Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly

$34.99 NZD

$37.00 (5% off)

Category: Historical Fiction

From the author of the million-copy global bestseller Lilac Girls, comes a captivating new historical novel, set during the American Civil War. It's a sweeping story of women caught in a country on the brink of collapse, in a society grappling with nationalism and unthinkable racial cruelty. Georgeanne "Georgey" Woolsey isn't meant for the world of lavish parties and demure attitudes of women of her stature. So when the war ignites the nation, Georgey follows her passion for nursing during a time when doctors considered women a bother on the battlefront. In proving them wrong, she and her sister Eliza venture from New York to Washington, D.C. to Gettysburg and witness the unparalleled horrors of slavery as they become involved in the war effort. In the South, Jemma is enslaved on the Peeler Plantation in Maryland, where she lives with her mother and father. Her sister, Patience, is enslaved on the plantation next door and both live in fear of LeBaron, an abusive overseer who tracks their every move. When Jemma is sold by the cruel plantation mistress Anne-May at the same time the Union army comes through, she sees a chance to finally escape-but only by abandoning the family she loves. Anne-May is left behind to run Peeler Planation when her husband joins the Union Army and her cherished brother enlists with the Confederates. In charge of the household, she uses the opportunity to follow her own ambitions and is drawn into a secret Southern network of spies, finally exposing herself to the fate she deserves. ...Show more

Half Life by Jillian Cantor

$35.00 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

A brilliant sliding-doors reimagining of the passionate life of the first woman to win the Nobel Prize - and the life Marie Curie might have led if she had chosen love over science. In Poland in 1891, Marie Curie (then Marya Sklodowska) was engaged to a budding mathematician, Kazimierz Zorawski. But wh en his mother insisted she was too poor and not good enough, he broke off the engagement. A heartbroken Marya left Poland for Paris and the Sorbonne to study chemistry and physics. Eventually Marie Curie would go on to change the course of science forever and become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. But what if Marie had made a different choice? What if she had stayed in Poland, married Kazimierz at the age of twenty-four, and never attended the Sorbonne or discovered radium? What if Marie had chosen her first love and a life of domesticity, still ravenous for knowledge in Russian Poland where education for women was restricted instead of studying science in Paris and meeting Pierre Curie? Seamlessly entwining the sliding-door moments of Marie Curie's real life with Marya Zorawska's fictional one, Half Life is an inspired and utterly compelling story of love and identity that explores the meaning of loyalty and friendship, motherhood and sisterhood, fame and anonymity - and the consequences of the choices we make. It explores what would have happened if a great scientific mind was denied opportunity and access to education. But instead of delivering a predictable outcome of how the life of one remarkable woman and the people she loved might have been irrevocably changed, the truth is Marie or Marya would still have led a full and passionate life. Intelligent, thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining, this is historical fiction at its best.  ...Show more

Mirror and the Light (#3 Wolf Hall) TPB by Hilary Mantel

$37.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction | Series: Wolf Hall Ser.

With The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel brings to a triumphant close the trilogy she began with Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies. She traces the final years of Thomas Cromwell, the boy from nowhere who climbs to the heights of power, offering a defining portrait of predator and prey, of a ferociou s contest between present and past, between royal will and a common man’s vision: of a modern nation making itself through conflict, passion and courage.     ...Show more

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

$32.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

The brand-new book from the internationally bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Huntress - available to pre-order now! 1940. Three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything--beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses--but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Awkward local girl Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles beneath her shy exterior. 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter-the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together... As the nation prepares for the royal wedding they must race against the clock to save one of their own. If you loved The Crown, don't miss this riveting historical novel - pre-order now! ...Show more

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

$34.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction | Reading Level: near fine

The Four Winds is a deeply moving, powerful story about the strength and resilience of women and the bond between mother and daughter, by the multi-million-copy number one bestselling author Kristin Hannah. She will discover the best of herself in the worst of times . . . Texas, 1934. Elsa Martinelli ha d finally found the life she'd yearned for. A family, a home and a livelihood on a farm on the Great Plains. But when drought threatens all she and her community hold dear, Elsa's world is shattered to the winds. Fearful of the future, when Elsa wakes to find her husband has fled, she is forced to make the most agonizing decision of her life. Fight for the land she loves or take her beloved children, Loreda and Ant, west to California in search of a better life. Will it be the land of milk and honey? Or will their experience challenge every ounce of strength they possess? From the overriding love of a mother for her child, the value of female friendship and the ability to love again - against all odds, Elsa's incredible journey is a story of survival, hope and what we do for the ones we love. ...Show more

Hamnet (PB) by Maggie O'Farrell

$24.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a sudden fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that Hamnet will not survive the week. Hamnet is a novel inspired by the son of a famous playwright: a boy whose life has been all but forgotten, but whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays ever written. ...Show more

Remote Sympathy by Catherine Chidgey

$35.00 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

Moving away from Munich isn't nearly as wrenching an experience for Frau Greta Hahn as she had feared. Their new home is even lovelier than the one they left behind, and best of all - right on their doorstep - are some of the finest craftsmen from all over Europe, prepared to make for her and the other officers' wives living in this small community anything they could possibly desire: new curtains from the finest silks, furniture designed to the most exacting specifications, execute a fresco or a mural even. The looming presence of the nearby prison camp - lying just beyond a patch of forest - is the only blot to mar what is otherwise an idyllic life in Buchenwald. Frau Hahn's husband, SS Sturmbannfuhrer Dietrich Hahn, has taken up a powerful new position as camp administrator. The job is all consuming as he wrestles with corruption that is rife at every level, inadequate supplies, and a sewerage system under ever-growing strain as the prison population continues to rise. Frau Hahn's obliviousness is challenged when she is forced into an unlikely alliance with one of Buchenwald's prisoners, Dr Lenard Weber. A decade earlier he invented a machine - the Sympathetic Vitaliser - that at the time he believed could cure cancer. Does the machine work? Whether it does or not, it might yet save a life. ...Show more

The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow

$24.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

It is a sad fact of life that if a young woman is unlucky enough to come into the world without expectations, she had better do all she can to ensure she is born beautiful. To be handsome and poor is misfortune enough; but to be both plain and penniless is a hard fate indeed.In Jane Austen's Pride and P rejudice, Mary is the middle of the five Bennet girls and the plainest of them all, so what hope does she have? Prim and pious, with no redeeming features, she is unloved and seemingly unlovable. The Other Bennet Sister, though, shows another side to Mary. One by one, her sisters marry but Mary, it seems, is destined to remain single and live out her life at Longbourn, at least until her father dies and the house is bequeathed to the reviled Mr Collins.But when that fateful day finally comes, she slowly discovers that perhaps there is hope for her, after all.Simultaneously a wonderfully warm homage to Jane Austen and a delightful new story in its own right, Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister is, at its heart, a life-affirming tale of a young woman finding her place in the world. ...Show more

Women of Chateau Lafayette, The by Dray, Stephanie

$35.00 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

Most castles are protected by powerful men. This one by women... A founding mother... 1774. Gently-bred noblewoman Adrienne Lafayette becomes her husband's political partner in the fight for American independence. But when their idealism sparks revolution in France and the guillotine threatens everythin g she holds dear, Adrienne must choose to renounce the complicated man she loves, or risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come. A daring visionary... 1914. Glittering New York socialite Beatrice Astor Chanler is a force of nature, daunted by nothing--not her humble beginnings, her crumbling marriage, or the outbreak of war. But after witnessing the devastation in France and delivering war-relief over dangerous seas, Beatrice takes on the challenge of a lifetime- convincing America to fight for what's right. A reluctant resistor... 1940. French school-teacher and aspiring artist Marthe Simone has an orphan's self-reliance and wants nothing to do with war. But as the realities of Nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age, she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is, and more importantly, who she is willing to become. Intricately woven and beautifully told, The Women of Chateau Lafayette is a sweeping novel about duty and hope, love and courage, and the strength we find from standing together on the shoulders of those who came before us. ...Show more

Nick (The Great Gatsby #2) by Michael Farris Smith

$34.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

Before Nick Carraway moved to West Egg and into Gatsby's world, he was at the centre of a very different story — one taking place along the trenches and deep within the tunnels of World War I.Floundering in the wake of the destruction he witnessed first-hand, Nick delays his return home, hoping to escap e the questions he cannot answer about the horrors of war. Instead, he embarks on a transcontinental redemptive journey that takes him from a whirlwind Paris romance — doomed from the very beginning — to the dizzying frenzy of New Orleans, rife with its own flavour of debauchery and violence.An epic portrait of a truly singular era and a sweeping, romantic story of self-discovery, this rich and imaginative novel breathes new life into a character that many know only from the periphery. Charged with enough alcohol, heartbreak, and profound yearning to transfix even the heartiest of golden age scribes, Nick reveals the man behind the narrator who has captivated readers for decades.'Anybody who believes that the war is over when the enemy surrenders and the troops come home needs to read Michael Farris Smith's masterful new novel NICK. Its stark, unvarnished truth will haunt you.' — Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Empire Falls 'The new Nick is a man fully realised, with a mind tormented by the war and by a first love that waned too fast to a fingernail moon of bitter memory... A compelling character study and a thoroughly unconventional prequel' — Kirkus ReviewsWith precise yet lyrically striking prose, Michael Farris Smith weaves a tale of love, loss, the lasting trauma of war, that deeply inhabits the damaged psyches of an array of people. The title figure of Nick offers a soul for the ages, one that finally and deftly slips into the canon' — Jeffrey Lent, New York Times bestselling author of In the Fall'NICK is, sentence by sentence, scene by scene, an atmospheric masterpiece of imagination and prose. With scenes that take your breath away and forget to give it back, Michael Farris Smith takes us on an immersive and redemptive journey that travels from the trenches of the Great War, to Paris, to New Orleans and beyond' — Patti Callahan, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis 'Stylish, evocative, haunting and wholly original, Michael Farris Smith has paid tribute to a classic and made it his own. A remarkable achievement that should sit at the very top of everyone's must-read list.' — Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the EndWatch the trailer: ...Show more

Code Name Helene: Based on the Thrilling True Story of Nancy Wake, 'the White Mouse' by Ariel Lawhon

$22.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

Optioned for a film starring Elizabeth Debicki, a rollercoaster ride full of danger, intrigue and love based on the extraordinary true story of Australia's most beloved war heroine, Nancy Wake. February 29, 1944: I am about to jump out of an aeroplane for the first time ... I don't care that every man i s looking at me as though I don't belong. Besides, I'm hungover. And I think I might throw up ... In 1936 intrepid young Australian journalist Nancy Wake is living in Paris after witnessing firsthand the terror of Hitler's rise in Europe, firing her resolve to fight against the Nazis. When Nancy falls in love with handsome French industrialist Henri Fiocca, no sooner has she become Mrs Fiocca than the Germans invade France and Nancy takes yet another name, a codename - the first of many. As the elusive Lucienne Carlier she smuggles people across borders and earns a new name 'The White Mouse' along with a five million franc bounty on her head, courtesy of the Gestapo. Forced to flee France, Nancy is trained by an elite espionage group under the codename Hélène. Finally, with mission in hand, she is airdropped back into France as the deadly Madame Andrée. But the closer to liberation France gets, the more exposed Nancy - and the people she loves - will become. Based on the true story of an extraordinary woman who saved countless lives, Code Name Hélène is a thrilling tale of danger, intrigue, unfaltering courage, remarkable sacrifice - and love. 'Magnificent ... Lawhon carries us into the heart of the French resistance [and] into the mind of a badass heroine with uncanny instincts who takes on the Nazis and men's arrogant sexism with uncommon bravado ... Propulsive ... Emotionally stirring... Even long after the last page is turned, this astonishing story of Wake's accomplishments will hold readers in its grip.' Booklist, starred review 'Underground operative, charmer in red lipstick, loving wife and hard-hitting woman of her times, Nancy Wake will fascinate and thrill fans of fierce, brash, independent women, alike.' Lisa Wingate, author of Before We Were Yours ...Show more

While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart

$34.99 NZD

Category: Historical Fiction

Perfect for readers of EARLY ONE MORNING and THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS, Headline Review's Lead Launch for 2021 is a gripping, moving debut novel of courage, survival and the endurance of hope.On a platform in occupied Paris, a mother whispers goodbye.It is the end.But also the beginning. Santa Cruz 1953 . Jean-Luc thought he had left it all behind. The scar on his face a small price to pay for surviving the horrors of Nazi occupation. Now, he has a new life in California, a family. He never expected the past to come knocking on his door. Paris 1944. A young woman''s future is torn away in a heartbeat. Herded on to a train bound for Auschwitz, in an act of desperation she entrusts her most precious possession to a stranger. All she has left now is hope. On a darkened platform two destinies become entangled. Their choice will change the future in ways neither could have imagined. Beginning on an ordinary day and ending on an extraordinary one, WHILE PARIS SLEPT is an unforgettable read. Beautiful. Powerful. Unforgettable. A stunning portrait of the brutality of war and the tenacity of love.  ****''Both epic and intimate, this unexpected story of two couples'' sacrifices in war-torn France had me completely and utterly enraptured. You''ll have your heart in your mouth and tears on your cheeks as it reaches its rich, life-affirming conclusion'' Louise Candlish ''What a book... Emotional and heartrending...absolutely phenomenal. I was on tenterhooks throughout. A wonderful achievement'' Jill Mansell ''While Paris Slept made me think and cry and rage and smile at mankind''s capacity for both beautiful, selfless love and terrible, heartbreaking cruelty. A story of wartime courage and desperation, and of the many ways in which war reverberates through people''s lives for years after the fact. Prepare to be thoroughly engrossed in this compelling book'' Natasha Lester ' 'A heartbreaking debut, While Paris Slept will appeal to fans of The Light Between Oceans. The novel delves into eternal questions: How far will we go to protect our child? Is love holding tightly or letting go?'' Janet Skeslien Charles, author of The Paris Library ''A powerful and poignant debut from a brilliant and bold new novelist. Expertly weaving together multiple storylines, author Ruth Druart fills each page with thrilling suspense, uncommon emotional depth, and fascinating characters'' Imogen Kealey, author of Liberation EARLY 5 STAR READER REVIEWS FOR WHILE PARIS SLEPT... ''This book was beautiful - a book on love and courage demonstrated in different ways, showing that there is no one way to love or be brave. I was unable to stop reading *****'' Goodreads reviewer ''For fans of Sophie''s Choice and Sarah''s Key, While Paris Slept is an atmospheric debut about the cost of war and the consequences of love. Impressive *****'' Goodreads reviewer ''I loved this novel, I''m still crying. A truly beautiful book that captures the meaning of parental love in all its forms. I highly recommend this book to all my book groups. Exquisite *****'' Goodreads reviewer ''I loved While Paris Slept. It''s a novel that keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next but also stops you short at times as you wonder what you would have done in the situations facing the protagonists. I finished the novel with tears in my eyes. An uplifting novel and will be great for book clubs'' *****'' Goodreads reviewer ''I really liked this book. It felt a lot like The Alice Network. Very well done. Highly recommend'' Goodreads reviewer ''An excellent and thrilling novel *****'' Goodreads reviewer ...Show more