Writing Historical Fiction

Christina Baker Kline--#1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and the newly released The Exiles--joins Eve and Julie to discuss the research strategies, language choices, and overarching philosophies that shape the writing of historical fiction.

The Exiles

Monumental...This episode in history gets a top-notch treatment by Kline, one of our foremost historical novelists. This fascinating 19th-century take on Orange Is the New Black is subtle, intelligent, and thrillingly melodramatic. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

The Orphan Train

“Absorbing...a heartfelt page-turner about two women finding a sense of home...Kline lets us live the characters’ experiences vividly through their skin...The growth from instinct to conscious understanding to partnership between the two is the foundation for a moving tale.” -- Publishers Weekly

Go Deeper

Cast Off: The Strange Adventures of Petra De Winter and Bram Broen, by Eve Yohalem

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party, by M. T. Anderson

Christina Baker Kline

The Exiles, by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train Girl, by Christina Baker Kline

A Piece of the World, by Christina Baker Kline

“Just the Facts, Ma’am,” by Jill Lepore

Salman Rushdie

Ian McEwan

Orphan train riders

“Chicken Little” or “Henny Penny”

Hilary Mantel

Sir John and Lady Jane Franklin

Eve Yohalem

Julie Sternberg

Book Dreams Podcast

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