historical fiction Archives -

The Tale of Murasaki by Liz Dalby

The author of this novel is an anthropologist. This novel is based on the Japanese Heian era noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu. Murasaki was a court poet, and she wrote The Tale of Genji which is now considered a classic. Dalby imagines her life in this story. This is also a woman’s story about court culture, litteredContinue reading “The Tale of Murasaki by Liz Dalby”

Runaway Horses by Yukio Mishima

This second book in the classic tetralogy The Sea of Fertility was published posthumously and is the story of the second incarnation of Shigekuni Honda’s friend Kiyoaki Matsugae. Beginning in 1932, Honda, a judge, replaces a colleague at a kendo tournament. He meets a youth, Isao Iinuma, that has a mole pattern the same as Kiyoaki.Continue reading “Runaway Horses by Yukio Mishima”

The Gam Namu by Kathleen V. McLennan

This novel has been written by a Mary River Press competition awardee! Based in Korea, it spans the twentieth century from 1901 to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Misuk, the main character, was born in Korea in 1901. She was the eldest daughter of a poor farming family and was very cherished by her family. AContinue reading “The Gam Namu by Kathleen V. McLennan”

Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey

This novel was published in 1964 and the great notion was about committing suicide by drowning. The story chronicles the life of two loggers that work independently in the union-controlled town of Wakonda. Leland Stamper returns home on a revenge mission against his half-brother Hank. His father Henry is dying, and he is protecting hisContinue reading “Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey”

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Kurt Kobain’s favourite book was Perfume. Set-in the stench of eighteenth-century Paris the book follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. His lack of odour makes him unique as does his exceptional sense of smell. This story conjures smells: ‘This scent had a freshness, but not the freshness of limes or pomegranates, not the freshness ofContinue reading “Perfume by Patrick Suskind”

High Valley by Charmian Clift and George Johnston

High Valley is set in China and Tibet. It embraces customs of the Tibetan valley community. The Valley of the Dreaming Phoenix is full of vivid colour: ‘Each day was a gem of ever-brightening lustre. He was enchanted by the beauty of the high pastures: it was loveliness of a quality he had never knownContinue reading “High Valley by Charmian Clift and George Johnston”

Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

After forty years J.G. Ballard put his memories of a World War 11 Japanese internment camp into a novel. Jamie is a young British boy who lives in Shanghai with his parents. After the pandemonium of the Pearl Harbour bombing, Japan occupies the area in Shanghai where he lives and he is separated from hisContinue reading “Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard”

Burials Rites by Hannah Kent

Burial Rites is an historical fiction based on the 200-year-old story of the last woman executed by decapitation in Iceland. In 1829 Agnes Magnúsdóttir’s is sentenced to death but must wait for her killing at a farm at Kornsá with Margrét, Jón and their children. She had spent her childhood in this parish. Her motherContinue reading “Burials Rites by Hannah Kent”

My Brother Jack by George Johnston

Each read of this fifty-six-year-old classic reveals more nuances about the Australian identity. Set in post-war Melbourne suburbs, this seminal piece is a retelling by David Meredith of his life. His mother is a nurse who houses Gallipoli invalids including Meredith’s father. Suffering PTSD, he is a brutal alcoholic who displays unpredictability and weakness. TheContinue reading “My Brother Jack by George Johnston”