i read the birth of venus. i took it on the recommendation of nancy pearl — mostly because i found pearl’s interview with sarah dunant on book lust intriguing. dunant was going on and on about how historical fiction is only good if the author does a lot of research and bases her story in character, specifically characters who evolve from the place and time they are set in. “okay,” i thought to myself, “maybe i’ll give this a try even though i hate historical fiction. a lot.”
and i have this to say: i still hate historical fiction. a lot. in fact, if this is possible, i hate historical fiction even more. every book i’ve picked up in this genre has the same story—girl (underprivileged or upper class, it doesn’t matter which) falls in love with someone she shouldn’t be in love with. adultery ensues. book quickly dissolves into lewd descriptions of sex in the 1300s or 1400s or 1500s (pick your century). i have better things to do with my time than read trashy romances with random historical dates sprinkled throughout the text. (and, please, feel free to fight with me. if you’ve read any historical fiction that does not have the above plot, i’d love to know.)
thankfully, nancy pearl didn’t fail me again. i picked up the sweetness at the bottom of the pie and was pleasantly diverted. it’s a murder mystery that takes a serious suspension of disbelief and a high tolerance for a slightly annoying and bewildering teenager, but all in all it’s a jauntily paced, fun little read. great for the airplane or the beach or while your kids are watching care bears reruns and you’re standing in the kitchen cooking spaghetti sauce, washing the dishes, and listening to all things considered.
now i’m faced with a stack of library books on my floor. not sure where to start next. here’s the list.
- lonesome dove by larry mcmurtry
- remarkable creatures by tracy chevalier
- the final solution by michael chabon
- the cold dish by craig johnson
- the complete idiot’s guide to buying and selling a home by shelley o’hara
(i know you’re about to rise in flames that i’ve put famous historical fiction writer tracy chevalier on the list — and yes, i did hate girl with a pearl earring — but i do so want to like this book about mary anning. i wish someone else had written it. like annie dillard. or john mcphee. or david sedaris.)
so, it’s a tough call. how about this? i’ll list the first lines from each book and you can guess which line belongs to which book and then decide which one i should read. sound fun? i think so too.
- “lightening has struck me all my life.”
- “bob barnes says they got a dead body out on BLM land.”
- “when augustus came out on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake—not a very big one.”
- “owning a home is the American Dream!”
- “a boy with a parrot on his shoulder was walking along the railway tracks.”
Well, I am going to be boring. If you are thinking about buying a house in the next few years, maybe you should just suck it up and read “the complete idiot’s guide to buying and selling a home.” Then you can read one of the other books to reward yourself. Just a thought.
I did archaeology on land owned by a Bob Barnes…it was located right next to a BLM office.
O_o
The only historical fiction I’ve read is The Work and the Glory. Oh and the World War II fiction series by Dean Hughes. I can’t remember what they were called. Obviously, it made a lasting impression on me. Both series were completely free of graphic sex scenes, however. I much prefer books set in the future, or in places that don’t exist.
And I’d read the book about a boy with a parrot on his shoulder. Rattlesnake-eating blue pigs are intriguing, though.
I am currrently reading “The Winds of War” by Herman Wouk and I adore it. It’s my second time around. It’s not the most beautiful language but I love learning about the war through the lens of the Henry family.
“bob barnes says they got a dead body out on BLM land.”
let me know how they are.
Jessie — First and foremost you are completely right about The Birth of Venus –ick! Also a lot of historical fiction would fall into the lame “romance novel meets a few historical details,” however; secondly you are a silly goose, because historical fiction also has its “finer breeds,” point in case: The Book Thief, which I adored (and I believe you recently blogged about sobbing through)……so yes I’m going to fight you on the the historical fiction blanket statement. There is definitely both good, bad, and definitely ugly historical fiction.
hmmmm… jandee, let’s discuss. to me there’s historical fiction written by the likes of philippa gregory and then there are books like “le miserables” and “the book thief” and “precious bane” and on and on and on that i call, um, literature, i guess.
did i learn to categorize things this way in grad school? i can’t remember anymore. someone help me out here — what is historical fiction, anyway?
(i think i’m drawing lines between genre fiction — the type of books people read because of elements that are similar across the genre — and literary fiction that is completely unique, brilliantly written, and is based on characters rather than specific genre requirements.)
Yes that would be a more clear explanation for me (genre fiction vs. good solid literary genius), perhaps I was taking the more literal definition of historical fiction — namely a work of fiction that takes place during a notable historical time period — (which was probably drilled into my head during my Comp. Lit degree) which is something akin to whatever this like-minded individual penned on Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_fiction …….. However I am all for the sub-categorization of the genre because when someone tells me a work is “historical fiction,” I find that it tells me nothing about the book and I have no idea if it is teetering dangerously close to bodice ripping or is harrowing work of genius. Perhaps we should start our own historical fiction nomenclature? I think the term “Historical Romantic Abetment” or HRA for short would be a great epithet for Philippa Gregory.
Off the subject have you read The Guernsey LIterary and Potato Peel Society yet? Definitely in the “good” are of H.F. I think you’d like it.
I am putting the Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie on my to read list while the kids are awake or while I am on the exercise bike. Good luck with deciding which book to read, such a hard decision!
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