ABL Read-a-likes
At this point, it should be pretty clear that I love
books. And lists. I really love making
lists of books. I really, really love
being asked for book recommendations. I
like to make recommendations by starting with a favorite book and suggesting
books that read-a-like. Here is what you should read next if you like:
books. And lists. I really love making
lists of books. I really, really love
being asked for book recommendations. I
like to make recommendations by starting with a favorite book and suggesting
books that read-a-like. Here is what you should read next if you like:
Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan
As I said in my review of Becoming Mrs. Lewis, I love this type of historical
fiction, because people famous historical figured come alive for me based on
documents and accounts of their lives. This reads like any novel, but
with a factual basis grounding the story.
The books on this week’s list follow that theme. Hopefully you enjoy them as much as I did.
fiction, because people famous historical figured come alive for me based on
documents and accounts of their lives. This reads like any novel, but
with a factual basis grounding the story.
The books on this week’s list follow that theme. Hopefully you enjoy them as much as I did.
1. The Paris Wife
by Paul McLain
A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The
Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two
unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two
unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
Chicago, 1920: Hadley Richardson is a quiettwenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she
meets Ernest Hemingway and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind
courtship and wedding, the pair set sail for Paris, where they become the
golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Lost Generation”—that
includes Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
Though deeply in love, the Hemingways are ill prepared for
the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values
traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and
competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place
in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and
their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises.
Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of
life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become
more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find
themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will
lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.
the hard-drinking and fast-living life of Jazz Age Paris, which hardly values
traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and
competing egos, Ernest struggles to find the voice that will earn him a place
in history, pouring all the richness and intensity of his life with Hadley and
their circle of friends into the novel that will become The Sun Also Rises.
Hadley, meanwhile, strives to hold on to her sense of self as the demands of
life with Ernest grow costly and her roles as wife, friend, and muse become
more challenging. Despite their extraordinary bond, they eventually find
themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—a deception that will
lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard for.
2. My Dear Hamilton by
Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie
From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s
First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary
woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war,
betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and
Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as
it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a
political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American
legacy in her own right.
First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary
woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war,
betrayal, and tragedy. Haunting, moving, and beautifully written, Dray and
Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as
it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a
political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American
legacy in her own right.
A general’s daughter…
Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary
New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she
meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp,
she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in
love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.
New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she
meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp,
she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in
love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.
A founding father’s wife…
But the union they create—in their marriage and the new
nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street
riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political
treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle
through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.
nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street
riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political
treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle
through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.
3. Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiavernin
In Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker, novelist Jennifer Chiaverini
presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd
Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Keckley, a former slave who
gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s
elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within
the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the
President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.
presents a stunning account of the friendship that blossomed between Mary Todd
Lincoln and her seamstress, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Keckley, a former slave who
gained her professional reputation in Washington, D.C. by outfitting the city’s
elite. Keckley made history by sewing for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln within
the White House, a trusted witness to many private moments between the
President and his wife, two of the most compelling figures in American history.
In March 1861, Mrs. Lincoln chose Keckley from among anumber of applicants to be her personal “modiste,” responsible not only for
creating the First Lady’s gowns, but also for dressing Mrs. Lincoln in the
beautiful attire Keckley had fashioned. The relationship between the two women
quickly evolved, as Keckley was drawn into the intimate life of the Lincoln
family, supporting Mary Todd Lincoln in the loss of first her son, and then her
husband to the assassination that stunned the nation and the world.
Keckley saved scraps from the dozens of gowns she made for
Mrs. Lincoln, eventually piecing together a tribute known as the Mary Todd
Lincoln Quilt. She also saved memories, which she fashioned into a book, Behind
the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Upon its
publication, Keckley’s memoir created a scandal that compelled Mary Todd
Lincoln to sever all ties with her, but in the decades since, Keckley’s story
has languished in the archives. In this impeccably researched, engrossing
novel, Chiaverini brings history to life in rich, moving style.
Mrs. Lincoln, eventually piecing together a tribute known as the Mary Todd
Lincoln Quilt. She also saved memories, which she fashioned into a book, Behind
the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House. Upon its
publication, Keckley’s memoir created a scandal that compelled Mary Todd
Lincoln to sever all ties with her, but in the decades since, Keckley’s story
has languished in the archives. In this impeccably researched, engrossing
novel, Chiaverini brings history to life in rich, moving style.
4. Victoria by Daisy
Goodwin
“They think I am still a little girl who is not capable of
being a Queen.”
being a Queen.”
Lord Melbourne turned to look at Victoria. “They are
mistaken. I have not known you long, but I observe in you a natural dignity
that cannot be learnt. To me, ma’am, you are every inch a Queen.”
mistaken. I have not known you long, but I observe in you a natural dignity
that cannot be learnt. To me, ma’am, you are every inch a Queen.”
In 1837, less than a month after her eighteenth birthday,Alexandrina Victoria – sheltered, small in stature, and female – became Queen
of Great Britain and Ireland. Many thought it was preposterous: Alexandrina —
Drina to her family — had always been tightly controlled by her mother and her
household, and was surely too unprepossessing to hold the throne. Yet from the
moment William IV died, the young Queen startled everyone: abandoning her hated
first name in favor of Victoria; insisting, for the first time in her life, on
sleeping in a room apart from her mother; resolute about meeting with her
ministers alone.
One of those ministers, Lord Melbourne, became Victoria’s
private secretary. Perhaps he might have become more than that, except everyone
argued she was destined to marry her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha. But Victoria had met Albert as a child and found him stiff and critical:
surely the last man she would want for a husband….
private secretary. Perhaps he might have become more than that, except everyone
argued she was destined to marry her cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and
Gotha. But Victoria had met Albert as a child and found him stiff and critical:
surely the last man she would want for a husband….
Drawing on Victoria’s diaries as well as her own brilliant
gifts for history and drama, Daisy Goodwin, author of the bestselling novels
The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter as well as creator and writer of
the new PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria, brings the young queen even more richly
to life in this magnificent novel.
gifts for history and drama, Daisy Goodwin, author of the bestselling novels
The American Heiress and The Fortune Hunter as well as creator and writer of
the new PBS/Masterpiece drama Victoria, brings the young queen even more richly
to life in this magnificent novel.
5. America’s First
Daughter by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie
In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from
thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray
and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s
eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph–a woman who kept
the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American
legacy.
thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray
and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s
eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph–a woman who kept
the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American
legacy.
From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that thoughher father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper
still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate,
protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling
with him when he becomes American minister to France.
It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the
first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about
her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.
Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love–with her father’s protégé William Short, a
staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and
the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s
wife and still be a devoted daughter.
first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about
her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age.
Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love–with her father’s protégé William Short, a
staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and
the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s
wife and still be a devoted daughter.
Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to
Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal,
tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will
sacrifice to protect her father’s reputation, in the process defining not just
his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.
Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal,
tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will
sacrifice to protect her father’s reputation, in the process defining not just
his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.
These lists are ever changing, just like my
bookshelves. I try to only use books
from my shelves that I have read, so these lists are never complete. If you have suggestions that I haven’t
included, please leave them in the comments.
I’m always open to more additions to the TBR.
bookshelves. I try to only use books
from my shelves that I have read, so these lists are never complete. If you have suggestions that I haven’t
included, please leave them in the comments.
I’m always open to more additions to the TBR.
If you would like me to make a list based off of your
favorite book or a book you are really enjoying right now, just name your book
in the comments below. If I use your
book, I will be sure to introduce you and your website or social media page if
you would like. Just another way to get
to know more people and share books!
favorite book or a book you are really enjoying right now, just name your book
in the comments below. If I use your
book, I will be sure to introduce you and your website or social media page if
you would like. Just another way to get
to know more people and share books!
I absolutely love all of these! I have a soft spot for beautiful dresses on book covers. They all sound really interesting too — America’s First Daughter sound especially intriguing. Thanks for putting them on my radar!