Books like 'This Telling'
Readers who enjoyed This Telling by Cheryl Strayed also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical historical-fiction literary-fiction coming-of-age family drama female-mc
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In Search of Satisfaction by J. California Cooper
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe folk flavor of her storytelling has earned her constant comparison to Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, but through four collections of short stories and two novels, J. California Cooper has proven that hers is a wholly original talent --one that embraces readers in an ever-widening circle from one book to the next... -
The Paper Bracelet by Rachael English
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsEvery baby's bracelet held a mother's secret... Inspired by heartrending real events, the gripping new novel from No. 1 bestselling author Rachael English. Readers of Diane Chamberlain and Kathryn Hughes will love this book. 'A true storyteller who keeps you turning the pages' Cathy Kelly For almost fifty years, Katie Carroll has kept a box tucked away inside her wardrobe... -
The Letter by Michelle Vernal
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWORDS HAVE THE POWER TO HEAL, REUNITE AND TO HURT... Isabel opened her bag and pulled the letter out, glancing at the address one last time before she slid it through the slot, hearing it land with a plunk. It was gone. She’d done it, and now she’d have to wait to see what happened next... -
Four Classic Novels by Jane Austen
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe complete novels of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma and Persuasion in one large, brand new and giftable hardcover with perfect dj...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama family literary-fiction romance classics fiction historical -
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Bitter Winds by Kay Bratt
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe third book of the Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters series, Bitter Winds continues the saga of Chinese couple Benfu and Calli, and the abandoned young women in their care.Since the night her sister was almost burned alive in a fire and they were taken from their mother, Ivy has been the self-appointed guardian and guide to her blind twin, Lily... -
The Fire Blossom by Sarah Lark
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe bestselling author of the Sea of Freedom Trilogy returns with a sweeping family saga of two women in nineteenth-century New Zealand and their epic journey to survive in a world of their own making. It’s 1837, and immigrating to a small New Zealand fishing village is an opportunity for Ida Lange’s family to build a better future... -
Bright Day Dawning: Music Hall Series, Book 3 by Anna Jacobs
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsGwynna had fallen from grace once, bearing a stillborn child out of wedlock. Determined to have a respectable future, she finds a position for herself as a nursemaid at Hungerton House. But just as she begins to find her feet, the secrets of her past are revealed. She is swiftly dismissed but not before she becomes the target of a lascivious groom... -
Whistledown Woman by Josephine Cox
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn 1898, Kathleen Wyman lies in labor at Bessington Hall, her husband Edward sure that she has been unfaithful to him. In his blind, jealous rage, he gives away the baby to gypsy Rona Parrish, summoned to help with the delivery. Kathleen, frenzied with grief, is soon locked away in an asylum... -
God Ain't Through Yet by Mary Monroe
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsEven though her life has its ups and downs, Annette Goode Davis feels lucky. Most of all, she's grateful that her husband, Pee Wee, took her back after he discovered she was having an affair. The trouble is, Annette isn't sure his heart is really in it. Her best friend Rhoda is quick to point out that Annette got herself into this mess, so she has to be patient with Pee Wee... -
The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsTwo women. One house. And a secret that spans decades…The past merges with the present in an unforgettable, poignant story of love, loss and courage in this beautifully written story set between World War Two and the present day.She steps into the room and it’s like going back in time.Catapulting her right into the heart of the 1940s.The spindle of the record player frozen and ready to play...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction -
The Sorrow of Angels by Jón Kalman Stefánsson
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe Sorrow of Angels is the second novel in an epic and elemental trilogy by the winner of the Icelandic Prize for Literature Jón Kalman Stefánsson, and the follow up to Heaven and Hell (publishing in paperback 3/11/15...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure book fiction historical -
'Til Morning Light by Ann Moore
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsShe crossed an ocean to escape the suffering of famine-torn Ireland. Haunted by loss, but determined to build a life in the New World, Gracelin O'Malley then crosses the country with her young children to accept a San Francisco sea captain's practical proposal of marriage. But when she arrives, he is not there, and the City of Gold is no place for widows and children... -
দূরবীন by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsসাপ্তাহিক ‘দেশ’ পত্রিকায় দু-বছরেরও বেশি কাল ধরে ধারাবাহিকভাবে বেরিয়েছিল ‘দূরবীন, শীর্ষেন্দু মুখোপাধ্যায়ের জোরালো, সংবেদনশীল কলমে অন্যতম মহৎ সৃষ্টি। চলমান শতাব্দীর দুইয়ের দশকের শেষ ভাগ থেকে শুরু করে আটের দশক পর্যন্ত বিস্তৃত সময়ের প্ৰেক্ষাপটে সামাজিক জীবনের যাবতীয় পরিবর্তনকে এক আশ্চর্য কৌতুহলকর বিশাল কাহিনীর মধ্য দিয়ে ধরে রাখার প্রয়াসেরই অভিনন্দিত ফলশ্রুতি ‘দূরবীন উপন্যাস।তিন প্রজন্মের এই... -
The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIreland, 1959: Young Christy Hurley is a Pavee gypsy, traveling with his father and extended family from town to town, carrying all their worldly possessions in their wagons. Christy carries with him a burden of guilt as well, haunted by the story of his mother's death in childbirth. The peripatetic life is the only one Christy has ever known, but when his grandfather dies, everything changes...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction audiobook book fiction -
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Evanthia's Gift by Effie Kammenou
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the year 1956, Anastacia Fotopoulos finds herself pregnant and betrayed, fleeing from a bad marriage. With the love and support of her dear friends Stavros and Soula Papadakis, Ana is able to face the challenges of single motherhood. Left with emotional wounds, she resists her growing affection for Alexandros Giannakos, an old acquaintance... -
The Girl in the Photo by Catherine Hokin
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTheresienstadt Concentration Camp, 1944. ‘I have to go away, my darling. Please, be brave, stay alive, for me.’ Mama’s voice breaks. The little girl tries to stop the forbidden tears from falling, as the train takes her mother, and she is left alone…Berlin, six years later. Hanni Winter glows with pride as she shows her new husband around her first solo photography exhibition...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction -
The Traveller's Daughter by Michelle Vernal
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsROSA’S PAST IS HER PANDORA’S BOX, AND THE LID IS ABOUT TO BE LIFTED … ‘If you lie down with dogs you’ll rise with fleas’ – Irish Proverb Rosa Sorenson’s conversation was often peppered with sayings from her homeland. It was these conversational clangers that gave her daughter Kitty the only clue as to a childhood her mother refused to speak of...Categorized as:
family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult book fiction -
An Ordinary Woman: An utterly captivating and uplifting story of one woman’s strength and determination… by Susan Sallis
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Rose was four the scandal broke about her head. She was really too young to understand what was happening - only that her mother was in disgrace and that they were leaving Aunt Mabe in America and returning home to England. The following May, Joanna - 'Jon' - was born. Rose and Jon were totally different... -
Blood Sisters by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsKenya 1957. During their childhood years in the Kenya Highlands three girls from vastly different backgrounds become blood sisters, promising that nothing will ever destroy the bond between them. But the legacy of the Mau Mau rebellion, and the tensions and upheavals of newly independent Kenya, tear their childhood dreams apart... -
Song of the Skylark by Erica James, Nathalie van Gent
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsLizzie has an unfortunate knack for attracting bad luck, but this time she's hit the jackpot. Losing her heart to her boss at the radio station where she works leads directly to losing her job, and with no money in the bank she's forced to swallow her pride and return home to her parents...Categorized as:
drama family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult anthologies audiobook -
Coming Apart by Karen Heenan
Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsNo one knows you like a sister.Ava has always been poor, so she doesn't think the Great Depression will change anything. But when her mother dies and her coal miner husband loses his job, Ava's certainty falters. The last thing she needs is a letter from her estranged sister, asking for the impossible.Claire has everything she could ever want, except the child she promised her husband... -
Call of the Kiwi by Sarah Lark, D.W. Lovett
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the exhilarating conclusion to the internationally bestselling In the Land of the Long White Cloud trilogy, the spirited Warden and McKenzie clan continues its trials—and triumphs—in New Zealand and beyond...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama family historical-fiction literary-fiction audiobook book fiction -
Toward the Sea of Freedom by Sarah Lark
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn mid-nineteenth-century Ireland, charming Kathleen and dashing Michael harbor secrets and dreams. Imagining a life beyond the kitchen and fields of the wealthy family they both work for, they plot to leave their homeland, marry, and raise the child Kathleen is secretly carrying. The luck of the Irish, however, is not on their side... -
The Immigrants by Howard Fast
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsIn a passionate, multigenerational novel set against the backdrop of San Francisco, the son of an Italian fisherman struggles from the rubble of the great earthquake to build a shipping empire. Reprint... -
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Outbound Train by Renea Winchester
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn 1976, memories from a night near the railroad tracks sixteen years earlier haunt Barbara Parker. She wrestles with past demons every night, then wakes to the train’s five-thirty whistle. Exhausted and dreading the day, she keeps her hands busy working in Bryson City’s textile plant, known as the “blue jean plant,” all the while worrying about her teenage daughter, Carole Anne... -
The Secret Years: An emotional drama of love and survival by Judith Lennox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA moving story about life in the East Anglian Fens after the First World War, evoking the emotions of the men who came through their ordeals and the women who survived the trauma of separation.During the golden summer of 1914, four young people played in the gardens of Drakesden Abbey... -
A Whisper To The Living by Ruth Hamilton
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsAnnie Byrne was born during one of the worst winters Lancashire ever remembered. When the doctor finally got through the nine-foot drifts of snow, mother and daughter were in a pretty bad way, but both the new-born Annie and her exhausted mother - a spinner in the cotton mill - were fighters, tough and determined not to let the world knock them down...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book -
The Beachcomber by Ines Thorn, Kate Northrop
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the second epic novel of The Island of Sylt trilogy by bestselling author Ines Thorn, a young woman must fight to clear her family’s name in order to claim her true love. Germany’s North Sea Coast: The Island of Sylt, 1711 It’s the age of whaling and beachcombing, and life is hard on Sylt—especially for women forced to get by on their own... -
When I First Held You by Anstey Harris
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsSilence tore them apart. Can the truth bring them back together?In 1960s Glasgow, anti-nuclear activists Judith and Jimmy fall in love. But their future hopes are dashed when their protestors’ squat is raided and many, including Jimmy, are sent to prison. Pregnant and with no word from Jimmy, Judith is forced to enter an unmarried mothers’ home, give up their baby and learn to live with her grief...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family coming-of-age female-mc romance fiction historical -
In All Good Faith by Liza Nash Taylor
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings“A well-researched and deftly written historical fiction novel…Highly recommended."-Booklist (starred review) A riveting new historical fiction novel, In All Good Faith continues the story of May Marshall, the captivating protagonist introduced in Taylor’s acclaimed 2020 debut, Etiquette for Runaways...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama coming-of-age literary-fiction female-mc fiction historical audiobook -
Return to the Irish Boarding House by Sandy Taylor
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsMary Kate takes a deep breath as she stands outside 24 Merrion Square with its red front door and pretty rose garden. Grieving from her recent heartbreak, will returning to the Irish boarding house be the second chance she so desperately needs?Dublin, 1956: When Mary Kate Ryan loses the love of her life, she’s not sure how she can keep going...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family female-mc small-town historical fiction epic -
The Last Waltz: Hearts are at stake in the game of love... (Dorothy Mack Regency Romances) by Dorothy Mack
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA gripping Regency adventure with a plucky heroine! Perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jane Aiken Hodge and Jane Austen. Can Adrienne reverse her family’s misfortune? Belgium When her gambling father dies, young Adrienne Castle must find a way to support her family...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book fiction historical -
Signed, A Paddy by Lisa Boyle
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe gruesome truth hung in the air, and none of us wanted to go near it. Not yet.Ireland, 1848. Fourteen-year-old Rosaleen watches her mother die. Her country is reeling from the great potato famine, which will ultimately kill more than one million people. Driven by a promise and her will to survive, Rosaleen flees her small coastal town...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama literary-fiction coming-of-age female-mc fiction historical friendship -
The Whaler by Ines Thorn
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the opening epic novel of The Island of Sylt trilogy by bestselling author Ines Thorn, a young woman must choose between love and poverty, or thrilling adventure and tormented passion. Germany’s North Sea Coast: The Island of Sylt, 1764 Life in the windswept village of Rantum in the North Sea is fraught with peril and hardship. Most families must rely on arranged marriage just to survive... -
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A Distant Hope by Ellin Carsta, Gerald Chapple
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this breathtaking and emotional saga, a family must travel far from home to save what they hold dear. Hamburg 1888: After thirty prosperous years, coffee importer Peter Hansen & Sons faces hard times—and certain bankruptcy—unless three brothers can make savvy moves to save the faltering business after their father’s untimely death... -
The Promise of Rain by Vasundra Tailor
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA treasured necklace that could unlock a family mystery. But why has it been hidden away for sixty years?With her thirtieth birthday on the horizon, Anna Kotze has accepted that there are some family secrets she’ll never know. While her mother’s Zimbabwean roots are woven into her life, all her father will say is that he was adopted...Categorized as:
family female-mc coming-of-age historical-fiction literary-fiction fiction audiobook mystery -
Matilda's Last Waltz by Tamara McKinley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsAfter the tragic death of her husband, Jenny travels to Churinga, a remote sheep-station in the Australian Outback that he intended to give to her for reasons she doesn't understand.Churinga is harsh and unforgiving, but also has its beauty...and its secrets... -
The Brontë Sisters - The Complete Novels + Extras by Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsExplore this wonderfully put together e-book designed specifically for Kindle format by our team. Includes the major works of the Brontë sisters as well as the lesser known ones. Also includes the beautiful poetry collection by the Brontë sisters as well as poems and two sermons by their father Patrick Brontë... -
The Wedding Dress by Danielle Steel
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn Danielle Steel's epic new novel, the lives of four generations of women in one family span fortune and loss, motherhood, tragedy and victories... -
Hold the Dream by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA young woman inherits a business empire in this sequel to A Woman of Substance, book two in the #1 New York Times–bestselling author’s Harte Family Saga. Nearing retirement, Emma Harte is preparing to leave her retail empire, Harte Enterprises, to her favorite grandchild, Paula McGill Fairley. She has only one request of Paula: “I charge you to hold my dream... -
The Crooked Branch by Jeanine Cummins
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFrom the national bestselling and highly acclaimed author of The Outside Boy comes the deeply moving story of two mothers—witty, self-deprecating Majella, who is shocked by her entry into motherhood in modern-day New York, and her ancestor, tough and terrified Ginny Doyle, whose battles are more fundamental: she must keep her young family alive during Ireland’s Great Famine... -
The Secret Life of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar, Dana Marton
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsA gripping, inspiring novel based on the true story of Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law...Categorized as:
historical-fiction drama literary-fiction family female-mc romance fiction historical -
The Marriage Portrait: A novel by Maggie O'Farrell
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsREESE’S BOOK CLUB DECEMBER PICK • NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • The author of award-winning Hamnet brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable fictional portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de' Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court.“I could not stop reading this incredible true story...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family coming-of-age female-mc fiction historical audiobook -
Where The Winds Dwell by Böðvar Guðmundsson, Bovar Gumundsson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWritten as a letter from a father to a daughter, Where the Winds Dwell is compassionate and real. Guðmundsson brings together past and present in this tragic story of the historic journey to Nýja Ísland, the world's largest Icelandic community outside of Iceland... -
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El prisionero enmascarado by Juliette Benzoni, Francisco Rodriguez de Lecea
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWearing a dress that is splattered with blood and clasping a doll to her chest, Sylvie de Valaines, a four-year-old girl, wanders the streets of the small village of Anet. The year is 1626 and her entire family has just been murdered, likely on the orders of Cardinal Richelieu. When a young boy of 10--Francois de Borbon-Vendome, the prince of Martigues--finds her, he brings her to his castle... -
A Prior Attachment by Dorothy Mack
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA delightful Regency romance! Perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jane Aiken Hodge and Jane Austen. Who is the right man for Gemma? Regency England For two years, Lady Gemma Monteith has awaited the return of her old friend Captain George Godwin, who has been away fighting in the Peninsular war. Having been in love with him since childhood, she is determined to become his wife...Categorized as:
coming-of-age female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book fiction historical -
Forever Waiting: Colette's Appeal by DeVa Gantt
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe gripping saga of the Duvoisins—an extraordinary American family both blessed and cursed—reaches a stunning conclusion. . . . In the wake of heartbreaking tragedy and volatile revelations, the once-great Duvoisin family of Virginia teeters on the brink of disintegration. And trusted governess, Charmaine Ryan, suffers with them... -
Jarvisfield by Gretta Curran Browne
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA STAND ALONE NOVEL - and Book 3 of The Macquarie Series A mixture of the Arabic blood of her father, and the English blood of her mother, Elizabeth (Beth) Jarvis grows up on the estate of Jarvisfield in Scotland. A dark-haired, dark-eyed girl of uncommon beauty who enslaves the hearts of two young men, while loving only one... -
The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA searing book club novel for fans of Where the Crawdad's Sing and The Girls in the Stilt House following one girl fighting for her family, her body, and her right to create a future all her ownSome folks will do anything to control the wild spirit of a Carolina girl...For fourteen-year-old Leah Payne, life in her beloved coastal Carolina town is as simple as it is free...Categorized as:
coming-of-age family female-mc historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book -
The Ironmaster by Jean Stubbs
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe page-turning Howarth saga continues! For fans of Nadine Dorries, Maeve Binchy, Freda Lightfoot and Dilly Court. Can each of the Howarth children find their place in the world? Lancashire, 1785 Although they were all raised together at Kit’s Hill, Ned and Dorcas Howarth’s three children prove to have very different callings...
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