Books like 'Freedom Swimmer'
Readers who enjoyed Freedom Swimmer by Wai Chim also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance east-asia asia historical-fiction china friendship poc-mc high-school realistic
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The Sea Speaks His Name by Leila S. Chudori
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThe tragic yet inspiring story of a group of friends, all young and idealistic political activists who faced the iron fist of power in the waning days of the Suharto regime, in the late 1990s.In the twilight hours of a day in March, Biru Laut was ambushed by four unknown men. Together with his friends, Daniel, Sunu and Alex, he was taken to an unknown location...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction politics book drama female-author -
The Earl and His Lady by Sally Britton
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsLady Virginia Macon, the recently widowed Baroness of Heatherton, has an impossible decision to make. Her late husband’s unscrupulous brother wants to take her sons away from her, and the British courts are on his side, unless she marries a man willing to be the boys’ guardian. Locking her heart away and devoting herself to her children is the only way Virginia can countenance such a decision... -
Dreams of the Island by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHenry McAvoy leaned forward. “I have been looking for an artist just like you—a diamond in the rough, so to speak. And really, Miss Copley,” he said gently, “what do you have to lose?”1911, Amherst Island, Canada: When a chance encounter takes Ellen Copley away from the beautiful island she has called home since she was orphaned as a child—she believes it is the new start she has been waiting for...Categorized as:
historical-fiction high-school literary-fiction romance historical ww1 fiction 20th-century -
Boy Like Me by Simon James Green
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn the margins of a book's pages, sparks fly as a teenage romance begins. But in this time and place, sparks like these can only ignite trouble. It's 1994 and thanks to Section 28, there can be no mention of gay relationships in UK schools... -
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The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 19 ratingsFrom the award-winning author of Yellow Wife, a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc realistic adult audiobook black-mc -
This Was a Man by Jeffrey Archer, Susanna Tuomi-Giddings
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIn Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife Karin from the Cabinet Secretary. Is she a spy or a pawn in a larger game? Harry Clifton sets out to write his magnum opus, while his wife Emma completes her ten years as Chairman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and receives an unexpected call from Margaret Thatcher offering her a job... -
Red Skies by Kay Bratt
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn the fourth book of the Tales of the Scavenger’s Daughters series, the fates of three people who’ve never met converge in profound and unexpected ways.Mari, the daughter of the town scavenger, grew up knowing hardship, but she never could have anticipated the struggles that now face her as an adult. Feeling alone and isolated, she dreams of a better life...Categorized as:
asia china east-asia family historical-fiction literary-fiction action-adventure adult -
The Champagne Queen by Petra Durst-Benning
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhen Isabelle took a chance and eloped with Leon Feininger, her true love, she hadn’t stopped to consider what would happen next. Winter on his family’s isolated vineyard proves tougher than she expected, and Isabelle finds herself daydreaming, envisioning the wines she and Leon will make when they have their own land...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century adult audiobook book -
The Orphan's Island by Katharine Swartz, Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratings1904: Ellen Copley is still a child when she leaves behind the sooty rail yards of Glasgow, and crosses the Atlantic Ocean with a heart full of dreams. Yet within weeks of their arrival in America, her father has disappeared—leaving Ellen with resentful relatives, feeling alone and scared for her future...Categorized as:
historical-fiction high-school family literary-fiction historical christian ww2 fiction -
The Memory Tree by Linda Gillard
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCan the power of love overcome life’s darkest memories and deepest losses? When her favourite beech tree is felled in a storm, Ann feels as if someone has died. But when long-hidden seed packets are found inside the trunk, Ann realises there are more memories than her own lurking within the ancient tree . . -
Heaven to Betsy by Maud Hart Lovelace
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHigh School is Heaven! It's Betsy Ray's freshman year at Deep Valley High School, and she and her best childhood chum, Tacy Kelly, are loving every minute...Categorized as:
children family friendship high-school historical-fiction realistic 20th-century book -
Home by Leila S. Chudori
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"An ambitious saga that intertwines narration from various generations and creates a wide-ranging picture of Indonesia... -
A Family’s Heartbreak by Kitty Neale
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAll they ever wanted was somewhere to call home… Beaten When Jenny’s mother abandons her and her younger siblings, Jenny is left at the mercy of her abusive father Henry. And when Henry beats his eldest daughter so badly that she ends up in the hospital, it seems like there’s nowhere left for them all to go...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family literary-fiction romance historical audiobook fiction urban -
Gabrielle by Marie Laberge
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsQuébec, 1930. Gabrielle est mariée avec Edward depuis bientôt dix ans. Entre la maison de l’île d’Orléans et celle de la Grande-Allée, elle mène une vie bien remplie, entourée de ses cinq enfants. De toute évidence, il s’agit d’un mariage heureux. Mais cette chose qui devrait être si simple fait pourtant froncer bien des sourcils dans l’entourage de Gabrielle... -
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Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWelcome back to Deep Valley Emily Webster, an orphan living with her grandfather, is not like the other girls her age in Deep Valley, Minnesota. The gulf between Emily and her classmates widens even more when they graduate from Deep Valley High School in 1912. Emily longs to go off to college with everyone else, but she can't leave her grandfather...Categorized as:
children family friendship high-school historical-fiction literary-fiction 20th-century book -
Sapphire Battersea by Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHetty Feather is a Foundling Hospital girl and was given her name when she was left there as a baby. When she is reunited with her mother, she hopes her beautiful new name, Sapphire Battersea, will also mean a new life! But things don't always go as planned.…Follow the twists and turns of Hetty's adventure as she goes out to work as a maid for a wealthy man...Categorized as:
children friendship historical-fiction realistic action-adventure book drama female-mc -
The Rose Stone by Teresa Crane
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA dazzling jewel holds the key to a prosperous new life… or total ruin The Rose Stone. A diamond, gained through betrayal and blood, upon which the Rosenberg family's fortunes were founded and whose price is yet to be paid. Kiev, 1875: Josef Rosenberg narrowly escapes death from a Cossack raid, rescuing Tanya, the youngest daughter of his old friend Boris Anatov...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction family romance historical 20th-century fiction epic -
Mr Darcy's Persuasion by Cass Grafton, Cassandra Grafton
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsTwo of Jane Austen’s classics collide in this intriguing tale of pride, prejudice and persuasion, set in England’s beautiful West Country.In the aftermath of the Netherfield Ball, Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are determined to find respite—Darcy from the allure of the lady and the feelings she evokes in him, and Elizabeth from the drama unfolding at Longbourn...Categorized as:
historical-fiction family literary-fiction friendship industrial-era regency fiction historical -
A Durable Fire by Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn the first years of Kenyan independence, three young women return to the East African highlands where they shared a carefree childhood. Hannah is struggling to preserve her heritage at Langani Farm, where a series of unexplained and violent attacks threaten her security and recent marriage... -
The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsIn Japanese-occupied Shanghai, two people from different cultures are drawn together by fate and the freedom of music...1940. Aiyi Shao is a young heiress and the owner of a formerly popular and glamorous Shanghai nightclub. Ernest Reismann is a penniless Jewish refugee driven out of Germany, an outsider searching for shelter in a city wary of strangers... -
Anna's Crossing by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Anna Konig first meets Bairn, the Scottish ship carpenter of the "Charming Nancy," their encounter is anything but pleasant. Anna is on the ship only to ensure the safe arrival of her loved ones to the New World. Hardened by years of living at sea, Bairn resents toting these naive farmers--dubbed "Peculiars" by deckhands--across the ocean... -
The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA historical tale of friendship, family, and the power of sisterhood to help heal the wounds of the past and step boldly into the future of post-WWII America.Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms... -
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... -
A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratings"So it is that Vine, Cherokee-born and raised in the early 1900s, trains her eye on a young white man, forsaking her family and their homeland to settle in with Saul's people: his smart-as-a-whip, slow-to-love mother, Esme; his brother Aaron, a gifted banjo player, hot tempered and unpredictable; and Aaron's flightly and chattery Melungeon wife, Aidia...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc realistic 20th-century adult -
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An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor, John Keating
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsAn Irish Country Wedding is another heart-warming addition to New York Times bestselling author Patrick Taylor's Irish Country series.Love is in the air in the colourful Ulster village of Ballybucklebo, where Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly has finally proposed to the darling of his youth, Kitty O'Hallorhan... -
Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery, Jane Urquhart
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsEmily Starr was born with the desire to write. As an orphan living on New Moon Farm, writing helped her face the difficult, lonely times. But now all her friends are going away to high school in nearby Shrewsbury, and her old-fashioned, tyrannical aunt Elizabeth will only let her go if she promises to stop writing! All the same, this is the first step in Emily's climb to success...Categorized as:
children family friendship high-school historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic teens -
Flowers in the Snow by Danielle Stewart
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIf you step across the threshold of Betty Grafton’s house, you can be sure of two things: she’ll feed you until you’re ready to bust and she’ll love you before you even realize you’re worthy of it. She’s spent her life building a family that finally feels complete. But as sad news forces her to relive the darkest moments of her life, she decides to share the story with those she loves...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc audiobook black-mc book -
The Neighbors by Ahmad Mahmoud
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAhmad Mahmoud sets The Neighbors against the backdrop of the oil nationalization crisis that gripped Iran in the early 1950s...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction politics adult audiobook book fiction historical -
The Angel Tree by Lucinda Riley
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsThirty years have passed since Greta Marchmont left the mansion in which she had once found a home. Now she returns to Marchmont Hall in the snowy mountains of Wales - but she has no memory of her past because, since a tragic accident, she suffers from amnesia... -
Rhythms by Donna Hill
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt all began in 1927, in the small town of Rudell, Mississippi, after the sudden and tragic death of Cora Harvey's parents. She has nothing left except her burning desire to become a singer. But her dream will never come true in Rudell, especially if she marries the man she adores, Dr. David Mackey... -
The Moon that Embraces the Sun 1 by Jung Eun-gwol
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLee Hwon mulai menyelidiki penyebab kematian Yeon Woo, yang ternyata menyimpan berbagai keganjilan. Semua bukti menunjukkan bahwa Yeon Woo dibunuh, tapi yang lebih mencengangkan, ada dugaan bahwa Yeon Woo sebenarnya belum meninggal. Tanpa disadari, penyelidikan Hwon pun berujung pada pengungkapan identitas Wol... -
Song of the Sea (American Dreams) by Jean Ferris
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsRaider is almost killed boarding the LIGHTNING to save Rosie from the cruel Captain Lawrence, who has kidnapped, tormented and imprisoned her. Rosie nurses his wounds and tries to forget his surprising kiss, while she prays for his life.and for her own strength to resist him. For she knows there's no room in his life for love...Categorized as:
children friendship historical-fiction action-adventure book fiction historical womens-fiction -
Lord of the Masquerade by Erica Ridley
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsA fun, fast-paced interracial romance full of banter, scandal, and devastating secrets, from a New York Times bestselling author:Entrepreneur Miss Unity Thorne helped two different men amass their fortunes—only to end up on the street. She’s scraping by at the theatre, but this isn’t the show she plans to star in. The next fortune Unity builds will be hers alone... -
Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj, คึกฤทธิ์ ปราโมช
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThis English version of the Thai novel Si Phaendin tells the rich and entertaining story of one woman's life both inside and outside the royal palace in Bangkok...Categorized as:
asia family historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic action-adventure adult book -
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In Borrowed Light by Barbara Keating, Stephanie Keating
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA breathtaking story of friendship and love set against the backdrop of twentieth-century Kenya Fourteen years after independence, the enduring childhood friendship of three women has carried them through times of violence and loss in Kenya, their chosen homeland... -
The Rain Queen by Katherine Scholes
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsTwo women, bound by a shocking event, drawn to a vast and beautiful country they cannot forget. Kate Carrington has cut all ties with Africa, the land of her birth. Her past is buried alongside her missionary parents, the last reminders locked safely away in the attic. But when a mysterious woman moves in next door, Kate's carefully constructed world is torn apart...Categorized as:
friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult book colonization drama fiction -
The Distant Shores by Santa Montefiore
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsMargot Hart travels to Ireland to write a biography of the famous Deverill family. She knows she must speak to the current Lord Deverill - JP - if she is to uncover the secrets of the past. A notorious recluse, JP won't be an easy man to crack. But Margot is determined - and she is not a woman who is easily put off...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction adult audiobook book female-mc -
Emerald Star by Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsA fantastic new adventure for brave, feisty Hetty Feather - one of Jacqueline Wilson's most well-loved characters.Since leaving the Foundling Hospital, Hetty has seen her fair share of drama, excitement, tragedy and loss. After the death of her beloved mama, she sets off to find a real home at last – starting with the search for her father... -
The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsManhattan, Thanksgiving Eve, 1945. The war was over, and Eric Smythe's party was in full swing. All his clever Greenwich Village friends were there. So too was his sister Sara -- an independent, canny young woman, starting to make her way in the big city. And then in walked a gatecrasher, Jack Malone -- a U. S...Categorized as:
communism family historical-fiction literary-fiction politics 20th-century 21st-century adult -
Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 5 ratingsIn this powerful novel about the cost of greatness, a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime—from the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising.Carrie Soto is fierce, and her determination to win at any cost has not made her popular. But by the time she retires from tennis, she is the best player the world has ever seen... -
The Moon that Embraces the Sun 2 by Jung Eun-gwol
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLee Hwon mulai menyelidiki penyebab kematian Yeon Woo, yang ternyata menyimpan berbagai keganjilan. Semua bukti menunjukkan bahwa Yeon Woo dibunuh, tapi yang lebih mencengangkan, ada dugaan bahwa Yeon Woo sebenarnya belum meninggal. Tanpa disadari, penyelidikan Hwon pun berujung pada pengungkapan identitas Wol... -
Nelly Kelly: An uplifting tale of grit and determination in the most desperate of circumstances by Lena Kennedy
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn the turmoil and confusion of London's East End between the wars, young Nelly Kelly soon learns that life may never match her expectations. Forced to keep house for her autocratic, charming father, Nelly toils in a sweatshop to keep her family fed and clothed. But when life is hard, Nelly has friendship, dancing and her early dreams to cling to... -
Katerina's Wish by Jeannie Mobley
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn this moving debut, an immigrant girl discovers that hard work and determination can make dreams come true.Katerina has a dream. It's her papa's dream, too. Her family came to America to buy their own farm. But a year later, Papa is still working in the dangerous coal mine. Each day, the farm seems farther away.Then Katerina is reminded of the carp that granted three wishes in an old folktale... -
A White Bird Flying by Bess Streeter Aldrich
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAbbie Deal, the matriarch of a pioneer Nebraska family, has died at the beginning of A White Bird Flying, leaving her china and heavy furniture to others and to her granddaughter Laura the secret of her dream of finer things...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction book classics fiction historical literary -
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Lord of Temptation: A Historical Regency Romance Novel by Erica Ridley
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsBe careful what you wish for... When Lord Hawkridge inherits a penniless marquessate, he must abandon his courtship of the lowborn girl he loves. Years later, she rises from commoner to textiles heiress. Hawk has never banished her from his heart... -
Redemption Song by Bertice Berry
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsOwner of a small African-American bookshop, Miss Cozy has an unique gift: Customers who walk through her door rarely leave without a book that speaks directly to their life. But when Josephine--"Fina"--and Ross arrive in search of an obscure, unpublished manuscript written by a slave woman, Miss Cozy knows that all her visions have been leading her to this magical day...Categorized as:
family friendship historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc adult audiobook black-mc -
The Forgotten Duke by Sophie Barnes
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsHe never imagined he'd be the man he was born to be, or that one woman's faith in him would change his life forever... When Carlton Guthrie, Scoundrel of St. Giles, encounters a runaway bride in the London slums, he offers to help her. Not out of kindness, but because she's the Earl of Hedgewick's daughter. Using Regina to exact his revenge on her father seems like the perfect plan... -
All We Left Behind by Danielle R. Graham
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFor fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz‘Heart-wrenching. Emotional. A powerful story of wartime love and devotion’ Glynis Peters, author of The Secret OrphanA powerful and incredibly moving historical novel inspired by an untold story of the Second World War.Vancouver 1941As the war rages around the world, Hitler’s fury is yet to be felt on the peaceful shores of Mayne Island...Categorized as:
family historical-fiction literary-fiction poc-mc 20th-century book fiction historical -
The Babysitting Wars by Mimi McCoy
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsCandy Apple is a fresh, fun take on fiction for girls: a new line of single titles with pep and pizzazz targeted at the solid middle-grade reader. Kaitlyn is the top babysitter in Marshfield Lake...until super-sitter Nola moves to town and starts stealing Kaitlyn's clients away... -
American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt by Stephanie Marie Thornton, Stephanie Marie Thornton
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsA sweeping novel from renowned author Stephanie Marie Thornton... Alice may be the president's daughter, but she's nobody's darling. As bold as her signature color Alice Blue, the gum-chewing, cigarette-smoking, poker-playing First Daughter discovers that the only way for a woman to stand out in Washington is to make waves--oceans of them...
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