Fools and Mortals by Bernard Cornwell

                                          

Title: Fools and Mortals

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Genre: Historical Fiction


Synopsis: Richard Shakespeare, a player, is feeling overshadowed at the Theater by his older brother, Will. Having played girls and women early in his career, Richard feels that he is now of an age and talent to be given men's parts. Trying to convince his brother to cast him in a man's role and take him seriously is not an easy task. But when scripts to Will's new plays go missing, Richard sees an opportunity to prove his worth.

My Thoughts

This was such a fun book to read. I enjoyed switching it up and reading about a young man protagonist looking to come up in the world. It is interesting to read about William Shakespeare from the perspective of his younger brother. The particulars of the time period were well represented through the story, the life of the common man, religious persecution, life in the Elizabethan era.

I enjoyed the use of quotations from Shakespeare's plays and the imagining of his writing process and the way plays were rehearsed at a time when playhouses were a new concept. 

Check this out if you love theater, the Elizabethan era, and a coming of age story. 

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

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To see more from the author, visit the website linked above

The Dressmaker's Dowry by Meredith Jaeger

                                                          

Title: The Dressmaker's Dowry

Author: Meredith Jaeger

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery


Synopsis: 

San Francisco: 1876

Immigrant dressmakers Hannelore Schaeffer and Margaret O'Brien struggle to provide food for their siblings while mending delicate clothing for the city's most affluent ladies. When wealthy Lucas Havensworth enters the shop, Hanna's future is altered forever. With Margaret's encouragement and the power of a borrowed green dress, Hanna dares to see herself as worthy of him. Then Margaret disappears, and Hanna turns to Lucas. Braving the gritty streets of the Barbary Coast and daring to enter the mansions of Nob Hill, Hanna stumbles upon Margaret’s fate, forcing her to make a devastating decision...one that will echo through the generations.

San Francisco: Present Day

In her elegant Marina apartment overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, Sarah Havensworth struggles to complete the novel she quit her job for. Afraid to tell her husband of her writer’s block, Sarah is also hiding a darker secret—one that has haunted her for 14 years. Then a news headline from 1876 sparks inspiration: Missing Dressmakers Believed to be Murdered. Compelled to discover what happened to Hannelore and Margaret, Sarah returns to her roots as a journalist. Will her beautiful heirloom engagement ring uncover a connection to Hanna Schaeffer? 

My Thoughts

I picked this book up on a whim off of a clearance table at Barnes and Noble. I love a multigenerational book that compares the lives of characters from the past with those in the present. I especially love it when the characters are related in an unexpected way, as is the case in this novel. 

Not only does this story have the historical fiction aspect, which we all know I adore, but it has an air of mystery which is really perfect for this time of year. It gets pretty suspenseful near the end. I read this one so fast because I just had to know what happens to these two dressmakers who disappeared. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The only part that was a little off to me was the end. The last chapter had all of this suspense built up and then it sort of fell flat. The epilogue makes up for the last chapter a bit, but I still expected more of a reaction to Sarah's treatment by her blackmailer. 

If you are looking for a fun mystery for October, I totally recommend that you check this one out! 

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!

To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above