Biography - Historical love stories - Christchurch City LibrariesLike this list

15 items

• Love in a Time of Hate

  Art and Passion in the Shadow of War, 1929-39

  Illies, Florian, 1971-

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  Florian Illies details the romance and seductions of performing artists and artists alike in the 1930s against the oppressive backdrop of Nazi Germany. Author William Boyd described the book as "fascinating and revelatory".

• Winnie and Nelson

  Portrait of a Marriage

  Steinberg, Jonny, 1970-

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  Nelson and Winnie Mandela suffered greatly under apartheid which also exerted intense pressure upon their marriage. Jonny Steinberg empathetically examines a relationship which was also afflicted by drug abuse and multiple infidelities in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Life & Letters of Emma Hamilton

  the Story of Admiral Nelson and the Most Famous Woman of the Georgian Age

  Tours, Hugh

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  First published in 1963, Hugh Tours' book lifts the veil on a great celebrity romance from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Lord Horatio Nelson, a gnarled naval war hero, and Emma Hamilton, a woman feted as the most beautiful in all…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Right Royal Scandal

  Two Marriages That Changed History

  Major, Joanne

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  A widower elopes with a married niece in a public and controversial union before, years later, one of the widower's sons secretly marries a beautiful Gypsy during the Regency period. Joanne Major brings together the breathless romances of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Enemies in Love

  a German POW, a Black Nurse, and An Unlikely Romance

  Clark, Alexis

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  World War II is approaching its conclusion and German prisoners are sent to the United States. A sensitive German soldier, who is a dab hand at strudel, and a tall, striking American nurse build a deep and secret love in an environment…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Inga

  Kennedy's Great Love, Hitler's Perfect Beauty, and J. Edgar Hoover's Prime Suspect

  Farris, Scott

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  Inga Arvad was a journalist, actress, explorer, suspected Nazi spy and Danish beauty queen who stole John F. Kennedy’s heart. Hitler was an admirer of Inga, and she married four times. FBI boss J. Edgar Hoover ordered an investigation into…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• My Dearest, Dearest Albert

  Queen Victoria's Life Through Her Letters and Journals

  Dolby, Karen

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  Queen Victoria’s loving commitment to Prince Albert is revealed to be profound and dedicated in letters compiled by Karen Dolby. After his death the grieving queen turned to servant John Brown but here we read from her detailed diaries of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ned & Katina

  a True Love Story

  Grace, Patricia, 1937-

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  A Māori Battalion soldier is wounded and finds refuge in the mountains of Crete during World War II. A young woman brings him milk and bread and he quickly falls for her. Despite the dangers of war the couple form a fundamental and lasting…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Our Story

  a Memoir of Love and Life in China

  Pingru, Rao

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  An elderly man grieving the loss of his wife after nearly 60 years of marriage starts painting scenes from both their lives in China. Rao Pingru adds informative and poignant prose to his paintings and presents an open-hearted and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Portrait of a Marriage

  Sackville-West, V. (Victoria), 1892-1962

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  A son lifts the veil on the unconventional marriage of his parents that withstood the many affairs of both Vita, a celebrated writer, and Harold, a diplomat and politician. Nigel Nicolson delivers an evocative memoir that includes some…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Note Through the Wire

  a WWII Prisoner of War, a Resistance Heroine, and Their Incredible True Story

  Gold, Doug

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  A woman in disguise, hoping for news of a lost brother, surreptitiously passes a crumpled note through prison wire to a Kiwi soldier in the first exchange which later blossoms into a clandestine love during World War II in Slovenia. The…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas

  Stein, Gertrude, 1874-1946

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  This non-fiction classic, first published in 1933, not only unveils the relationship between Gertrude and Alice but also depicts life amongst the artistic sect in modernist Paris. Gertrude Stein’s keen sense of irony raises different…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Love Letters of Kings & Queens

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  Read notes of passion from kings and queens from 1325 to the 20th century, expertly edited by Daniel Smith. Amongst the collated affairs of regal hearts are those of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Edward the Abdicator and Wallis Simpson and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Forbidden Wife

  the Life and Trials of Lady Augusta Murray

  Smith, Julia Abel

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  The diligent research of Julia Abel Smith has unearthed the story of an aristocratic woman who paid a heavy price when her marriage to the Duke of Sussex contravened the Royal Marriages Act of 1772. A surprising and tragic riches to rags…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Life and Love in Nazi Prague

  Letters From An Occupied City

  Bader, Marie

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  A widow trapped in Nazi-held Prague writes passionate letters declaring her love for a cousin who has fled to Greece. Marie Bader’s letters reveal not only a touching affection for Ernst Lowy but also the hardship and dangers of life under…Read moreRead more of this annotation