Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon
First of all, if you’ve never encountered Ariel Lawhon’s work, you’re missing out. Flight of Dreams, about the flight of the Hindenburg, was the first book of hers that I read, followed by I Was Anastasia. As an author she has a great ability to take a familiar story and look at it from a new angle. I chose Code Name Helene for this list, however, because for this book Lawhon took a relatively unknown heroine of World War II as her subject. Lawhon’s fictionalized account of her journey from Australian expatriate wife of a Frenchman to resistance leader would be unbelievable but for the historical research she provides in great detail at the book’s conclusion. A must-read for anyone who likes World War II fiction.
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
What a weird and wonderful book! In September 1785, Jonah Hancock becomes the unwelcome recipient of what may or may not be a preserved, dead mermaid. Unexpectedly, the acquisition of the mermaid allows Hancock to rise through London society. Gowar has a deft eye for period detail and ear for period language, so that the reader feels like the book might actually have been written in the period in which it is set. Please be aware that there is a seen set in a house of ill repute that leaves little to the imagination.
The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
I challenged myself to only pick one book by Lisa See, when in truth I could have included so many of her books here! The Island of Sea Women introduced me to the Korean island of Jeju and its haenyeo, female divers who support their families by collecting various sea life from the ocean near their homes. The book centers on the friendship between Mi-ja and Young-sook, and the hardships and triumphs it weathers over the course of decades. Please be aware that the novel includes scenes from the island’s occupation by the Japanese and then American troops following World War II, and there are graphic, historically accurate depictions of violence.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
I absolutely adore this book, and Towle’s protagonist, Count Alexander Rostov, is one of my all-time favorite characters. Rostov, an aristocrat sentenced by a court to house arrest in Moscow’s Hotel Metropol, must figure out how to rebuild his life following the Russian Revolution. The perfect balance of witty and profound, filled with people and bon mots you will remember long after you finish reading it, A Gentleman in Moscow is that rare book that seems to appeal to people of many ages, genders, and backgrounds. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Liz Helfrich 