The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

 

 The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell. Alfred A. Knopf, 2022. Adult historical fiction.

This fascinating fictional book is based on the story of Lucrezia de Medici, the child bride of the Duke of Ferrara in the mid 1500's. Although her sister Maria has been promised to the duke, Lucrezia ends up his wife. She is moved from the only family and home in Florence that she has ever known to Tuscany with her much older husband. Her duty, of course, is to provide an heir. But, Lucrezia must dance among the politics, the family, and her growing suspicion that her husband may want to do away with her. The many descriptions and details make this a real treat of a book. (It may even soon have readers tuning in to the Netflix series on the de Medicis themselves!) Do you know the poem by Robert Browning entitled "My Last Duchess"? This novel may also have readers looking it up, too!

Home Work: A Memoir of my Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews

 

Home Work: A Memoir of my Hollywood Years by Julie Andrews with Emma Walton Hamilton. Hachette, 2019. Adult memoir.

Beginning with her arrival in Hollywood, Julie Andrews continued her career that led her to such successes on Broadway in America. But, the movies she made were not the plays she knew so well such as Camelot and My Fair Lady. Her starring role in Mary Poppins is classic. Her role of Maria in The Sound of Music is, too.  Her role as tap dancing and singing Millie brought more fame. And, so it continued professionally to television, movie, and book successes. This memoir includes personal details and stories about her daughter, Emma, as well as her divorce and then finding love and marriage with Blake Edwards, also quite successful in Hollywood, and the adoption of two more children. (She and Blake Edwards were married 25 years before he died at age 88.) Readers will enjoy the honesty about some famous Hollywood personalities, the difficulties of being a mother and an international film star, and the realities of how Julie Andrews balanced it all. She comes across as humble and blessed. 

Check out Home, Julie Andrew's memoir about her upbringing and early years. Her early years were difficult and her family was dependent on her success and paychecks. That novel takes readers through her successes on Broadway and marriage to Tony Hamilton. This book goes through her major years in Hollywood and points toward the future. But, who knows that future holds?  Surely, the author will continue with another book about later life and the loss of her spectacular singing voice and her successes as a children's and adult author.  Readers know there is more yet to come like the Eloise television specials and the Princess films, too. 

Back to the Garden : A Novel by Laurie R. King

 

  Back to the Garden: A Novel by Laurie R. King. Bantam Books, 2022. Adult mystery.

The 1970's Vietnam vet Rob Gardener is back in present day California. With his brother, Fort, the two are heirs to the fabulous Gardener estate and mansion. Police Inspector Raquel Laing comes to find answers to a cold case involving "The Highwayman" killer. She hopes to connect a man who may have lived on the commune there in the 1970's to a series of murders of young women over the years. Soon Raquel is drawn into a new murder on the estate. Who is this new victim?  Are they all connected? Can Raquel find the killer before someone else is murdered? 

Known best for her series of Mary Russell novels, King scores a homerun with this stand along mystery. Readers can only hope that more Raquel Laing novels will follow. King's killer descriptions (pardon the pun) of the estate bring to mind San Simeon. Details about life in a 1960's and 70's commune are fascinating. Even "The Highwayman" will remind readers of Charles Manson. Such a treat to read such unusual bits of historical fiction tied into a great mystery! 

The Many Daughters of Afong Moy: A Novel by Jamie Ford

 

  The Many Daughters of Afong Moy: A Novel by Jamie Ford. Atria Books, 2022. Adult fiction. Historic fiction.

Ford used the real story of Afong Moy or "The Chinese Lady" who arrived in the United States from China in 1834 and became quite the featured "performer" at what seems like circus sideshows for his impetus in this novel. From that kernel of truth, Ford's imagination leads to Lai King in 1892, Zoe in 1927, Faye in 1942, Greta in 2014, Dorothy in 2045 and ultimately to Dorothy's daughter, Annabel. The timelines and chapters are fluid and tie together the stories of the women. They are not in chronological order. The character of Dorothy has a difficult marriage (AND mother-in-law) and tries an experimental treatment for epigenetic inheritances. Memories that she has are not her own. Can trauma and pain be passed along through generations? If so, can the patterns be changed? Fascinating are the author's  notes and research recommendations at the end of the book. 

No Strangers Here by Carlene O'Connor

 

 No Strangers Here by Carlene O'Connor. Kensington Publishing, 2022. Adult mystery.

Need a quick trip to Ireland to get away from your daily life? Pick up this copy of Carlene O'Connor's new County Kerry novel. 

Dimpna Wilde, a vet, grew up in Dingle. Now she finds herself back after almost thirty years. Her father, also a vet, and her mother have their own problems. Her father's dementia seems to be a bigger problem than Dimpna knew. Her mother has been out dancing with handsome cad, Jimmy O'Reilly. When Jimmy's dead body is found, the suspect list is long and includes Dimpna's mom. Not to mention that Dimpna's own son and the real reason she left Dingle long ago is Jimmy's grandson. And, when Detective Inspector Cormac O'Brien arrives on the scene, there is even hope for some romance for Dimpna at long last! 

There are various threads to this story and each is given its due. Clearly drawn and appealing characters, fast paced action, and the incredible details that will take readers to Ireland make Connor an author to enjoy.  (I especially enjoyed the phonetic pronunciations for some of the proper names.) 

In the Shadow of a Queen by Heather B. Moore

 

 in the Shadow of a Queen by Heather B. Moore. Shadow Mountain Publishing, 2022. Young adult historical fiction. (Based on a true story). 

Queen Victoria's life is well documented, but not so the lives of some of her children. This is a tale of the family, the death of Prince Albert, and the aftermath. It focuses on Princess Louise who is a talented sculptor in the days when most women, and especially royal women, were severely limited in what they could and could not do. Beautiful and talented also as a painter, Louise works to attend classes and to ultimately find a husband who would allow her to be herself. Well told, interesting, and based on history, the novel also shows aspects of Queen Victoria that readers might not know. Readers may want to do a little research on the other royal children, too. 

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse

 

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse. Wheeler Publishing, a part of Gale, a Cengage Company (Large Print edition), 2022. Original from Viking, an imprint of Penguin, 2022.

Another of the creepy mystery novels from youngish British female pandemic writers! A beautiful, lush retreat off the English coast is supposed to be cursed. That has not stopped people from coming to visit! Three sisters and their significant others are to reunite there. Detective Elin Warner is called in when a body is discovered. Soon there are more bodies! Are these people cursed? Is the killer a native islander or one of the guests or staff? Make yourself a little chart of the characters. Between Thea, Jo, Bea, Han, Maya, Farrah, Anna, Rachel, and Elin, you'll need to keep these names straight. Not to mention Isaac, Steed, Caleb, Hayler, Will, Seth, Edd, Liam, Michael, Tom, Leon, Christopher, Porter, Ronan, Jared, and Rob.

If you like this type of novel, try THE GUEST LIST, a 2021 title by Lucy Foley. Guests go to a remote Irish coastal hotel for a wedding. Murder happens.