Family saga / generational saga fiction

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Book Synopsis"First published in English by AmazonCrossing in 2017."

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"…well-crafted, thoroughly entertaining thriller…a game of spy versus spy, and with every twist and turn, the reader is unsure whom to trust." —Publishers Weekly "The skills Bowen brings to her several mystery series, including Molly Murphy and Royal Spyness, inform the plotting in this character-rich tale, which will be welcomed by her fans as well as by readers who enjoy fiction about the British home front." —Booklist "In what could easily become a PBS show of its own, Bowen's novel winningly details a World War II spy game. It features an English aristocrat's daughter who works at London's top-secret home of code breakers, Bletchley Park, and a number of others with high-stakes plots and plans." —Library Journal "Suspenseful and thrilling, with some espionage too, this novel will keep readers deeply involved until the end." —Portland Book Review "In Farleigh Field delivers the same entertainment mixed with intellectual intrigue and realistic setting for which Bowen has earned awards and loyal fans." —New York Journal of Books "Well-plotted and thoroughly entertaining…With characters who are so fully fleshed out, you can imagine meeting them on the street…" —Historical Novel Society "This story of war, love, and mystery is extremely suspenseful... both realistic and believable. Through the character's eyes, readers will be drawn into the era and begin to understand the sacrifices and hardships placed on English society." —Crimespree Magazine "A thrill a minute…highly recommend." —Night Owl Reviews, Top Pick "Riveting…" —Military Press "Instantly absorbing, suspenseful, romantic and stylish - like binge-watching a great British drama on Masterpiece Theater." —Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author "In Farleigh Field is brilliant. The plotting is razor sharp and ingenious, the setting in World War Two Britain is so tangible it's eerie. The depth and breadth of character is astonishing. They're likeable and repulsive and warm and stand-offish. And oh, so human. And so relatable. All this would be enough to propel In Farleigh Field to the top of your favourites list, but what truly distinguishes this book, indeed all her books, is the quality of writing. Rhys Bowen is one of the very best fiction writers of the day. With a deep understanding of the wounded human heart, and an uncanny ability to capture the quiet emotions and the grand scale of war, she rises above her contemporaries. This is magnificently written and a must read." —Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author "Irresistible, charming and heartbreakingly authentic. Rhys Bowen's knowing voice transports Downton fans into a unputdownable family saga…a compelling journey through history, loss, honor and love. When war gets personal, every heart is in peril." —Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of Say No More

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Book SynopsisAfter her mother's suicide, Abbie Myers returns home to the Lake District with her young childand no wedding ring. Estranged from her turbulent family for many years, Abbie is heartbroken when she hears that they blame her for this tragedy.Determined to uncover her mother's past, Abbie approaches her beloved grandmother, Millie, in search of answers. The old woman reveals the story of how she travelled to Russia in 1911 as a young governess and became caught up in the revolution.As Abbie struggles to reconcile with her family, and to support herself and her child, she realizes that those long-ago events created aftershocks that threaten to upset the fragile peace she longs to create.Set against the backdrops of the English Lake District in the 1960s and the upheavals of revolutionary Russia,The Amber Keeper is a sweeping tale of jealousy and revenge, reconciliation and forgiveness.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“I Am Livia is a wonderful journey to ancient Rome that provides amazing, thoughtful insight into one of its most influential and unconventional citizens...Smith’s Livia is such a dynamic character, so approachably human, at times fearless and forceful but also merciful and just...The historical backdrop of Rome becomes more accessible, less academic, when seen through the lives of Smith’s characters.” —Historical Novels Review “[Smith] does a wonderful job of showing political upheaval through the eyes of a young woman of important status living through it with full comprehension of what is going on...Not only does Livia become a sympathetic and inspiring protagonist, but, seen through Livia’s eyes, Caesar Augustus becomes a flesh and blood man, brilliant, ambitious, arrogant, and yet vulnerable. This book superbly mixes strongly developed, emotionally complex characters with well-researched accurate history. It humanizes historical figures that had, for me, just been names on a timeline. I can’t recommend it highly enough.” —Susan Coventry, author of The Queen’s Daughter “Readers who seek out fiction about intelligent, powerful women of the past will find a great deal to enjoy here—I definitely did!” —Sarah, L. Johnson, author of Historical Fiction: A Guide

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Book SynopsisA  touching story of heroism and loss, a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to transcend the most unthinkable circumstances. —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris   From the internationally bestselling author of The Orphan Collector comes a haunting and lyrical tale of love and humanity in a time of unthinkable horror. The debut novel from a powerful voice in historical fiction, this resonant and courageous saga of a young German woman during World War II and the Holocaust is a must-read for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Alice Network.   “Bloom where you''re planted, is the advice Christine Bölz receives from her beloved Oma. But seventeen-year-old domestic Christine knows there is a whole world waiting beyond her small German village. It''s a world she''s begun to glimpse through music,

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of Toward the Sea of Freedom comes a novel of the triumphs, tragedies, and courage of two women bravely changing the tide of history… As the nineteenth century draws to a close, the struggle for women’s suffrage has finally reached New Zealand. But when the tide of change rolls in, it threatens to engulf two young women from very different backgrounds, who are coming of age amid the tumult. Torn between the two worlds that make up her heritage, Matariki Drury is the daughter of a successful white businesswoman and a descendant of Maori royalty. Scarred by poverty and hoping to make a new life for herself in this strange and forbidding land, Violet Paisley is the middle child of a poor Welsh coal-mining family. Drawn together by their shared commitment to social change, and tested by traumas that neither of them could foresee, these two independent-minded women will find themselves thrust onto the front lines of the fight for equal rights and racial justice. To win their place in this world, they must learn to rise above their personal pain and choose a path of reconciliation rather than retribution.

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Book SynopsisSarah Lark’s epic Sea of Freedom trilogy reaches its sweeping conclusion in a story of courage, strength, and sisterhood. The dawning twentieth century brings change to New Zealand—and new opportunities for any woman bold enough to grasp them. Atamarie Turei, whose mother fought for suffrage, has enrolled as the first female student at the Canterbury College of Engineering. On a surveying trip she meets Richard Pearse, who shares her passion for aviation. Being part Maori, part white, and thoroughly independent, Atamarie is soon vilified by Richard’s conservative farm community, forcing her to navigate the next step in a liberating life. Roberta Fence, Atamarie’s best friend, has just graduated from college. Obsessed with charismatic, womanizing doctor Kevin Drury, Roberta follows him to South Africa, where their work together in the brutal Boer concentration camps will change her—but not define her. Soon, Atamarie and Roberta will discover that destiny lies closer to home. There, each woman forges a path through star-crossed love, family upheaval, and a shifting social landscape. And by reconciling ambition with the spirituality of her ancestors, Atamarie endeavors to make her dreams take flight at last.

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Book SynopsisFrom New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes an unforgettable story of courage and finding forgiveness in an unforgiving wilderness. Seventeen-year-old Ethan Underwood is totally unprepared to search for his father in the Blythe River National Wilderness. Not only is he small, scrawny, and skittish but he’s barely speaking to the man after a traumatic betrayal. Yet when his father vanishes from their remote cabin and rangers abandon the rescue mission, suddenly it’s up to Ethan to keep looking. Angry or not, he’s his father’s only hope. With the help of three locals—a fearless seventy-year-old widow, a pack guide, and a former actor with limited outdoor skills—he heads into the wild. The days that follow transform Ethan’s world. Hail, punishing sun, swollen rapids, and exhausting pain leave him wondering if he’s been fooled yet again: Is his father out here at all? As the situation grows increasingly dire, Ethan realizes this quest has become about more than finding his dad. From the bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes a story of nature revealing human nature—the trickiest terrain. Navigating an unforgiving landscape, Ethan searches himself for the ability to forgive his father—if he finds him alive.Trade Review“Leaving Blythe River is a thoughtful tale of self-discovery set among the brutal and beautiful mountainous wilderness of the Blythe River Range. Beautiful and breathtaking, this novel stays with readers long after the last page is read.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick “Catherine Ryan Hyde is back with an adventure read that tugs at the heart.” —Sunset Magazine “This courageous story of nature and a tumultuous father-son relationship is one of this year’s most moving reads.” —Working Mother magazine

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Book SynopsisWhen Isabelle took a chance and eloped with Leon Feininger, her true love, she hadn’t stopped to consider what would happen next. Winter on his family’s isolated vineyard proves tougher than she expected, and Isabelle finds herself daydreaming, envisioning the wines she and Leon will make when they have their own land. An unexpected inheritance opens a door for the newlyweds—Leon’s uncle has left them a vineyard, and in champagne country no less! But all is not as it seems. The decrepit estate has very little staff to help, and Isabelle cannot focus her husband’s efforts on the farm. She soon decides to seize the opportunity to run the vineyard herself. Like her friends Clara and Josephine, she can learn anything she needs to face a new challenge. And with their help, she will even take on the fierce local competition, with generations of wine-making history tying them to the land she’s just learning to toil. Can Isabelle’s passion and perseverance bring Feininger champagne to the world? Will life with Leon become the happily ever after she’s always dreamed of?

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Book SynopsisFrom Helen Bryan, bestselling author of War Brides, The Sisterhood, and The Valley, comes the second book in an epic trilogy told from multiple viewpoints—a story about the resilience, bravery, love, and unity that formed the foundation of the New World. The frontier of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 1783. In the years since the first settlers arrived, looking to build new lives, the township of Grafton has flourished. Together, European immigrants, Native Americans, indentured servants, and former slaves have established a tight-knit community. As time passes and America becomes a nation, Grafton is swept up in the tumult of the outside world. The Cherokees are rounded up and driven west. The Civil War leaves a long shadow. Newcomers make their mark, fortunes are won and lost, and loyalties are tested in the march of history.

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Book SynopsisAn RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominee and an Amazon Charts bestseller. London, 1944. Two young nurses meet at a train station with a common purpose: to join the war effort. Scarlet longs for the chance to find her missing fiancé, Thomas, and to prove to her family—and to herself—that she’s stronger than everybody thinks. Nursing is in Ellie’s blood, but her humble background is vastly different from Scarlet’s privileged upbringing. Though Ellie puts on a brave face, she’s just as nervous as Scarlet about what awaits them in France. In Normandy, the two friends soon encounter the seemingly unflappable Lucy. Scarlet and Ellie are in awe of her courage and competence, but the experienced nurse is well aware of the dangers of the job they’ve chosen—and even she is terrified they won’t make it home alive. Pushed to their limits by the brutality of a world at war, Scarlet, Ellie and Lucy will need to rely on each other—and the power of their friendship—to survive.Trade Review“Wives of War is hard to put down, and an excellent addition to one’s library.” —Historical Novel Society “A perfect romance built into the background of WWII…Wives of War is an epic story of friendship, love, and survival.” —Flipping thru the Pages “Wives of War is a sterling read…An intense and absorbing tale.” —Amanda Writes “Stunning and captivating, Wives of War is an epic story of friendship, survival, and resilience. Ms. Lane’s accomplished writing quickly drew me into the lives of Scarlet, Ellie, and Lucy and kept me enthralled until the last page. I cheered them on during their triumphs and felt the anguish of their tragedies. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and highly recommend.” —Kerry Lonsdale, Wall Street Journal and #1 Kindle bestselling author of Everything We Keep “In Soraya M. Lane's captivating historical drama, three heroic nurses brave bullets, blood, and heartache to survive wartime France, all the while struggling to keep hope alive for a peaceful future. Scarlet, Ellie, and Lucy’s journey through the horrors of WWII is, at the same time, moving, harrowing, and ultimately satisfying.” —Emily Carpenter, bestselling author of Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and The Weight of Lies

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Book SynopsisIn mid-nineteenth-century Ireland, charming Kathleen and dashing Michael harbor secrets and dreams. Imagining a life beyond the kitchen and fields of the wealthy family they both work for, they plot to leave their homeland, marry, and raise the child Kathleen is secretly carrying. The luck of the Irish, however, is not on their side. Soon, they find themselves swept up in circumstances they never could have fathomed. Kathleen is forced to marry against her will and immigrate to New Zealand. Michael is imprisoned for rebellion and exiled to Australia. As time passes and their new lives march on, they long for those stolen moments in the lush green fields of their native land. And they both still dream of escape, with no idea of how close fate will eventually bring them.

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Book SynopsisAn ancient war reignites as the international bestselling fantasy saga continues…At the height of its power, the elven court of Queen Emerelle revels in the joyful Festival of Light. Yet, as tribes gather to reaffirm their loyalty to the queen, treachery festers within the nobility. An assassination attempt leaves Emerelle severely injured and plunges the realm back into the throes of an ancient war.While an army of trolls ravages the kingdom, the elves seek aid from Alfadas, the human hero who was raised among them. Back in the land of men, Alfadas has settled into a quiet life as his village’s protector. But when his former mentor appears asking for his help, Alfadas is quick to oblige.Alfadas sets out to defeat the elves’ foes. However, marching to war means abandoning his village—and his wife. And Albenmark isn’t the only world facing monstrous threats…

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Book SynopsisBestselling author Petra Durst-Benning’s Seed Traders’ Saga continues, as a young woman in nineteenth-century Baden-Baden risks everything to pursue her dream of becoming a florist. Twenty-year-old Flora Kerner has arrived in Baden-Baden, the “Summer Capital of Europe.” Having spurned the family seed trade, Flora has instead chosen to accept a floristry apprenticeship in the famed German spa town. She is a quick study in the art of flower arranging, but progress is slower in matters of the heart. As her magnificent displays and keen eye soon reverse the fortunes of her mentor’s shop, she attracts the notice of princesses and other royal clientele. Flora’s found her passion—or at least she hopes she has. But as her new life begins to blossom, does she dare risk everything to discover where her true heart lies?

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Book SynopsisNew York Times Bestseller: Sweeping from the 1850s through the early 1920s, this towering family saga examines the price of ambition and power. Joseph Francis Xavier Armagh is twelve years old when he gets his first glimpse of the promised land of America through a dirty porthole in steerage on an Irish immigrant ship. His long voyage, dogged by tragedy, ends not in the great city of New York but in the bigoted, small town of Winfield, Pennsylvania, where his younger brother, Sean, and his infant sister, Regina, are sent to an orphanage. Joseph toils at whatever work will pay a living wage and plans for the day he can take his siblings away from St. Agnes’s Orphanage and make a home for them all. Joseph’s journey will catapult him to the highest echelons of power and grant him entry into the most elite political circles. Even as misfortune continues to follow the Armagh family like an ancient curse, Joseph takes his revenge against the uncaring world that once took everything from him. He orchestrates his eldest son Rory’s political ascent from the offspring of an Irish immigrant to US senator. And Joseph will settle for nothing less than the pinnacle of glory: seeing his boy crowned the first Catholic president of the United States. Spanning seventy years, Captains and the Kings, which was adapted into an eight-part television miniseries, is Taylor Caldwell’s masterpiece about nineteenth- and early twentieth-century America, and the grit, ambition, fortitude, and sheer hubris it takes for an immigrant to survive and thrive in a dynamic new land. Trade Review“An absorbing story . . . Thought-provoking. Those who were enthralled by the power described in The Godfather will be even more so when they read this book.” —Cleveland Press “A spellbinding tale . . . Her sense of timing and her ability to keep even the most alert reader guessing is something readers don’t find very often.” —Hartford Courant “Her best novel.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “This bestselling author can tell an engrossing story. She proves it once again in this gigantic novel.” —Publishers Weekly “There is intrigue, violence, abrupt shift of fortune, enigmatic characters, full details of scene and history, and the unflagging pace of varied action.” —Buffalo Evening News “Captains and the Kings is a thought-provoking, utterly spellbinding novel in the great tradition of Taylor Caldwell’s earlier works, Testimony of Two Men and Great Lion of God.” —The Literary Guild Magazine

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Book SynopsisThree generations of Irish American women seek better lives in Boston, in this historical saga of hope, hardship, and love by the author of Lace Curtain. Mary Boland suffered aboard a coffin ship to escape famine and make her way to America. Her daughter, Nellie, was born in South Boston—a beautiful girl, smart enough to graduate from college when few women, let alone women of her background, could. But her glowing future as a teacher is ruined when she becomes pregnant—and she is forced to cope on her own as the baby’s father disappears after returning to Ireland to fight for his nation’s liberation. Her subsequent rushed marriage to an ambitious politician will throw Nellie’s life far off course—and reverberate in her mother’s and daughter’s lives as well. Nothing will ever be the same in this gripping conclusion to the Daughters of Ireland saga—a tale of poverty and wealth, opportunity and danger, and family and forbidden love set against the tumultuous backdrop of the late nineteenth-century Gilded Age.Praise for Shanty Gold, the first in the Daughters of Ireland trilogy “Charters interweaves many important topics—immigration, civil rights, women’s rights—into her exciting novel . . . An evocative portrait of South Boston . . . Gripping.” —Kirkus Reviews “The story of a young Irish girl’s struggles told with an authentic, historically accurate voice.” —Sallie Bissell, author of the Mary Crow series “A wild ride of discovery, romance, and the search for a new way of life . . . with twists and turns along the way.” —Susan Blexrud, author of the Fang series

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of The Road Beyond Ruin comes a novel about a family torn apart by grief and secrets, then pulled back together by hope in the wake of World War I. England 1922. It’s been four years since Rudy’s brother Edgar went missing in war-torn France. Still deep in mourning and grappling with unanswered questions, Rudy and his mother struggle to move on. When the enigmatic Mariette arrives unexpectedly at the family’s manor claiming to be Edgar’s widow, and the mother of his child, Rudy urges her to stay, hoping she’ll shed light on the missing pieces. Captivated by Mariette, Rudy finds that their mutual loss and grief bind them…as does the possibility of new love. But Mariette’s revelations bring more questions than answers about Edgar’s death. Suspicions threaten to divide Rudy’s already fractured family, setting him on a quest for the truth that takes him from England to France and beyond. In his search, Rudy is forced to confront the tragedies of war and the realities of the brother he’s lost and the woman he’s found. Will the truth set him free to find peace, or will it forever shadow his future?Trade Review“…A touching love story within a rich storyline that is well worth the read.” —Historical Novel Society

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Book SynopsisThree sisters navigate the horrors of the Middle Passage in a powerful historical novel about family, honor, and the will to live, by the author of The Daughter of Union County. Timbuktu, western Africa, 1706. Folashade, the fourteen-year-old daughter of a professor of linguistics, is sent south with her older sisters, Bibi and Adaeze, to endure the painful ceremony that a girl on the cusp of womanhood is expected to. In Djenné, on the banks of the Niger, the sisters’ fate and that of their fellow Bambara are changed forever when they’re kidnapped, marched toward grueling indignities on Gorée Island, and eventually hauled aboard an English slaver bound for the Americas. Before they are inevitably separated, Folashade, Bibi, and Adaeze plot to keep their memories alive. Drawing from her ancestry, Francine Thomas Howard gives an authentic voice to the horrors of the Middle Passage—and an empowered one to a girl who is determined to survive, to honor her father and Timbuktu, and to ensure that her and her sisters’ names will never be forgotten.

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Book SynopsisA captivating cross-generational novel from German author Mina Baites about a Jewish family divided by World War II and an inheritance with the power to bring them back together. 1914. For Paul, with love. Jewish silversmith Johann Blumenthal engraved those words on his most exquisite creation, a singing filigree bird inside a tiny ornamented box. He crafted this treasure for his young son before leaving to fight in a terrible war to honor his beloved country—a country that would soon turn against his own family. A half century later, Londoner Lilian Morrison inherits the box after the death of her parents. Though the silver is tarnished and dented, this much-loved treasure is also a link to an astonishing past. With the keepsake is a letter from Lilian’s mother, telling her daughter for the first time that she was adopted. Too young to remember, Lilian was rescued from a Germany in the grips of the Holocaust. Now only she can trace what happened to a family who scattered to the reaches of the world, a family forced to choose between their heritage and their dreams for the future.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the 2014 Gemmell Morningstar Award—Best Debut NovelAn uneasy peace has existed since the fall of the Awakened Empire centuries ago. Now the hybrid Avān share the land with the people they once conquered: the star-born humans; the spectral, undead Nomads; and what remains of the Elemental Masters. With the Empress-in-Shadows an estranged ghost, it is the ancient dynasties of the Great Houses and the Hundred Families that rule. But now civil war threatens to draw all of Shrīan into a vicious struggle sparked by one man’s lust for power, and his drive to cheat death. Visions have foretold that Corajidin, dying ruler of House Erebus, will not only survive, but rise to rule his people. The wily nobleman seeks to make his destiny certain—by plundering the ruins of his civilization’s past for the arcane science needed to ensure his survival, and by mercilessly eliminating his rivals. But mercenary warrior-mage Indris, scion of the rival House Näsarat, stands most powerfully in the usurper’s bloody path. For it is Indris who reluctantly accepts the task of finding a missing man, the only one able to steer the teetering nation towards peace.

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Book SynopsisIt is 1898, and groups of starving Puerto Ricans, los hambrientos, roam the parched countryside and dusty towns begging for food. Under the yoke of Spanish oppression, the Caribbean island is forced to prepare to wage war with the United States. Up in the mountainous coffee region of Utuado, Vicente Vega and Valentina Sanchez labor to keep their small farm from the creditors. When the Spanish-American War and the great San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899 bring devastating upheaval, the young couple is lured, along with thousands of other puertorriquenos, to the sugar plantations of Hawaii—another US territory—where they are confronted by the hollowness of America’s promises of prosperity. Writing in the tradition of great Latin American storytelling, Marisel Vera’s The Taste of Sugar is an unforgettable novel of love and endurance, and a timeless portrait of the reasons we leave home.Trade Review"Enthralling. . . . [I]n a sense, The Taste of Sugar is a corrective to those French melodramas that Valentina once devoured: It’s a passionate love story purified in the crucible of suffering. . . . Intimate and finely drawn details are nested within a masterful work of historical fiction that traces monumental economic and political currents. . . . [A] Latino Grapes of Wrath." -- Ron Charles - The Washington Post"Capacious.... A young woman, relinquishing a dream of one day seeing Paris, marries a coffee farmer and struggles to find a role in her new household.... The book, yoking family crises to geopolitical ones, succeeds in creating characters who feel individuated rather than schematic. The coffee farmer, observing his disenchanted bride, wonders, 'Why did all the women in his family stare out the window?'" -- The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted""A sprawling family epic that stretches from the mountains of Puerto Rico to Hawaii and across decades of love, famine, and war. . . . Vera tells a grand story using innovative techniques. . . . The Vega and Sánchez families are made up of vivid, fully realized characters, and Vera has a knack for writing dialogue that is full of personality. Her descriptions of Puerto Rico’s natural beauty are impressive . . . [T]he reader will emerge with a deep sense of Puerto Rican history and suffering that has been lost to most Americans . . . Vera’s breakout novel is a sweeping, emotional tale that puts her characters, and her readers, through an emotional wringer." -- Kirkus Reviews"Vera’s saga is impeccably timed to provide insights into the troubling history of Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States, and showing that the colonization of puertorriqueños extended to the Pacific fills a gap in history for many. Recommended for anyone who enjoys epic stories of hardship and loss as well as the perseverance, love, and strength drawn from one’s family and culture." -- Faye Chadwell - Library Journal"Tapping into her Puerto Rican heritage and conducting plenty of research, [Vera] presents a heartfelt depiction of once-proud coffee plantation hacendados (owners) in very difficult times. . . . Progressing chronologically, the omniscient narrator seamlessly folds in Spanish words and phrases as well as epistolary interludes . . . Vera’s novel is historical fiction at its best, featuring engaging survivors from a forgotten past." -- Sara Martinez - Booklist"Subtle yet arresting, The Taste of Sugar, is a gorgeous feat of storytelling. Marisel Vera melds meticulous research with deep compassion and pure talent to fashion a novel that excavates the pain of the history while drawing hope from the buried stories of our nation. This is historical fiction as its best, using the moral dilemmas of the past to decipher our present conflicts in order to light our way toward a more just future." -- Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage"A majestic work with the grand sweep of history and the intimacy of a compelling dream. Marisel Vera has written a compassionate, unforgettable, richly detailed novel about colonialism in all its guises, offering us little-known stories from the past that are essential to understanding the present." -- Cristina Garcia, author of Dreaming in Cuban"In The Taste of Sugar, Vera adds an important contribution to Puerto Rican literature by chronicling the U.S. invasion of Puerto Rico, the San Ciriaco hurricane, and the mass migration to Hawaii. Throughout, Vera captures the 'trabajo y tristeza' of the Puerto Rican people. Brava to Marisel Vera for telling our stories!" -- Ivelisse Rodriguez, author of Love War Stories"Vera eloquently tells the story of an astonishing Puerto Rican family and their countrymen and women, as their people are constantly betrayed, discarded and ruined, first by the Spanish, next by the Americans, yet they never give up hope. Haunting, mesmerizing, and heart-scorching, you will turn pages while holding your breath. You don’t just read this genius alive novel, you live it." -- Caroline Leavitt, author of Cruel Beautiful World"A family saga set against the backdrop of Puerto Rico in the late 1800s, The Taste of Sugar plunges us into a world where people who are struggling with profound poverty, abuse and discrimination manage to preserve their hopes, dignity, grace and the familial love that holds them together. Marisel Vera’s novel is a real contribution to the literature about the immigrant experience of yesterday—and today." -- María Amparo Escandón, author of Esperanza’s Box of Saints and González and Daughter Trucking Co.

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling author of The Glass Room brings a slice of his own family history to life through extensive research and rich storytelling.Beginning with his great-great-grandfather Abraham Block, acclaimed novelist Simon Mawer sifts through evidence like an archaeologist, piecing together the stories of his ancestors. Illiterate and lacking opportunity in the bleak Suffolk village where his parents worked as agricultural laborers, Abraham leaves home at fifteen, in 1847. He signs away the next five years in an indenture aboard a ship, which will circuitously lead him to London and well beyond, to far-flung ports on the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In London he crosses paths with Naomi Lulham, a young seamstress likewise seeking a better life in the city, with all its prospects and temptations.    Another branch of the family tree comes together in 1847, in Manchester, as soldier George Mawer weds his Irish bride Ann Scanlon—Annie—before embarking with his regiment. When he is called to fight in the Crimean War, Annie must fend for herself and her children on a meager income, navigating an often hostile world as a woman alone.    With a keen eye and a nuanced consideration of the limits of what we can know about the past, Mawer paints a compelling, intimate portrait of life in the nineteenth century.

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