I am looking for fiction books that take place in America between 1850 and 1866 ish. I am not looking for anything about going out west or about the life of civil war soldiers. Ideally, I want something about average, middle or lower class lives before or during the civil war. I have seen the movie Cold Mountain, but have only just purchased the book, before anyone suggests that one.
by Afloss1126
5 Comments
While not quite 1850 to 1866, I’ll still recommend **A Vanished World** by Anne Sellers.
The Known World – Edward P. Jones
The Good Lord Bird. The Known World. Absalom, Absalom.
I’d also recommend checking out some fiction by American writers who were working at the time. Hawthorne and Melville are the two most obvious ones. (And no, Hawthorne didn’t write exclusively about colonial days, or Melville about life at sea!)
Cold Mountain.
One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow by Olivia Hawker
It’s set in 1870 Wyoming. About 2 pioneer family, each others only close neighbors. Something happens leaving the estranged women alone with their children and no husbands. About the scrabble of survival on the frontier and strained relationships between neighbors.
If you don’t want spoilers DON’T read the Amazon description.
If you have a kindle Unlimited account, it’s currently included and you can read it for free.