Author Archives: Robin Henry
Book Review: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
I’ll admit it, the bookstore window got me on this one. I walked past the window on several occasions and this book looked very intriguing. When I read the blurb, I decided to go for it. And I am not sorry! Amanda and her family are on the way to their Airbnb in the wildsContinue reading “Book Review: Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam”
Throwback Thursday: Panic by Lauren Oliver (2014)
In honor of the new Amazon Prime series based on this book… High school graduates in Carp, New York have an unusual tradition. Each summer the recently matriculated seniors have the opportunity to participate in a Fear Factor style “game” in which the winner (and there can be only one) takes home a pot ofContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Panic by Lauren Oliver (2014)”
Old Friends and New Fancies an Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen by Sybil G. Brinton
This 1913 title lays claim to being the first Austen fan fiction. Brinton wrote no other novels and this one attempts to continue the stories of many characters from Austen novels all in one book, with Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park as the most well represented, though the other four also populate her story.Continue reading “Old Friends and New Fancies an Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen by Sybil G. Brinton”
The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl
Matthew Pearl’s debut novel, The Dante Club, was a huge bestseller and proof that literary doesn’t have to mean boring. This gem is perhaps less well known, but the storyline is just as fascinating. The premise is that as the copyright loophole which allowed for pirating the works of foreign writers residing in other nationsContinue reading “The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearl”
Finding the Gap and using Outliers as models when writing Historical Fiction
This is part 2 of a series about writing compelling characters in Historical Fiction. You can find the first part here. According to James C. Scott’s Domination and the Arts of Resistance, part of the difficulty in dealing with the history of a subordinate group is that there is a public transcript of events andContinue reading “Finding the Gap and using Outliers as models when writing Historical Fiction”
Throwback Thursday: Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty (2013)
What happens when a woman makes one spectacularly bad choice? In Yvonne Carmichael’s case it leads to several other spectacularly bad choices and she ends up accused and on trial at the Old Bailey. I have read several other reviews of this book and many people seem to think Yvonne is unbalanced or unbelievable, butContinue reading “Throwback Thursday: Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty (2013)”
Thrillers: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
Both of these thrillers are worth reading–even if they aren’t totally surprising, they do contain plenty of suspense, some misdirection, and the writing is just so good. Invisible Girl is a tale told from multiple points of view which features a central mystery about a series of sexual assaults and how all the characters areContinue reading “Thrillers: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell and The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz”
Flash Fanfiction inspired by Austen’s Persuasion
Historical Accuracy, political correctness, and authenticity…
Write Historical fiction that is authentic rather than pedantically accurate.
