Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield

There are stories that completely submerge you in its currents, carrying you to distant lands in a different time, filling your head with ideas you haven’t paused to ponder. And finally, washes you ashore letting you take that invigorating breath of air. I was spellbound. I’m at a loss of words. What a master storyteller is Diane Setterfield!

Melmoth, a book review

‘She has come. She has come for me.’

Melmoth unravels as a brooding, morose, gothic tale of a wanderer, a woman, an ancient mythical monster that resides in the darkest corners and bears witness to all the evils that unfold just when you think no-one is watching. Sarah Perry does complete justice to the atmosphere and tone of the book, at times, legitimately, spine-chilling, tempting you to take a quick peek over your shoulder, just to make sure no-one is watching.

Signs for Lost Children by Sarah Moss

With this duology, I’m assured of Sarah Moss as a writer of incredible nuance, intelligence, observation, elegance and style. Signs for Lost Children picks up just where Bodies of Light left, so I’d really encourage one to start with Bodies of Light before they try this as the motivations of these characters, the backstories and context would all be lost by starting directly here.

Bodies of Light triumphs in its themes, but rushes through the years. Signs for Lost Children, on the other hand, is set across a single year following Ally’s marriage.

Bodies of Light by Sarah Moss

Review: Oh Sarah Moss! How wonderfully you write and how nice it feels to be wrapped up in your words like a blanket! Bodies of Light was an intriguing, wonderfully written, and complex story of female roles in the 19th century, of women fighting to find their place in professional and academic settings than being restricted to domestic roles, of a dysfunctional family, a domineering mother, of mental health and its stigma, of art and its appreciation,

The Last Queen of India by Michelle Moran

Category: Historical Fiction
Rating: 3/5
Cultural: India
Author: Michelle Moran
Alternative title: The Rebel Queen

The Last Queen of India is a historical fiction novel following the life of a woman warrior who is part of the elite personal guards of the Rani of Jhansi. The novel is set in Jhansi, in India at the cusp of colonialism by the British. The Rani of Jhansi is revered and admired historical figure in contemporary India and she is known for her valour and her fight against the colonial rule in India. 

The Enchanted Islands by Allison Amend

Category: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Author: Allison Amend

This book was such a pleasant surprise! Enchanted Islands follows the story of Frances Conway, starting from her childhood all the way till she is very old. I absolutely loved this charming, emotional, honest and far from ordinary life of Frances Conway. Right from her childhood in Duluth to her adolescent years in Chicago to Nebraska, to Galapagos Islands for most part and finally to San Francisco, its such an incredible journey that doesn’t skip a beat.

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht

Category: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Cultural: Yugoslavia
Author: Tea Obreht

This one of those books which has a lot of critical acclaim in terms of literary awards but isn’t that highly rated on Goodreads and I can imagine why. The narrative is not linear and really meanders, back and forth in timeline & there are so many parallel tales, so it can get confusing.