Why? Well, for one thing, I'm also very interested in genealogy, and with the help of other researchers have traced my roots back across the Atlantic ocean to the British Isles and Europe.
Although we have heard that some of our German ancestors were part Dutch, one, a woman named Magarethe Henrietta Willems was just tracked to a birth date in Amsterdam in 1769. I love to read fiction about this early period and imagine how my ancestors lived.
Obviously their lives and work load were much harder than ours today, and people (especially women) did not travel much. Often they spent their entire lives working and living in their own village. And clothes? Surely they had only a few. Here's a description from the first few pages of this book, where the main character (at age sixteen) is leaving home to become a maid for a wealthier family:
"To the few things I was taking with me my mother added another cap, collar and apron so that each day I could wash one and wear the other, and would always look clean."
Quite a stretch to think of the closetful of fashionable clothes many young girls expect today, isn't it?
And how about working? Filling large pails of water from the canal for doing the wash,
"I would be laundering every day, my hands chapped and cracked from the soap and water, my face red from standing over the steam, my back aching from lifting wet cloth, my arms burned by the iron. But I was new and I was young - it was to be expected I would have the hardest tasks."
Reading historical fiction and imagining the lives of my ancestors (especially the women) in the centuries preceding my life gives me a deeper understanding of where I come from and who I am, as well as a keen appreciation for everything I have now: running water, electricity, a relatively easy lifestyle, and plenty to eat. It also gives me an understanding of the struggles, war, and strife that brought my ancestors to this country, hoping for peace and prosperity for their families and descendants.
Do you like historical fiction? What time in history do you love to read about?
4 comments:
I am crazy about history, everyone's for that matter. So, I watch movies that are historical fiction. Why watch? I am a much more visual person and would rather be in that period than just read. The movie "Girl with the Pearl Earring" is one of the most beautifully artistic pieces I've ever seen. You must see it, after reading the book of course.
Thanks, Sandy! For some reason, the movie slipped by me, but I'll definitely make a point of seeing it after the book. Thanks for the recommendation. :)
Hi Linda,
I love historical fiction as much for what is the same as what is different and what is familiar across many cultures. The new kid on the job getting the most unappealing tasks for example.
Did I ever get you an ARC of my new historical fiction? I meant to. Email me and I'll get you an e-gally.
I enjoy historical fiction, too. I always liked history in school, and adding fiction to it makes it far more entertaining! I haven't read this book, but I have seen the film. It's been on my to-read list since.
Happy reading and writing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines
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