C.L.R. Peterson Blog
Book Reviews & More
The Cost of Conscience: The Courage of Georges Picquart
Imagine you discovered evidence that an innocent man was sentenced to life in prison. Would you try to exonerate him if it would cost you your career? Georges Picquart, the head of France’s spy agency in 1894, faces this dilemma in An Officer and a Spy, Robert Harris’s 2013 historical novel that overwhelmingly remains faithful to the facts of the Dreyfus Affair.
Risking It All for the Unknown: Julia Hancock’s Journey
If you could trade a comfortable, predictable future, dictated by your family, for a life of adventures with a famous explorer you hardly knew, would you do it?
In Brook Allen’s recent novel, West of Santillane, teenager Julia Hancock faced those choices in the early 1800s on her family’s Virginia plantation.
Not Quite as Sung: The Story Behind the Sound of Music
My review of Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp explains why this novel about the Sound of Music’s main character became a bestseller when it came out in 2024.
Frozen in Time: The Glassmaker of Renaissance Murano
Books, like people, sometimes demand our attention. As soon as I discovered Tracy Chevalier’s 2024 novel, The Glassmaker, I knew I wanted to read it. Why? It offers a rich portrayal of life in Renaissance Venice and the neighboring island Murano Its focus on a female...
The Family Behind the Infamy: The Booth Legacy
Since this is the month the U.S. celebrates its presidents, we review a related novel: Booth, by Karen Joy Fowler, which explores the family’s role in the life of John Wilkes Booth, as well as each family member’s response to his assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
The Sunflower House: Uncovering the Legacy of Lebensborn
This post includes my review of The Sunflower House, a novel focusing on the Nazis’ Lebensborn program, which aimed to breed perfect Aryan children to fulfill Hitler’s dream.
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Verona, 1571.
When Caterina welcomes her husband’s brilliant student, Alessandro, into their home, she has no idea how he will heighten the danger her family faces as the Inquisition closes in.
Immerse yourself in rich historical detail and high emotional stakes in this dramatic story of danger and conscience!