Recommendations based on Chesapeakeby James A. Michener

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  1. Hawaii

    by James A. Michener
    Epic saga of the history, culture and people of the Hawaiian Islands.

    The novel tells the history of Hawaiian Islands from the creation of the isles to the time they became an American state, through the viewpoints of selected characters who represent their ethnic and ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Alaska

    by James A. Michener
    Epic tale of Alaskan history and culture tracing the lives of several generations of characters.

    A sweeping description of the formation of the North American continent . The reader follows the development of the Alaskan terrain over millennia. The city of Los Angeles is now some twenty-four ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Centennial

    by James A. Michener
    Epic journey through the history of the American West, painting a vivid picture of its people and culture.

    Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener’s magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier. Brimming with the glory of America’s past, the story ... (Goodreads)

  4. Sarum: The Novel of England

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    Epic saga tracing the history of an English landscape from prehistoric times to the present day.

    Sarum: The Novel of England - a novel that traces the entire turbulent course of English history. This rich tapestry weaves a compelling saga of five families—the Wilsons, the Masons, the family of ... (Goodreads)

  5. The Prince of Tides

    by Pat Conroy
    A man's search for solace and understanding in his troubled family's past.

    Tom Wingo is a middle-aged man with a wife and three young daughters who has recently lost his job as a high school English teacher and football coach. He learns that his twin sister, Savannah, has ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Thorn Birds

    by Colleen McCullough
    A powerful tale of forbidden love, set in rural Australia in the early 20th century.

    The story begins in New Zealand on 8 December 1915, the fourth birthday of Meghann "Meggie" Cleary who is the only daughter of Padriac ("Paddy"), an Irish farm labourer, and Fiona ("Fee"), his wife. ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Lonesome Dove

    by Larry McMurtry
    Epic tale of two former Texas Rangers on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.

    It is the late 1870s. , Captain Woodrow F. Call and Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae, two famous retired Texas Rangers , run the Hat Creek Cattle Company and Livery Emporium in the small Texas border ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Exodus

    by Leon Uris
    The story of the birth of Israel, following the lives of Jewish refugees from WWII to the establishment of the state.

    In 1946 American foreign correspondent Mark Parker and American nurse Kitty Fremont reunite as old friends. Kitty is an American volunteer at the Karaolos internment camp on Cyprus , where thousands ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Russka: The Novel of Russia

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    A sweeping historical novel that follows the lives of several families through the tumultuous history of Russia.

    The narrative spans 1,800 years of Russian history. The families that provide the focus for the story are the Bobrovs, Romanovs, Karpenkos, Suvorins and Popovs. The five families span the main ethnic ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Cutting for Stone

    by Abraham Verghese
    A sweeping journey of two twin brothers and their search for identity, belonging and family.

    The story is told by the protagonist, Marion Stone. He and his conjoined twin Shiva are born at Mission Hospital (called "Missing" in accordance with the local pronunciation), Addis Ababa , in ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Killer Angels

    by Michael Shaara
    A gripping story of the Battle of Gettysburg, told through the eyes of the soldiers on both sides.

    Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain , one of the major characters, remembers reciting to his father a speech from, Hamlet, : "What a piece of work is man...in action how like an angel!" Sgt. Buster Kilrain ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Shell Seekers

    by Rosamunde Pilcher
    A family explores their past, present, and future while examining the importance of treasured objects.

    Shifting in time, the novel tells the story of Penelope Keeling, the daughter of unconventional parents (an artist father and his much-younger French wife), examining her past and her relationships ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Atlas Shrugged

    by Ayn Rand
    A tale of a dystopian future where the strongest minds take control of society.

    This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world and did. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators? Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, ... (Goodreads)

  14. The World According to Garp

    by John Irving
    A humorous and heart-wrenching journey of life, love and literature.

    This is the life and times of T. S. Garp, the bastard son of Jenny Fields—a feminist leader ahead of her times. This is the life and death of a famous mother and her almost-famous son; theirs is a ... (Goodreads)

  15. A Town Like Alice

    by Nevil Shute
    A young woman's courageous journey from a Japanese war camp to a new life in Australia.

    The story falls broadly into three parts. In post-World War II London, Jean Paget, a secretary in a leather goods factory, is informed by solicitor Noel Strachan that she has inherited a considerable ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Shoemaker's Wife

    by Adriana Trigiani
    Two Italian immigrants forge a love story amongst the struggles of making a life in America.

    The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in ... (Goodreads)

  17. I Am Pilgrim

    by Terry Hayes
    A former operative is called back into action to track down a terrorist plotting a global attack.

    A breakneck race against time...and an implacable enemy. An anonymous young woman murdered in a run-down hotel, all identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A father publicly beheaded in the ... (Goodreads)

  18. Roots: The Saga of an American Family

    by Alex Haley
    A multigenerational saga tracing the journey of an African American family in the U.S.

    Roots tells the story of Kunta Kinte —a young man taken from the Gambia when he was seventeen and sold as a slave—and seven generations of his descendants in the United States. Kunta, a Mandinka ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Far Pavilions

    by M.M. Kaye
    Epic adventure story set in 19th century India, exploring the clash of East and West.

    Ashton Pelham-Martyn (Ash) is the son of a British botanist travelling through India; he is born on the road shortly before the Sepoy uprising of 1857 . His mother dies from childbed fever shortly ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Noble House

    by James Clavell
    Epic tale of business deals, struggles for power, and the constant battle for control of Hong Kong.

    Noble House is set in 1963. The tai-pan , Ian Dunross, struggles to rescue Struan's from the precarious financial position left by his predecessor. To this end, he seeks partnership with an American ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The Day of the Jackal

    by Frederick Forsyth
    An assassin attempts to kill the president of France in a thrilling race against time.

    The book begins in 1962 with the (historical) failed attempt on de Gaulle 's life plotted by, among others, Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry in the Paris suburb of Petit-Clamart : ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Girl in Hyacinth Blue

    by Susan Vreeland
    A painting's journey across time, connecting with its owners and revealing its secrets.

    A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to view a painting he has kept secret for decades in Susan Vreeland's powerful historical novel, Girl in Hyacinth Blue . The ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Jungle

    by Upton Sinclair
    An expose of the brutal working conditions in the early 20th century meatpacking industry.

    Jurgis Rudkus marries his fifteen-year-old sweetheart, Ona Lukoszaite, in a joyous traditional Lithuanian wedding feast. They and their extended family have recently immigrated to Chicago due to ... (Wikipedia)

  24. North and South

    by John Jakes
    A story of two families divided by the Civil War and their journey to reconciliation and understanding.

    Part history, part novel, this book chronicles two great American dynasties over three generations. Though brought together in a friendship that neither jealousy nor violence could shatter, the ... (Goodreads)

  25. Beneath a Scarlet Sky

    by Mark T. Sullivan
    True story of a young Italian man's courage and heroism during WWII.

    Based on the true story of a forgotten hero,, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours., Pino ... (Goodreads)

  26. Absolute Power

    by David Baldacci
    A power-hungry President, a daring thief and a determined investigator collide in a thrilling tale of manipulation and murder.

    An experienced burglar, Luther Whitney, breaks into a billionaire's house with the intent of robbing it. While there, he witnesses the President of the United States and the billionaire's wife having ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Invention of Wings

    by Sue Monk Kidd
    A powerful story about a girl's journey to freedom, despite the limitations of slavery.

    Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world—and it is now ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Clan of the Cave Bear

    by Jean M. Auel
    A young woman's journey of survival and self-discovery in prehistoric times.

    A five-year-old girl, Ayla , who readers come to understand is Cro-Magnon, is orphaned and left homeless by an earthquake that destroys her family's camp. She wanders aimlessly, naked and unable to ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The Winds of War

    by Herman Wouk
    The story of a family caught in the middle of World War II and their struggles to survive.

    Like no other masterpiece of historical fiction, Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II is the great novel of America's Greatest Generation. , Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. Cannery Row

    by John Steinbeck
    An exploration of the lives of the inhabitants of a small town in California.

    Cannery Row has a simple premise: Mack and his friends are trying to do something nice for their friend Doc, who has been good to them without asking for reward. Mack hits on the idea that they ... (Wikipedia)