make the story fresh. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE VIRGIN CURE
FICTION
Released: June 26, 2012

"Very low-key, but rewarding for patient readers."
On the lawless streets of the 19th-century Lower East Side, a 12-year-old girl's choices seem limited to servitude or prostitution. Read full book review >