April-June 2013 Theme Read: The Seventeenth Century

Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, part of the English Civil War, painting by John Barker

The seventeenth century is a rich one when it comes to historical fiction. There were several wars fought in this century, including the Civil Wars in England and the Thirty Years War that engulfed Germany and its neighbors. There was a lot of migration to the American Colonies and Canada. It was also the century of the witch persecutions, with the hysteria in Salem as a highlight. Major advances were made in science led by people like Kepler and Isaac Newton.

Some book suggestions – with their time period/focus in brackets:

Devil’s Charge by Michael Arnold (English Civil War)

London in Chains by Gillian Bradshaw (English Civil War)

Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (First Native American to graduate Harvard)

The Scarlet Kimono by Christina Courtenay (Young English woman stow away gets abducted by a
Samurai in Japan)

The Privateer by Josephine Tey (Henry Morgan, privateer and eventually Governor of Jamaica)

The Peaceable Kingdom by Jan de Hartog (Quaker migration to America, 1st in the Quaker trilogy)

Witchfinder General by Ronald Bassett (Matthew Hopkins, withhunter)

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (Servant girl working for Vermeer, 17th century Holland)

The Company by Arabella Edge (disastrous voyage in 1629 of the Dutch East India Company)

Wind Time, Wolf Time by Brian Deming (Thirty Years War, Germany)

Dark Matter: The Private Life of Sir Isaac Newton by Philip Kerr (Isaac Newton, mystery)

Islands by Dan Sleigh (Settlement of Cape the Good Hope)

Manchu by Robert Elegant (Englishman in China, end of the Ming dynasty)

Manchu Palaces by Jeanne Larsen (17th century China)

Shimabara by Douglass Bailey (17th century Japan)

Visit the Quarterly Theme Reads Wiki Page for more information and add your own books for this quarter’s theme!

My planned reads:

The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundaresan - about the future Empress Nur Jahan, set in India. It's the first in a trilogy and this one might (for the most part) be set in the late 16th century, but since the entire trilogy is set mostly in the 17th, I'm counting it.

Imprimatur by Rita Monaldi & Francesco Sorti - first in the Abbé Atto Melani series, set in 17th century Italy

Versluiering by Rita Monaldi & Francesco Sorti - Short story, set in 17th century Paris, set between the 1st and 2nd books in the Abbé Atto Melani series, not available in English (as far as I know). This was a gift for the 'Maand van het spannende boek' (the month of the thriller/detective) in 2011.

I've been thinking about reading Caleb's Crossing for a while now. This may be just the encouragement I need to pick it up at the library.
I have had The Scarlet Kimono waiting for me in iBooks for ages too. Maybe I will get to that. I have just reserved a couple of other books at the library that will fit in well. I need to go and scan my bookshelves now. Maybe The Midwife of Venice will be 17th century.

3 > I'm sure you'll find something on your shelf. I was surprised at how many books I had on my shelf set in the 17th century. (Conversely, the 18th century is somewhat lacking from my shelves, with only 1 book).

I have several that might fit. A Conspiracy of Violence by Susanna Gregory, The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzch and Quicksilver keeps saying it is 17th century, but not sure about that one.

possibilities for me are Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks and The Crucible by Arthur Miller

When I checked my shelves I found only one 17th century novel! Lucky my local library is so well stocked.

I haven't scoured my shelves yet, but Caleb's Crossing has long been on by wishlist and like Roro, this might just be the incentive I need to pick it up.

As I mentioned earlier, I have been thinking about reading Caleb's Crossing for some time now. And thanks to this challenge I now have.

Bethia is the daughter of a puritan preacher. They live on an island off the coast of Massachusetts that is also well populated with native Indians. Bethia secretly befriends Caleb, learning the local Indian language and some of the ways of the local Indian people. In return Bethia teaches Caleb English, and begins to teach him reading and writing. However girls are not to be too learned in this day and age (1661) so Bethia's teaching can only be the start but is enough to make Caleb desire to learn more. I won't say anymore as I know a couple of you are thinking of reading it too.

Caleb eventually becomes the first Indian to complete university in America. The story focused more on Bethia, with Caleb as a secondary character. The events that took place were tragic at times. Life was certainly tough in this era.

This was a really good read.

I also had Caleb's Crossing on my TBR list so have now finished it. Very good read.

I just completed The Winter Prince by Cheryl Sawyer. This historical fiction story is centered around an alleged affair that occured between Prince Rupert, nephew to Charles I, and Mary Villiers, Duchess of Richmond. The author is very true to the history and probably because of this the love story didn't seem fully fleshed out. The description of the battles and political maneuvering was very detailed and I believe very accurate. This is a book to be read for the history not the story.

I have finished The Sky's Dark Labyrinth. Set in the first half of the 1600s. It tells the story of Johannes Kepler.

I just finished Midwife of Venice thinking I would get another read in for this period only to realise it was 16th century. Oh well, at least it was a book that had been patiently waiting on my shelf for a while. Silly me. I doubt I will get another one in now :-(

New thread is up here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/155794#

You've probably all noticed that I've been absent in this thread, and also on the group a bit, this last quarter. That's because health-wise I'm not doing so well at the moment. I'm still here, but I'm barely reading anything. I do still plan to read The Twentieth Wife, since it's on my shelf, but it will definitely not be in time for this quarter!

I hope your health improves as the quarter progresses, Samantha_kathy. It must be awful to not feel like reading.

>15 Samantha_kathy: I hope you feel better soon too. Thanks for putting up the next quarterly thread Samantha