If you like reading epic tales of families across generations similar to Colleen McCullough's The Thorn Birds and Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance then you may also like these family sagas, on display in the fiction collection on the lower level of the library:
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Harry, a dock worker, never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he’s left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, and his life will never be the same again. This first novel in
The Clifton Chronicles brings to life 100 years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined. The series continues with
The Sins of the Father, Best Kept Secret, and
Be Careful What You Wish For. (The final book,
Mightier than the Sword is scheduled for publication in early 2015.)
At the beginning of the 20th century, Stefan Blau flees Germany, and comes to America in search of the vision that has grafted itself to his mind so tenaciously that he's dreamed of it every single night. The novel closes nearly a century later with Stefan's granddaughter, Emma, and the legacy of his dream, a once-grand apartment house filled with the hidden truths of its inhabitants. In this novel, Hegi creates a picture of immigrants in America: their dreams and disappointments, the challenges of assimilation, the frailty of language and its transcendence, the love that bonds generations and the cultural wedges that drive them irrevocably apart.
Charleston by John Jakes:
Written in three parts,
Charleston follows the lives, loves, and shifting fortunes of the Bells, saints and evildoers mingled together in one unforgettable family, from the American Revolution through the turbulent antebellum years to the Civil War and the savage defeat of the Confederacy. Delving into our country's history as only he can, Jakes paints a powerful portrait of the Charleston aristocracy who zealously guarded their privilege and position, harboring dark family secrets that threatened to destroy them all.
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Spanning the 20th century and three generations,
Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been--not just for themselves but for their children, and children's children.
The Son by Philipp Meyer:
Part epic of Texas, part classic coming-of-age story, part unflinching portrait of the bloody price of power, this novel maps the legacy of violence in the American West through the lives of the McCulloughs, an ambitious family as resilient and dangerous as the land they claim. Kidnapped by the Comanche after his family is murdered, 13-year-old Eli quickly adapts to Comanche life until the tribe is decimated by armed Americans. Leaving Eli alone in a world where he is neither white nor Indian, he must carve a place for himself - a journey of adventure, tragedy, hardship, grit, and luck that reverberates in the lives of his progeny.
For more recommendations, visit the display on the lower level and stop by the Reference Desk on the main level to speak with a librarian.
