10 family sagas that will easily replace TV shows
Miscellaneous / / July 14, 2022
Their characters are different. Someone in loved ones does not have a soul. Someone reveals the secrets of the past. For some, family has been replaced by friends. The novels have one thing in common - it will be interesting.
Anna Danilina
1. The Book of Baltimore, Joel Dicker
Marcus Goldman was born into a humble family in Montclair. As a child, he often visited his cousins Woody and Hillel, admired their father, a successful lawyer, Uncle Saul. The guys were friends with Alexandra - and all three were in love with her. A cloudless future awaited them, until a tragedy happened that destroyed everything. Years passed: Marcus became a writer, Alexandra became a popular singer, and Woody became a criminal. And Marcus wrote a book to look into everything that happened and see if the collapse of the Goldman family of Baltimore could have been prevented.
This is the second novel by the young Swiss writer in the Markus Goldmann series. The first - "The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair
”- brought Dicker the Goncourt Lyceum Prize and the Grand Prix of the French Academy. Buy a book2. "Apples Never Fall" by Liane Moriarty
Famous tennis players and coaches, Joy and Stan Delaney have been married for almost 50 years. They have four children: physiotherapist with A student syndrome Brooke, eccentric "blue hair" Amy, college teacher Logan, fashionista and businessman Troy. Everyone played tennis from the cradle (there was no choice), but then they quit. A family is like a family, but the internal tension and the gulf of misunderstanding between spouses grows over the years. Uninvited guest Savannah will reveal all old grievances. She "accidentally" ended up not far from Delaney's house and, taking advantage of the hospitality of the old people, stayed with them to live. When Joy goes missing unexpectedly, the police will frame Stan for her murder. After all, vigilant neighbors saw how he stuffed something heavy into the trunk ...
Moriarty is famous for his family dramas. World fame brought her novel "Big little liesand its subsequent film adaptation starring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Zoë Kravitz.
Buy a book3. The Carefree Years, Elizabeth Jane Howard
This is the first part of a five-volume series about the Cazalet family of British aristocrats. The story begins in 1937. The expectation of the Second World War is already in the air, and the consequences of the First have not yet been experienced. The brothers Rupert, Hugh and Edward decided to spend their summer holidays together at the family estate. They take their wives, numerous children and servants with them.
What will happen if you collect generational problems, secrets, forbidden desires, rivalry from childhood and jealousy under one roof? That's right - it will turn out to be an ideal saga in the spirit of the filmed "Downton Abbey" and "Bridgerton». And you will learn a lot about the way of life and traditions of that time. By the way, the novels of Elizabeth Jane Howard became a six-episode series - "Kaselets" (2001).
Buy a book4. The Maiden in the Garden, Antonia Susan Byatt
The book opens the tetralogy "Frederica's Quartet". It is both a drama and a comedy of manners. Outside in 1953. In the center of the plot is the Yorkshire Potter family, which is preparing to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II. The father of the family is authoritarian and strict, the mother has almost no voice. Children have their own problems: Frederica wants to grow up soon, Stephanie is going to marry a priest (if only escape from his father's oppression), and Marcus is tormented by visions in between solving difficult math problems...
The editors of Entertainment Weekly called the series a "modern epic". The first two novels of the tetralogy came out before Byatt received the Booker Prize for "Have”, the third and fourth - after.
Buy a book5. "And Fires Smolder Everywhere" by Celeste Ing
A novel about two very different mothers. Mrs. Helena Richardson is a white American from the pretty town of Shaker Heights. She is obsessed with control and perfect order in everything. The woman is raising four children: the sporty Trip, the beautiful Lexi, the nerd Spleen, and the outcast Izzy. Once Elena dreamed of leaving for a big city and making a career, but the children changed their plans. Her calmness is disturbed by the African-American Mia Warren, an eccentric, free, artist and photographer. She has a 15-year-old daughter Pearl, with whom they travel in an old car and literally live on wheels.
What is Mia running from and why does her lifestyle hurt Elena so much? The novel raises questions of class prejudice, racism, abortion, and family trust. eponymous mini-series based on the book with Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington has become one of the most anticipated premieres of 2020.
Buy a book6. "My Brilliant Friend", Elena Ferrante
The first novel of the Neapolitan Quartet. The story is told by the elderly Lena, who was excited by the call of the son of a childhood friend. Her name is Leela, and she's missing. The narrator does not understand what happened, and begins to sort through the memories of distant days in her head. How she and Lila met in a poor quarter of Naples, how they grew up, dreamed, fell in love, supported each other, swore over trifles, tried to maintain friendship at a distance.
Elena Ferrante is one of the most mysterious writers of our time. It is believed that she publishes books under a pseudonym, this helps to focus only on the plots. The American weekly Time included her in the list of 100 most influential people in the world.
Buy a book7. "Piccola Sicily", Daniel Speck
Treasure seekers have discovered a sunken plane of the times off the coast of Sicily World War II. Nina Zimmerman sees her grandfather's name on the passenger list. But my grandmother said that Moritz Reinke was missing, and did not like to remember him. To escape from a difficult divorce, Nina goes to the sea. What if what she learns about the past of the family will help to understand herself and take a fresh look at the failure in her personal life? In Marsala, Nina meets a strange woman, Joel, who claims to be Moritz's daughter. He did not die at all, survived the war and in Tunisia married a Jewess Yasmin. Was my grandfather leading a double life?
In addition to family secrets, generational bonds and complex relationships between men and women, Speck raises themes of occupation, genocide and military propaganda. Interestingly, the plot is based on a true story.
Buy a book8. “Shadows of our past. History of the Milton Family, Sarah Blake
The New York Times bestseller is dedicated to the Milton family. Husbands Kitty and Ogden were incredibly happy, young and rich. But one day their five-year-old son accidentally fell off the 14th floor. To distract his wife from grief and guilt, Ogden bought for her an entire island with a luxurious house. Three generations of Miltons will grow up there, whose fates we will learn from the saga. Their financial situation will worsen every year, the house will have to be sold. Evie Milton goes to say goodbye to the family estate and discovers something that will destroy the image of an ideal family and the best representatives of society ...
Buy a book9. Jacob's Ladder, Ludmila Ulitskaya
Nora Osetskaya - theater artist - after the death of grandmother Maria, she inherited a large casket with letters. Since 1913, Maria rarely saw her beloved Yakov, Nora's grandfather, so they communicated. Finally, the girl had the opportunity to meet a relative, even on faded paper. When this is not enough, Nora will gain access to the KGB archive, where she will find Yakov's personal file. She learns that, despite the fact that she does not remember her grandfather, they have a lot in common - from a love of chess and music to strong character traits.
The novel is based on the story of the family of Lyudmila Ulitskaya and the letters of her grandfather Yakov, a Soviet demographer.
Buy a book10. "Napoleon convoy. Book 1. Rowan Wedge, Dina Rubina
Aristarkh and Nadezhda love each other and make joint plans. But the young are not destined to be together because of betrayal. Parting, loving, is painful and difficult, but they will have to rebuild their lives. It will be 25 years before the next meeting.
Are feelings able to live so long apart and flare up again decades later? If you answer yes, you will enjoy the book. AT series three more novels. The plot of separation and reunion is interestingly complemented by a historical intrigue - the search for a convoy with the jewels of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
Buy a bookBy the way, using a special promotional code LHACKBOOK on website "LitRes" you can get a book from a special selection as a gift, as well as a 15% discount on almost the entire range.
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