Interviews Renee H. Shea Monique Truong / Photo © Haruka Sakaguchi Monique Truong, who came to the United States in 1975 as a refugee from Vietnam, began exploring untold and ignored histories in her first novel, The Book of Salt (2003), told through the voice of Binh, the cook of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas in Paris. Her autobiographical second novel, Bitter in the Mouth (2010) is a coming-of-age story set in North Carolina. In her most recent novel, The Sweetest Fruits (Viking, 2019), Truong tells the story of Lafcadio Hearn from the perspective of three women: his mother, Rosa; his first wife, Alethea; and his Japanese wife, Setsu. Shea: At its core, The Sweetest Fruits is a story about storytelling—and it’s Russian dolls of narrative! It’s not only that three different women have their say about Hearn and their relationship with him, but each is telling her story to a specific audience—so issues of mediation and agency add further complications, as do oral vs. written stories and translation. How did you arrive at this approach instead of just telling the story in the voice of one person, then the next, then the next? Truong: This question is a Russian doll of inquiries! You’re absolutely right that the novel is interested in the different ways that stories are transmitted to us: oral vs. written, in our mother tongue vs. in translation, private story vs. public history, women’s voices vs. men’s, face-to-face vs.... Continue reading at 'World Literature Today'
[ World Literature Today | 2019-09-17 13:54:26 UTC ]
The main character here learns that her ancestral home was once a part of a kingdom—where her ancestor was queen. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-06-04 12:30:00 UTC ]
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Gozney’s new limited edition oven is the result of a decade-long partnership with the chef and actor. Matty Matheson is a star and producer on the award-winning shoe The Bear, a massive YouTube personality, best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, entrepreneur, and more. No one will ever... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-06-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Jam-pack your summer reading with these great new historical fiction books coming out in June. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-06-04 12:00:00 UTC ]
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In this interview, author Martha Hall Kelly discusses how a reading recommendation planted the creative seed for her new book of historical fiction, The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. The post Martha Hall Kelly: On Personal History Inspiring Historical Fiction appeared first on Writer's... Continue reading at Writer's Digest
[ Writer's Digest | 2025-05-25 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The history of a banned 1920s book comes to light. Plus, what these two WWII historical fiction novels have to tell us about today. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-05-21 12:00:00 UTC ]
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This is the magical historical fiction reimagining that saved me from being a complete GATSBY hater, written by one of my favorite authors. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-05-20 12:30:00 UTC ]
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One of the first Iranian novelists to write in English, she examined the clash between East and West. Her debut novel, “Foreigner,” provided insight into pre-revolutionary Iran. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2025-05-14 17:24:42 UTC ]
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A list of three books of historical fiction about motherhood set in three distinct time periods and places Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-05-14 12:30:00 UTC ]
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‘Setting a Place for Us’ looks at food traditions in countries better known to outsiders for civil strife than rich ingredients and complex flavors. Hawa Hassan was only 4-years-old when fighting forced her and her family from their home in Somalia. Hassan spent the next three years in Kenya,... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2025-05-12 09:00:00 UTC ]
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Enjoy all the best of the new historical fiction May has to offer including new books by Isabel Allende and Natalie Jenner. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-05-07 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestselling Australian cookbook author Brooke Bellamy is under fire from Nagi Maehashi and Sally McKenney for copying recipes, allegations she denies. In a precise art like baking, how close is too close?Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailJust days before their titles go head to head in... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-05-02 05:31:01 UTC ]
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The context of the time an author is looking back on history from greatly influences how they're going to think and write about history. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-30 13:30:00 UTC ]
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While the novel remains a high-status cultural form, video game writing is still seen as a throwaway art – despite some of the biggest names in fiction being involvedI’ve been working in games for a little more than 15 years, and the main thing I’d say about it at this point is that it’s a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2025-04-30 08:00:17 UTC ]
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There's a new, mystery-soaked romance by Emily Henry, generations-spanning historical fiction by Morgan Jenkins, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 12:30:00 UTC ]
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There is a gnarly mystery/horror mashup, a romance starring a Ghanaian heiress, historical fiction centered on a trans man escaping Berlin in the '30s, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2025-04-29 12:00:00 UTC ]
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