Showing results for "bethlehem" in Historical Fiction

Rolf, son of Hiarandi the Unlucky, is a character who exemplifies the effect of Christ's teachings upon the Icelandic people during their heroic age. The book is set in Iceland in the days when Christianity has come to the island though the old customs still linger. Hiarandi, at the urging of his wife, does an unprecedented thing: he lights a signal fire on a dangerous point of his land, thereby challenging the accepted custom which places lucrative salvage at higher value than the saving of life.

This acclaimed story of World War II is rich in suspense, characterization, plot, and spiritual truth. Every element of occupied Holland is united in a story of courage and hope: a hidden Jewish child, an underdiver, a downed RAF pilot, an imaginative, daring underground hero, and the small things of family life which surprisingly carry on in the midst of oppression.

The Revolutionary War is seen through the eyes of a British family to whom an American prisoner of war has been entrusted. Technically the young prisoner is in Uncle Lawrence's custody, but the children soon forge a forbidden friendship with him. He becomes the Reb and they his Redcoats.

In this last book in the trilogy about Gabrielle Allan, the listener finds Gay and her great-aunt, Belle, about to start a new life in a setting far different from their much-loved Drovers Road. The sheep station of Cape Lost is now Gay’s responsibility, and regardless of her three years’ study at the Massey Agricultural College, both the isolation and tasks ahead seem alarming. Despite its remote and nearly inaccessible location, a surprising cast of new and old characters converge on the station’s windswept, sea-edged expanse.

The Fellows family has joined numerous others striving to make a go of homesteading in the Oregon high desert. But the venture has been disastrous from the start. Mr. Fellows, who is not a farmer, resents any advice from his wife, who grew up on a farm. Ma is not only troubled about the farming, but 7-year-old Ellie's chronic illness has become a source of constant worry and expense.

King Richard is dead, and John is king, a ruler ever-ready for more money in his treasury whether it comes there honestly or not. When the Baron Eric mysteriously disappears, the moody Sir Basil, distant relative and heir, has taken over the castle - and would not be pleased if Eric should ever return. In an unguarded moment of genuine gratitude, Sir Basil invites young Martin to come to the castle as a page and squire. Martin is swiftly drawn into Rosamund's troubles and into a few of his own before the tale reaches its dramatic climax.

It is perilous to be a Catholic in the Ireland of 1735, and it's almost more than can be borne for 15-year-old Padraic Fitzbrian. Nearly 100 years before, Lord Protector Cromwell of England had put down the Irish rebellion confiscating lands, killing priests, outlawing the Mass, and prohibiting education of any kind for Irish Catholics. Padraic and his two friends, Liam and Rose, are in their last year as scholars in the forbidden and risky all-weathers classroom under the hedgerow.

It is 1847, a time of revolutions throughout Europe. Young Catherine Ayre has been called from her quiet home in England by a grandfather she scarcely knows, Grand Duke Edmond of Letzenstein. She becomes a pawn in the political unrest of the small country. Why does her grandfather so hate her uncle, Constant, the rightful heir? And just who is Rafael le Marre? Catherine is swept into exciting adventures before she can feel herself a part of the small but fascinating country of Letzenstein.

In this first book, young Gabrielle Allan (called Gay) is living contentedly on Drovers Road, her uncle Dunsany’s sheep station in the hill country a hundred miles from Gisborne. Besides her young, bachelor uncle there are her three orphaned cousins - Eve, Hugh and Merry - and their great-aunt Belle. Taken in by Dunsany years before, after her parents’ divorce, Gay now scarcely remembers any other life.

The adventures of Rafael le Marre and his friends continue. Catherine Ayre and her cousin Giles come to Letzenstein in the summer of 1849. Raf is settled in Xandeln with a crowd of orphans-but Giles, at least, is not impressed with his unconventional ways. After a terrorist bombing in which the Grand Duke is thought to be killed, Julius Varenshalt tries to take political control. Catherine, and even Giles, fear for Raf's life-and indeed it has never more precariously hung in the balance.

Madeleine Verchère's story is based on a true account of colonial French Canada of the 1690s. Harassed by Iroquois, the Verchère family's fort must keep a continual guard. 14-year-old Madeleine is left alone with two younger brothers and few others when the Indians attack. We follow the brave and determined stratagems of Madeleine and her small circle. Madeleine's youthful leadership, especially of her brothers, will win the reader's admiration.

The Revolution of February, 1848, has erupted in France. Paul and Christie, both English, and Jeanne d'Estel of Valmay, have concerns of their own to pursue. But when the generous-hearted Rafael is arrested by political enemies, harrowing days follow. Important truths of character come to light, and Rafael's stature emerges: The "Phoenix" arises again from the ashes.

Melisande, a girl with actors’ blood in her veins, finds life dreary; her family runs a London inn, “The Rose and Crown”. Then, in November 1849, Rafael le Marre arrives, bringing Mel’s lost cousin Toby with him. Unexpected experiences swirl in Rafael’s wake: Mel meets Catherine Ayre and mischievous Charley the sweeper. Meanwhile, Raf stirs up the trouble that is native to his frank character. Several necessary resolutions must occur before Raf and company set out again for Letzenstein.

On a savagely cold night in the mountains of Montana, a painfully injured mare and a runaway 16-year-old named Andy “Smith” enter the solitary life of Justin Allan. In his anxiety over the black horse, Justin ignores the mystery surrounding the quiet boy with the remarkable gift for working with injured animals. When Justin breaks his leg in a hunting accident, Andy remains to take care of the two invalids. During the bleak months of struggle to overcome poverty and the bitter winter, the old cowboy and the lonely boy develop a close bond of affection and respect for one another.