historical fiction Archives - Over The River PR

MAY 2023 Virtual Book Tour for WHERE WATERS MEET by Zhang Ling

Coming May 1, 2023 — A daughter discovers the dramatic history that shaped her mother’s secret life in an emotional and immersive novel by Zhang Ling, the bestselling author of A Single Swallow.

“This emotional and heartbreaking novel is a tale of courage, survival, and human resilience in the face of war and repression. Ling’s emotional story of a mother-daughter relationship will appeal to readers of Amy Tan, Xinran, and Jung Chung. ”—Booklist

“WHERE WATERS MEET brings us back to the turbulent decades in China where people fought one war after another, suffered famine, and endured political persecutions. However, instead of focusing on misery, Zhang Ling introduces us to those who defy their fates. They are brave enough to try sneaking across the border, determined enough to adopt a foreign tongue, and kind enough to care for their families no matter what. A true masterpiece filled with idiosyncratic yet admirable characters, suspenseful mystery, historical complexity, and ironic humor.” —Jianan Qian, O. Henry Prize winner and staff writer at The Millions

“I love this novel. It is an intriguing and moving story of a Chinese family who have survived terrible wartime sufferings. It reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit. —Xinran, author of The Good Women of China and The Promise

There was rarely a time when Phoenix Yuan-Whyller’s mother, Rain, didn’t live with her. Even when Phoenix got married, Rain, who followed her from China to Toronto, came to share Phoenix’s life. Now at the age of eighty-three, Rain’s unexpected death ushers in a heartrending separation. Struggling with the loss, Phoenix comes across her mother’s suitcase—a memory box Rain had brought from home. Inside, Phoenix finds two old photographs and a decorative bottle holding a crystallized powder. Her auntie Mei tells her these missing pieces of her mother’s early life can only be explained when they meet, and so, clutching her mother’s ashes, Phoenix boards a plane for China. What at first seems like a daughter’s quest to uncover a mother’s secrets becomes a startling journey of self-discovery.

Told across decades and continents, Zhang Ling’s exquisite novel is a tale of extraordinary courage and survival. It illuminates the resilience of humanity, the brutalities of life, the secrets we keep and those we share, and the driving forces it takes to survive.

We have lined up a group of highly regarded bloggers who will share features, post reviews and offer giveaways throughout the month May:

Monday, May 1 – NURSE BOOKIE

Tuesday, May 2 – PURRFECT PAGES

Wednesday, May 3 – SUE THE BOOKIE

Thursday, May 4 – LILACS AND LITERATURE

Friday, May 5 – READING WITH NICOLE

Monday, May 8 – BOOKS AND COFFEE MX

Tuesday, May 9 – WHAT IS THAT BOOK ABOUT

Wednesday, May 10 – AIMEE DARS READS

Thursday. May 11 – TOTAHLY BOOKED

Friday, May 12 – MOMMA LEIGHELLEN’S BOOK NOOK

Saturday, May 13 – READING WITH MELANN ROSENTHAL

Monday, May 15 – BOOKOHOLIC CAFE

Tuesday, May 16 – THE MADDIE HATTER

Wednesday, May 17 – DAI 2 DAI READER

Thursday, May 18 – DANISH MUSTARD READS

Friday, May 19 – SUBAKKA BOOKSTUFF

Sunday, May 21 – ARMED WITH A BOOK

Monday, May 22 – WE LOVE BIG BOOKS AND WE CANNOT LIE

Tuesday, May 23 – LITERARY QUICKSAND

Wednesday, May 24 – THE BOOK CLUB MOM

Thursday, May 25 – TINA MAY READS

Friday, May 26 – GLORIANA WONG

Monday, May 29 – LEXIJAVA

Tuesday, May 30 – SUZY APPROVED BOOK REVIEWS

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January 2023 Virtual Book Tour for A CASTLE IN BROOKLYN by Shirley Russak Wachtel

“This is a story about immigration, adaptation to new cultures, and, for Esther, a chance to grapple with the traditional roles that women play. The house itself is an important part of the story … a solid choice for book clubs.” ―Library Journal

“A vibrant family saga…A CASTLE IN BROOKLYN is an impressive debut novel that illustrates the many ways that the Holocaust continues to impact contemporary Jewish life; a deeply felt hatred of fascism gives the novel its heft and lasting relevance.” ―Foreword Reviews

For fans of Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, Lauren Fox’s Send For Me and Linda Cohen Loigman’s The Two-Family House comes a moving and heartfelt immigration story of one man’s dream to have a family and build a home in America, a place where anything is possible. In A CASTLE IN BROOKLYN (Little A; January 1, 2023), critically acclaimed author Shirley Russak Wachtel pens her debut novel, an engaging and beautifully written tale that explores three main themes: the importance of following one’s dreams; the enduring nature of family and friendship; and the idea that home is a reflection of the lives within its four walls.

In 1944 Poland, Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson meet as boys under terrifying circumstances. They survive by miraculously escaping the brutalities of the Holocaust, but their shared past haunts and shapes their lives forever.

Years later, Zalman plows a future on a Minnesota farm, and Jacob has a new life in Brooklyn with his wife, Esther. When Zalman travels to New York City to reconnect, Jacob’s dream to build a home in Brooklyn becomes a reality. With Zalman’s help, they build a house for Jacob’s family and for Zalman, who decides to stay. Modest and light filled, inviting and warm, it’s a castle to call home for each of them.

Then an unforeseeable tragedy―and the grief, betrayals, and revelations in its wake―threatens to destroy what was once an unbreakable bond, and Esther finds herself at a crossroads.

Life goes on as others, with their own dreams, move into the home. Eventually, the novel comes full circle as those who remain come to understand the true nature of friendship and family.

When asked about the inspiration for her novel, Wachtel explains, “I am defined by my parents’ legacy. Growing up the child of Holocaust survivors, never knowing my grandparents and with only a handful of extended family members, I came to understand the importance of family and am driven to express this idea in my writing. From a young age, I learned of the horrific experiences my parents endured and their desire to build a better life for their children. Their story is the story of so many others seeking to build a new home in America. I wanted to express this idea in A CASTLE IN BROOKLYN.”

We have a great line up of fantastic bloggers who will share features, post reviews and offer giveaways throughout the month of January. We hope you will follow along to learn more about this wonderful new historical fiction!

Monday, January 2^nd – We Love Big Books And We Cannot Lie

Tuesday, January 3^rd – Cassie’s Books Reviews

Wednesday, January 4^th – The Caffeinated Reader

Thursday, January 5^th – Sue the Bookie

Friday, January 6^th – Booklover Laura

Sunday, January 8^th – Books N’ Yoga Pants

Monday, January 9^th – Bookoholic Café

Tuesday, January 10^th – Books Writing and More

Wednesday, January 11^th – Lit by Lilli

Thursday, January 12^th – Danish Mustard Reads

Friday, January 13^th – Andrea C. Lowry Reads

Sunday, January 15^th – Bookphile Belle

Monday, January 16^th – Books and Coffee MX

Tuesday, January 17^th – Suzy Approved Book Reviews

Tuesday, January 17^th – Gloriana Wong

Wednesday, January 18^th – Sarah and Her Bookshelves

Thursday, January 19^th – Tina May Reads

Friday, January 20^th – The Book Club Mom

Saturday, January 21^st – Subakka Book Stuff

Sunday, January 22^nd – Girl Who Reads

Monday, January 23^rd – Momfluenster

Tuesday, January 24^th – Storeybook Reviews

Wednesday, January 25^th – Bookalong

Thursday, January 26^th – Sarah’s Bookstack

Friday, January 27^th – We Break For Books

Monday, January 30^th – Kim Reads and Reads

Monday, January 30^th – Books on my Mind

Tuesday, January 31^st – The Book Review Crew

Tuesday, January 31^st – Lexijava

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December 2022 Virtual Book Tour for AN IMPOSSIBLE RETURN by Caroline Laurent, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman

WINNER OF THE PRIX MAISON DE LA PRESSE, THE PRIX LOUISE-GUILLOUX, AND THE PRIX DU SALON DU LIVRE DU MANS

“Franco-Mauritian writer Laurent, in her potent English-language debut, overlays a tragic love story onto a powerful account of historical injustice in the Chagos Archipelago….The many moments of gruesome colonial brutality are undercut by the Chagossians’ tenderness, courage, and simmering rage in response to incalculable loss. Gabriel and Marie’s saga, which involves a hunger strike, murder, and other dramatic episodes, is interspersed with a piercing 2019 narrative from an adult Joséphin: ‘Believe me. Our fate affects you all,’ he notes. Thanks to Laurent’s devastating work, readers will, indeed, have their eyes and hearts opened.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

AN EPIC LOVE STORY SET AGAINST A BACKDROP OF INJUSTICE, DEVASTATING SECRETS, AND THE PAINFUL PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE.

“It’s a story my mother told me. Not a fairy tale or a fable, no, but a true story that she scratched at every so often like a nasty wound. An island tragedy,” says award-winning novelist, Caroline Laurent. “My mother described her childhood in Mauritius, long before—before Europe, before exile, before me—and then a word escaped her lips, Chagos, with its two easy syllables, sha and go, that could have been tossed just as easily as jacks. Her face darkened. Her gaze was lost momentarily, or rather turned inward, digging deep within herself. The archipelago was tormented. Its poor people had been sold off! Sitting in the kitchen, I could make out the tragedy even though I didn’t understand any of it.”

Inspired by a shocking travesty of justice, the repercussions of which still reverberate more than fifty years later, bestselling Franco-Mauritian author Caroline Laurent has written an exquisitely beautiful and tragic novel based on the authentic story of the inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago. In AN IMPOSSIBLE RETURN (Amazon Crossing; December 1, 2022), expertly translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman, Caroline Laurent paints a shimmering portrait of island life, a sensual paradise lost, and a gorgeous star-crossed love story against all odds.

It’s 1967 in the Chagos Archipelago—a group of atolls in the Indian Ocean—and life is peaceful and simple for hardworking Marie. Her fierce independence and love for her home are quickly apparent to Gabriel, the handsome and sophisticated Mauritian secretary to the archipelago’s administrator; it’s love at first sight. As these two lovers from neighboring islands welcome a new son, Joséphin, a bright future seems possible. But Gabriel is hiding a terrible secret. The Mauritian government is negotiating independence from Britain, and this deal with the devil will mean evacuating the Chagos, without warning or mercy—a betrayal that will put their love to the test.

A novel of exile, heartbreak and hope, AN IMPOSSIBLE RETURN serves as a beautiful tribute to the Chagossian people.

We have lined up a wonderful schedule of highly acclaimed bloggers who will share features, post reviews and offer giveaways throughout the month December. Follow along to learn more about this award-winning novel in translation!

Thursday, December 1 – BLUNT SCISSORS BOOK REVIEWS

Thursday, December 1 – NURSE BOOKIE

Friday, December 2 – SUE THE BOOKIE

Friday, December 2 – BRITT READS A LATTE BOOKS

Saturday, December 3 – MOMMA LEIGHELLEN’S BOOK NOOK

Sunday, December 4 – BOOKS, LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING

Monday, December 5 – AIMEE DARS READS

Monday, December 5 – WHAT IS THAT BOOK ABOUT

Tuesday, December 6 – BLACK, BIRACIAL, AND BOOKISH

Tuesday, December 6 – LILACS AND LITERATURE

Wednesday, December 7 – TINA MAY READS

Thursday, December 8 – WE LOVE BIG BOOKS AND WE CANNOT LIE

Friday, December 9 – SUZY APPROVED BOOK REVIEWS

Saturday, December 10 – WE BREAK FOR BOOKS

Monday, December 12 – MEG’S BOOK CLUB

Tuesday. December 13 – LITERARY QUICKSAND

Wednesday December 14 – BOOKS N BIKRAM

Thursday, December 15 – BOOK LOVER LAURA

Friday, December 16 – SUBAKKA BOOKSTUFF

Friday, December 16 – DAI 2 DAI READER

Monday, December 19 – DANISH MUSTARD READS

Saturday, December 17 – MELANN ROSENTHAL

Tuesday, December 20 – GLORIANA WONG

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Coming May 17, 2022

From the Award-Winning Author of Rashi’s Daughters and 50 Shades of Talmud

Comes a Powerful Romance with a Purpose

The Choice: A Novel of Love, Faith, and the Talmud
by Maggie Anton, author of Rashi’s Daughters, Banot Press, ISBN: 978-0-9763050-3-3, $16.99

It’s Brooklyn, New York, and the year is 1955. Dr. Robert Salk discovers a vaccine for polio. The Dodgers play the Yankees in the World Series. The McCarthy hearings deport communists while the new state of Israel takes shape in the Middle East. Young Rabbi Nathan Mandel hears a knock at the door.

Expecting journalist H. M. Covey, he is shocked to find attractive Hannah Eisin on the other side. Hannah reveals that Covey was her birth name before her father died and her mother married Samuel Eisin. She uses an ambiguous byline because she’s writing for a Yiddish newspaper where female columnists are rare.

After the interview, Hannah convinces Rabbi Mandel to teach her Talmud, something forbidden by Jewish law that could cost him his job if discovered. Things start innocently enough, but soon the gloves come off as “Annie” and “Nate” discover they are passionate about much more than Talmud.

Maggie Anton has written a powerful love story with a purpose: to expose the many ways the Torah and Talmud have been interpreted unfavorably toward women. Anton is fearless in the subjects her characters tackle during their weekly sessions:

Niddah & Mikveh. Rules regarding sex and menstruation.

The Minyan & The Drash. Why Jewish women are excluded from services.

The Shanda of Mesirah. A rabbi refuses to turn a pedophile over to police.

Anyone interested in the role of women in Judaism will find Maggie Anton’s The Choice an unforgettable story that sets the record straight!

ABOUT MAGGIE ANTON:

Maggie Anton is an award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction and a Talmud scholar with a deep understanding of Jewish women’s history. Her research into the great Jewish scholar Rashi, who had no sons, led to the award-winning trilogy Rashi’s Daughters, followed by a two-book series, Rav Hisda’s Daughter, a National Jewish Book Award finalist and a Library Journal pick for Best Historical Fiction. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

ADAVANCE PRAISE FOR THE CHOICE:

“Maggie Anton gives evocative voice to the generation of our mothers, whose questions and bold solutions, especially about the most intimate of subjects, laid the foundation for the contemporary transformation of women’s status in Jewish learning and law.” —Rabbi Susan Grossman, DHL, Senior Rabbi, Beth Shalom Congregation, Columbia, Maryland, and coeditor of Daughters of the King

“The Choice takes us into the Jewish world of love and learning and the love of learning. One can only be grateful for such an intriguing and engaging work. Maggie Anton’s combination of history, imagination, and feminist reading of classical Jewish texts is impressive.” —Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Emerita, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, and coauthor of Getting Good at Getting Older

“Maggie Anton utilizes her characters’ authentic voices to address social justice while still entertaining the reader with an engaging romance.” —Jackie Ben-Efraim, Special Collections Librarian, American Jewish University

“Maggie Anton’s new novel embeds issues concerning the intersection of modernity, belief, and ritual practices within a lively, intellectually engaging romance. . . . Best of all, the romantic relationship of Hannah and Nathan evolves in sync with their scintillating discussions of various Talmudic passages, from both traditional and critical perspectives, leaving us wondering just how much more enriched Jewish life would be today had women been participants in the Talmudic dialectic all along.” —Stuart S. Miller, Professor of Hebrew History and Judaic Studies, University of Connecticut at Storrs, and author of At the Intersection of Texts and Material Finds

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT MAGGIE ANTON’S NOVELS:

“True to her mission as a historical novelist, Maggie Anton offers a woman’s take on what has been a mostly male enterprise.” —Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Jewish Journal

“Maggie Anton demonstrates just how sex-positive Judaism is.” —Rabbi Elliot Dorff, Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, American Jewish University

“Anton delivers a tour de force . . . [Readers] will fly through the pages and come away wishing for more.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“A compelling combination of drama, suspense, and romance.”—Lilith magazine

For further information, review copy requests, or to schedule an interview with Maggie Anton, please contact Rachel Tarlow Gul at Over the River Public Relations: rachel@otrpr.com.

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September 2021 Virtual Tour for Bestselling Author Trisha Thomas’ New Historical Fiction, WHAT PASSES AS LOVE

We’re excited to announce this terrific lineup of bloggers who will join us in celebrating the release of Trisha Thomas’ new historical novel, WHAT PASSES AS LOVE! This heartrending and breathtaking novel is about a young woman who pays a devastating price for freedom. We hope you will follow along as we share reviews, features, Q&A, excerpts, and book giveaways.

“Thomas’ well-researched and compelling novel charts Dahlia’s complex journey of escape, reinvention and self-acceptance. Fans of Alena Dillon and Lucinda Riley will be moved by this historical glimpse into a brutal time period. Not shying away from the cruelties of slavery, Thomas gives a voice to the enslaved by exploring the power of shared humanity and newfound courage.” – Booklist

“The author really gets inside Dahlia’s head, creating a protagonist who knows how to make the best of a bad situation and who constantly puzzles over the enigma of being neither Black nor white, a girl caught in the middle. She’s resourceful, a chance-taker who dreams and schemes until opportunities present themselves. It’s impossible not to root for her, however risky her actions.” – Historical Novel Society