Not So Quick-Fire Reviews for fans of Historic Fiction

This email is popping up a tad later than usual.. Blame the chaos—or my lack of pre-planning (sorry, Mum!). Yep, this one's coming to you “live” and largely unedited. Please excuse any typos.

I have had an amazing reading month – I feel like I am reading a lot more and reading so many good books. I think this is down to a quieter time of year. I love it when the kids winter sports start, and it forces us to slow down and not plan as much in our weekends. It’s the perfect excuse to lay low and power through my TBR pile.

But now I am behind on reviews! You’re in for a treat this week: not one, not two, but four book reviews in one.

But before I get into that, I want to tell you about my exciting weekend. I'm hitting the Auckland Writers’ Festival for the first time ever—EEK! To clarify, I’m not there to pen the next bestseller. I’m just excited to meet my favourite authors. Celeste Ng, Anna Funder, Catherine Chidgey, Paul Lynch, Trent Dalton, and more. If you stalk me on social media, prepare for an onslaught of photos. And just when you thought I couldn’t cram more into my weekend, I’m off to see Emily Writes in Hamilton on Sunday. Family? What family? I’ll be the happy heap of exhaustion come Monday, but for now, I'm all about soaking in the pre-event excitement.

Let’s Dive into the Reviews

The Women by Kristin Hannah's Let’s talk Kristin Hannah. My expectations are very high for any Kristin Hannah book. Her latest book The Women doesn’t seem to have a bad word against it out there. And yes, it's a solid read—I slapped a generous five stars on it. But here's the unpopular opinion: it felt a bit rushed. Like, maybe a longer book would’ve done justice to its epic tale. Still, don’t just take my word for it—grab a copy! It’s a must for anyone into historical fiction, untold women's stories, or those curious about the Vietnam War. And if you're into audiobooks, I hear that because it is read by Julia Whelan that it adds to the experience, so that might be a good option for you for this one (I read it on my e reader).

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See This book isn’t just about the leafy brew; it’s a deeply moving saga about family ties, cultural clashes, and the pursuit of identity. Our heroine, Li-yan, grows up in a secluded Chinese mountain tribe but steps into the wider world, where her past and the powerful legacy of tea collide in ways you won’t see coming. It's rich, flavourful, and steeped in emotion (see what I did there?). This book unfolds with grace and leaves a lingering impact. Add this to your TBR.

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson I added this one to my TBR after loving The House of Eve but I struggled to get my hands on a copy. I asked the library if they could order in a copy and they did! What an amazing service! This book was my top read in April. Set in the antebellum South, The Yellow Wife follows the life of Pheby Delores Brown, a woman born on a plantation but promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday. Spoiler alert: things don’t go as planned (do they ever?). Instead, Pheby is thrust from her relatively protected existence into the brutal reality of the notorious Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia. It's here that her tale twists into a riveting saga of survival and resilience.

Johnson's writing is exquisite. It’s like she’s weaving history with a touch of poetic justice—every sentence is heavy with emotion and vivid imagery that practically leaps off the page. As Pheby navigates the complexities of love, cruelty, and her own burgeoning strength in a world determined to break her, you’re transported right alongside her, feeling every gut-wrenching decision and fleeting moment of joy.

This is another book for lovers of historical fiction. Add this to your list ASAP! (If you only add one book to your list from this post, make it this one! And Hamilton Libraries now have two copies of this gem – you’re welcome).

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. I know, I know.. I am very late to the party with this one. Hamnet took out the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2020. I moved this up my TBR when Catherine Chidgey told me I needed to read this one. It did take me a little while to really get into it. I read about 50 pages and put it down and then kept picking up other books. Once I really got into it, I was completely hooked. Hamnet is set in the Elizabethan era and is a fictionalized telling of life from the perspective of Shakespeare’s wife.  The magic of O’Farrell’s writing is how she takes a slice of historical trivia—that Shakespeare had a son named Hamnet who died at age 11, and that his most famous tragedy, "Hamlet," was written shortly after—and expands it into a breath-stealing narrative about love, loss, and the ties that bind us.

Maggie O'Farrell's prose is simply stunning. Each sentence is crafted with the precision of a poet and the sensory impact of an artist. The way she portrays Agnes, Hamnet’s mother, is particularly spellbinding. Agnes is a woman of the woods, of falcons and herbal cures, deeply intuitive and fiercely protective of her children. Her portrayal is so vivid, so full of life and mystic presence.

But make no mistake: while it's gorgeously written, this book is a heavyweight when it comes to emotional depth. It delves into the agony of a child’s unexpected death and the grief that follows. O'Farrell portrays this personal tragedy with such raw honesty that you might find yourself weeping on a random Tuesday night, mourning for a boy who lived centuries ago.

Hamnet is for anyone who appreciates historical fiction that feels both timeless and immediate, who doesn’t mind a bit of heartache mixed with their literature. It’s a story that’s as haunting as it is beautiful, a poignant reminder of how closely life and death walk beside each other, often in the same breath.

Ready to have your heart beautifully broken by Maggie O’Farrell? Grab Hamnet and let yourself be transported to a time where love, grief, and hope are woven together by the hands of a master storyteller. Can’t wait to hear what you think—just make sure you have tissues handy!

That wasn’t very quickfire was it? I’d love to know what other great historic fiction you have read lately, because life is too short to read bad books.

P.S Let me know if you’re going to the Writer’s Festival. Might see you there?