Recommendations based on "History of the Rain"

NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK • A transporting, irresistible debut novel that takes its heroine, Cristabel Seagrave, from a theatre made of whalebones to covert operations during World War II—a story of love, family, bravery, lost innocence, and self-transformation.“Absolute aces...Quinn’s imagination and adventuresome spirit are a pleasure to behold.” —The New York Times“Utterly heartbreaking and joyous.” —Jo Baker, author of LongbournOne blustery night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel. By law, it belongs to the King, but twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave has other plans. She and the rest of the household—her sister, Flossie; her brother, Digby, long-awaited heir to Chilcombe manor; Maudie Kitcat, kitchen maid; Taras, visiting artist—build a theatre from the beast’s skeletal rib cage. Within the Whalebone Theatre, Cristabel can escape her feckless stepparents and brisk governesses, and her imagination comes to life.As Cristabel grows into a headstrong young woman, World War II rears its head. She and Digby become British secret agents on separate missions in Nazi-occupied France—a more dangerous kind of playacting, it turns out, and one that threatens to tear the family apart.

Winner of the Dublin Literary AwardA Best Historical Novel of the Year at The New York Times Book Review"[An] extraordinary achievement." ―Liesl Schillinger, The Wall Street JournalAcross three generations, three wars, two continents, and the mythic waters of the Mediterranean, one family’s history leads to an inevitable question: What price do our descendants pay for the choices that we make?Naïma knows Algeria only by the artifacts she encounters in her grandparents’ tiny apartment in Normandy: the language her grandmother speaks but Naïma can’t understand, the food her grandmother cooks, and the precious things her grandmother carried when they fled. Naïma’s father claims to remember nothing; he has made himself French. Her grandfather died before he could tell her his side of the story. But now Naïma will travel to Algeria to see for herself what was left behind―including their secrets.The Algerian War for Independence sent Naïma’s grandfather on a journey of his own, from wealthy olive grove owner and respected veteran of the First World War, to refugee spurned as a harki by his fellow Algerians in the transit camps of southern France, to immigrant barely scratching out a living in the north. The long battle against colonial rule broke apart communities, opened deep rifts within families, and saw the whims of those in even temporary power instantly overturn the lives of ordinary people. Where does Naïma’s family fit into this history? How do they fit into France’s future?Alice Zeniter’s The Art of Losing is a powerful, moving family novel that spans three generations across seventy years and two shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a resonant people’s history of Algeria and its diaspora. It is a story of how we carry on in the face of loss: loss of country, identity, language, connection. Most of all, it is an immersive, riveting excavation of the inescapable legacies of colonialism, immigration, family, and war.

In The Diviners, Morag Gunn, a middle aged writer who lives in a farmhouse on the Canadian prairie, struggles to understand the loneliness of her eighteen-year-old daughter. With unusual wit and depth, Morag recognizes that she needs solitude and work as much as she needs the love of her family. With an afterword by Margaret Atwood."Mrs. Laurence's [novel] is both poetic and muscular, and her heroine is certainly one of the more humane, unglorified, unpolemical, believable women to have appeared in recent fiction."—The New Yorker

Alice Raikes takes a train from London to Scotland to visit her family, but when she gets there she witnesses something so shocking that she insists on returning to London immediately. A few hours later, Alice is lying in a coma after an accident that may or may not have been a suicide attempt. Alice's family gathers at her bedside and as they wait, argue, and remember, long-buried tensions emerge. The more they talk, the more they seem to conceal. Alice, meanwhile, slides between varying levels of consciousness, recalling her past and a love affair that recently ended. A riveting story that skips through time and interweaves multiple points of view, After You'd Gone is a novel of stunning psychological depth and marks the debut of a major literary talent.

From the award-winning author of All the Broken Pieces and Serafina's Promise comes a breathtaking new novel that is her most transcendent and widely accessible work to date.The day Grace is called from the slave cabins to work in the Big House, Mama makes her promise to keep her eyes down. Uncle Jim warns her to keep her thoughts tucked private in her mind or they could bring a whole lot of trouble and pain. But the more Grace sees of the heartless Master and hateful Missus, the more a rightiness voice clamors in her head-asking how come white folks can own other people, sell them on the auction block, and separate families forever. When that voice escapes without warning, it sets off a terrible chain of events that prove Uncle Jim's words true. Suddenly, Grace and her family must flee deep into the woods, where they brave deadly animals, slave patrollers, and the uncertainty of ever finding freedom. With candor and compassion, Ann E. Burg sheds light on a startling chapter of American history--the remarkable story of runaways who sought sanctuary in the Great Dismal Swamp--and creates a powerful testament to the right of every human to be free.

“I can’t remember the last time a novel made me laugh so hard or feel so much tenderness for its characters.” —Leslie Jamison, author of Splinters“Madeline Cash is a voice like no other.” —Lena Dunham“I’ve read entire books that contain less wit and inventiveness than a single one of Cash’s sentences.” —Eric Puchner, New York Times-bestselling author of Dream State“With a big surge of energy, Lost Lambs splits the nucleus of the American family.” —Tony Tulathimutte, author of RejectionRippling with humor, warmth, and style, Lost Lambs is a new vision of the charms and pitfalls of family dysfunction. The Flynn family is coming undone. Catherine and Bud's open marriage has reached its breaking point as their daughters spiral in their own chaotic orbits: Abigail, the eldest, is dating a man in his twenties nicknamed War Crime Wes; Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist; the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone—or something—is monitoring the town’s citizens.Casting a shadow across their lives, and their small coastal town, is Paul Alabaster, a billionaire shipping magnate. Rumors of corruption circulate, but no one dares dig too deep. No one except Harper, whose obsession with a mysterious shipping container sends the family hurtling into a criminal conspiracy—one that may just bring them closer together.Irreverent and addictive, pinging between the voices of the Flynn family and those of the panorama of characters around them, Madeline Cash’s Lost Lambs is a debut novel of quick-witted observation and surprising tenderness. With it, Cash has crafted a family saga for the twenty-first century, all held together with crazy glue.

From the award-winning author of Love After Love, comes an epic of wonder, danger and risk. 'A voice that has a vibrancy of its own.' Rachel JoyceThis is the tale of four women. Popo: brilliant, vulnerable and stuck. FROM THE WINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2021'With Ingrid Persaud's, assured, wizened and brilliant hand at the pen, these women become vitally, thrillingly, and unforgettably alive.' MARLON JAMES'A voice that has a vibrancy of its own.' RACHEL JOYCE'A talented and engaging storyteller.' Sunday Times'Persaud has a knack for finding the sublime in the ordinary.' SARA COLLINS, GuardianFrom the award-winning author of Love After Love, comes an epic of wonder, danger and risk.This is the tale of four women.Popo: brilliant, vulnerable and stuck. She's determined to free herself from the traps of her past.Mana Lala: a devoted mother - her only connection to her man is their little boy, and she will do anything to keep them both close.For Doris, well, he's glorious and once she's licked him into shape, her husband presents an opportunity to climb the social ladder. She's heard the awful stories, but she's sure they won't be hers.Rosie just wants to mind her business, her lover, Etty, and her store.Four lives, connected and controlled by one man: the notorious, charismatic gangster Boysie Singh. Pull up a chair and let these women tell of the man they believed could love, help or free them, and how some of them survived to tell a tale at all.PRAISE FOR LOVE AFTER LOVE'A beautiful book. I adored it.' RICHARD OSMAN'Full of wit and soul.' TRACY CHEVALIER'Unforgettable' MARLON JAMES'It made me ugly cry' JESSIE BURTON'Glorious' RACHEL JOYCE.

'Far-reaching, but also intimate and intensely personal... will stay with me' FLORENCE KNAPP 'Admirably spare, delicately descriptive and alluring in its twists and turns' SONIA PURNELL 'A powerful story, beautifully told' M.L. STEDMAN A dazzling literary achievement that brings to life the shattering emotional impact of World War Two on ordinary people Cambridge, 1942 Twins Tessa and Theo had always shared everything - until the summer Tessa spent studying in France. She hasn't been the same since. But before Theo can find out why, he is recruited by the RAF and disappears into the skies. Determined to carve her own path, Tessa joins the clandestine Special Operations Executive, slipping into the shadows of occupied France. It will be dangerous work, but France is the home of her greatest love - and her darkest secret. Tessa has many reasons for wanting to return. Two years later, Theo comes home. Tessa does not. A dazzling literary achievement that brings to life the shattering emotional impact of World War Two on ordinary people, THE SHOCK OF THE LIGHT is as exhilarating as it is heartbreaking.

Artie Dam is a man with a secret. He spends his days teaching history to high schoolers, expanding their young minds, correcting their casual cruelties, and lending a kind word to those who need it most. He goes to holiday parties with his wife of three decades, makes small talk with neighbours, and, on weekends, takes his sailboat out on the beautiful Massachusetts Bay. He is, by all appearances, present and alive. But inside, Artie is plagued by feelings of isolation. He looks out at a world gone mad-at himself and the people around him-and turns a question over and over in his mind- how is it that we know so little about one another, even those closest to us? And then, one day, Artie learns that life has been keeping a secret from him, one that threatens to upend his entire world. Once he learns it, he is forced to chart a new course, to reconsider the relationships he holds most dear-and to make peace with the mysteries at the heart of our existence. With exquisite prose and profound insight, Elizabeth Strout captures the way grief reverberates through decades, the comfort found in deep friendships and the freedom that comes when we break free of our secrets. The Things We Never Say is a stunning new novel from one of our most acclaimed observers of the human heart.

The USA TODAY bestseller For fans of Soraya M. Lane, Heather Morris, Fiona Valpy and Pam Jenoff.Inspired by the brave women of WWII, this is a moving and powerful novel of friendship, love and resilience.A story of love not a story of a warA daring WWII pilot who grew up among the clouds, Juliet Caron's life was one of courage, adventure - and a love torn apart by war. Every nook of her Cornish cottage is alive with memories just waiting to be discovered.Katherine Henderson has escaped to Cornwall for Christmas, but she soon finds there is more to her holiday cottage than meets the eye. And on the eve of Juliet's 100th birthday, Katherine is enlisted to make an old lady's final Christmas wish come true...Me Before You meets The English Patient in this stunning romantic historical novel from award-winning author Melanie Hudson.Readers love The Last Letter from Juliet'OK.... I've finished the book. Holy ******...I had to keep taking breaks in the last 15% just so I didn't break down in a flood of tears' Zoe Hartgen'Read the first chapter and I. Was. HOOKED ' Skye's Mum'If you only read one book this year make it The Last Letter from Juliet' Tracey Shults'I just couldn't put it down until finished' Jeanette'Captures those stolen moments in dangerous and desperate times...beautiful, nostalgic and emotional' Cheryl M-M'Jam packed full of emotion...I don't usually read historical fiction but I'm so glad I read this' Jennie Scanlan'I can highly recommend this beautiful tale of love, sacrifice, friendship, courage and so much more' Nessa Stimpson