5 Best Books is a meme hosted by Cassandra at Indie Reader Houston.
This week's topic: the 5 best books based on a true story
My list, in no particular order:
- Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally. This is a novel based on the efforts of Oskar Schindler, a reluctant hero, to save the lives of hundreds of Jews in Czechoslovakia. The movie is exceptional as well.
- The Paris Wife by Paula McClain. A novel about Ernest and Hadley Hemingway and their years in Paris.
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Yes, this is non-fiction so by definition it is based on a true story; but this book reads like a novel and got me to connect emotionally to the "characters" of the story.
- Guernica: A Novel by Dave Boling. Fascinating story about the events leading up to and following the terrible attack on the Basque city during the Spanish Civil War.
- The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt. Another non-fiction book, this time about Venice and a fire that destroyed its historic opera house in 1996. I frankly had no real interest in visiting Venice until I read this book.
Oh, yes! Great choices! I have read a few of these, and a few others are on my list. I totally agree that Guernica was a fabulous book, and deserved a spot on this list!
ReplyDeleteI chose several non-fiction titles that read like novels to put on my list. This topic was harder than I thought it would be when I chose it! I think I need to read The Paris Wife, and I'm very interested in Henrietta Lacks.
ReplyDeleteFantastic list!
Loved Guernica, great book. I had some problems with Schindler's List/Ark as I wonder if Keneally tried too much to prove that Schindler was a good guy all along. Great list.
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