Historical Sagas - Christchurch City LibrariesLike this list

20 items

• The King's Witches

  Foster, Kate

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  Kate Foster deftly weaves the lives and fates of three very different women in Denmark in the 1500's; Princess Anne, who is betrothed to King James VI of Scotland and is determined to succeed in winning him over and securing the union for its…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Square of Sevens

  Shepherd-Robinson, Laura

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  Red travels with her fortune-teller father, making a living by using the Square of Sevens method to tell people's fortunes. However, when she is suddenly orphaned she becomes the ward of a gentleman scholar. In this intriguing rags-to-riches story,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sparrow

  Hynes, James, 1955-

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  Sparrow is a young orphan who loves to sing and can fly from trouble, but the odds are stacked against him in this epic saga set on the fringes of the Roman Empire. His only solace are the stories his 'mother' entertains him with, and the errands…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fortune

  Bartulin, Lenny

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  A brilliantly interwoven tale that spans a hundred years and most of the globe. At its centre is Napoleon's arrival in Germany and from this springs the stories of other individuals as they are dispersed among the countries of the known world. This…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Homegoing

  Gyasi, Yaa

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  If you want a book spanning generations, that pulls at your moral heartstrings and re-orients you with what Africa means to the American, this is the book to read. 'Homegoing' follows two sisters and their entanglement in Ghana's slave trade. This…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Nightingale

  Hannah, Kristin, 1960-

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  Outlining the hardship that women face in times of war, 'The Nightingale' is set in France during WWII. We focus on two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, who struggle to survive and resist the German occupation of France. The book is inspired by the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Long Ships

  a Saga of the Viking Age

  Bengtsson, Frans Gunnar, 1894-1954

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  At the end of the 10th Century, Viking life is changing rapidly. This swiftly moving tempest follows the life of Orm, a native of Scania. We follow Orm's travels, where he encounters many countries on the brink of change; Ireland is under the rule…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Luminaries

  Catton, Eleanor, 1985-

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  Become caught up in a classic whodunit mystery from Kiwi author Eleanor Catton. 'The Luminaries' is a wonderfully crafted saga with well-researched characters and an intricately described landscape. Set in the West Coast of New Zealand, Walter Moody…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Narrow Road to the Deep North

  Flanagan, Richard, 1961-

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  Winner of the 2014 Booker Prize and an outstanding contribution to literature from Tasmanian author, Richard Flanagan. Harsh, confronting, and sublime, this is a thoughtful look at war and the far reaching impact of the traumas sustained by both…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Son

  Meyer, Philipp, 1974-

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  A stunningly vivid and confronting portrait of the resilient family line of McCulloughs, who have lived in Texas since the 1800s. The book follows the story of Eli McCullough, a boy as tough as the landscape around him. We follow his legacy through…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Young Bloods

  Scarrow, Simon, 1962-

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  The lives of two historic figures destined to clash in a world-altering period of war are drawn out here. The first in a series focusing on the (future) Duke of Wellington and a young Napoleon Bonaparte as the fighting attitudes of the two men is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dublin

  Foundation

  Rutherfurd, Edward, pseud., 1948-

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  Also known as 'Princes of Ireland', Rutherford has produced a well-researched saga that explores the Celtic roots of the ancient island, following key families in Ireland and spanning eleven centuries. What makes this book so enthralling is the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Know This Much Is True

  Lamb, Wally, 1950-

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  Full of Lamb's trademark dramatic tension, redemption and renewal, and bittersweet childhood memories, 'I Know This Much Is True' follows the narrator Dominic recounting the reality of his identical twin Thomas' life with mental illness. Full of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Outlander. Also Published With Title Cross Stitch

  Gabaldon, Diana, 1952-

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  Delve into the lore of the Scottish land, full of wonder, magic, sex, and violence. Set in Scotland in both 1945 and 1745, we follow the headstrong Claire Randall, an ex-army WWII nurse. Clare steps into a stone circle and is thrown back in time,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cloudstreet

  Winton, Tim, 1960-

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  The Pickles family are a family of battlers. In a bid to change their fortunes the patriarch makes the decision to rent out one half of their Perth home to the Lamb family. We travel with these hapless oddball families as they progress through life,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Pillars of the Earth

  Follett, Ken, 1949-

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  The story of a monk driven to undertake a seemingly impossible and magnificent task: build the greatest Gothic cathedral in Europe. Set in the intricately woven backdrop of 12th century feudal England, 'Pillars Of The Earth' tells a grand tale…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Thorn Birds

  McCullough, Colleen, 1937-2015

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  The sweeping family saga of three generations of the Cleary family. When the Clearys leave New Zealand for a life on a remote sheep station in Australia's outback, they embark upon a vast and adventurous story of love, loss, bliss, and hardship. An…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One Hundred Years of Solitude

  García Márquez, Gabriel, 1927-2014

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  Originally published in 1967, this classic is a multi-generational epic landmark of a book, that's use of magical realism sets it apart, and still remains one of the most important books in both Hispanic and world literature. The plot follows the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Some Luck

  Smiley, Jane, 1949-

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  The first in 'The Last Hundred Years' trilogy by Pulitzer Prize winning and prolific author Jane Smiley ('A Thousand Acres'). The novel opens in the 1920s, where Walter Langdon returns from war and marries Rosanna. Each chapter is a year (up until…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shōgun

  Clavell, James, 1925-1994

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  Set in feudal Japan in the 1600s and based on real characters, 'Shogun' gives us an account of the military leader Toranaga (in real life his name was Tokugawa Ieyasu) and his rise to power. Weaving together Eastern and Western understandings of…Read moreRead more of this annotation