More Historical Fiction — from Minnesota to NYC
The Jilted Countess by Loretta Ellsworth is the story of an American GI named Joe and an aristocratic ballet dancer named Roza. They meet druing World War II and have a love affair. Joe promises he will marry Roza if she comes to Minnesota after the war. After saving up for two years, Roza arrives in the U.S. only to find that Joe is now married to someone else. Roza then goes to the editor of the local newspaper and convinces him to publish her story and ask for someone who might be willing to marry her. If she doesn’t get married within a certain time limit, she has to go back to Hungary. Now, this part of the story actually happened. The newspaper editor never found out what happened to Roza after the article ran.
When Loretta Ellsworth heard about this story, she decided to invent a proper ending to Roza’s life in the form of this historical novel. That’s how many historical novels get written. It only takes a tidbit of info and then the story takes shape. Read this absorbing tale to see how Ellsworth decides to take up Roza’s journey.
The person in the image is author Paula McLain
Many of you will know the name Paula McLain. She wrote The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, Love and Ruin among several. Her latest historical fiction is Skylark. The book is set in France in dual timelines–one in 1664 and the other in 1939. One story is about a young female artist longing for acceptance, and the other is about a young doctor beginning his residency at an infamous asylum. How do these two characters’ lives intersect in the mysterious underground tunnels of Paris? You will need to read the book to find out, but you may be certain that McLain will deliver a well-written and fast-paced story.
Architect of New York by Javier Moro
You have probably never heard the name Rafael Guastavino. He was a Spanish immigrant who revolutionized the architecture of New York City and lent his genius to many other structures in this country. Did you happen to catch a glimpse of the now closed OId City Hall subway station when the new mayor of New York City was sworn in? Unfortunately, people very seldom get to see that masterpiece. The station is closed now and tours of it are rare.
Architect of New York is told through the eyes of Guastavino’s son and eventual business partner. If you read this book, you will no doubt want to know more and more about the ceilings he designed in some of the most important buildings and churches in the country. The article below is from 2014, but it will help you realize the many places he lent his genius to and why he should become just as iconic a name as Tiffany.
https://www.untappedcities.com/palaces-for-the-people-the-soaring-vaults-of-guastavino-on-exhibit-at-museum-of-city-of-new-york/