Friends & Fiction with Christina Baker Kline

The Conversation Begins brings together interviews with mothers and daughters connected to the women’s movement. Christina Baker Kline and her mother investigate how feminist ideas are inherited, resisted, revised, or transformed across generations. The book asks how someone can rebel against a rebel and whether political convictions pass naturally from parent to child. Its oral-history approach preserves women’s accounts of pivotal social changes that were often absent from conventional education. The project deepened Kline’s interest in telling women’s stories and recovering neglected corners of history.

Band of Sisters follows a group of young women from Smith College who volunteer in France after the First World War. Their mission is to rebuild villages and support families whose homes and livelihoods were destroyed. The women bring different backgrounds, convictions, and personal wounds to the effort, creating tensions alongside strong bonds. Lauren Willig explores female friendship, class, grief, service, and the complicated legacy of wartime idealism. The novel combines an overlooked historical episode with an intimate story of women finding courage and solidarity.

Amor Towles's "Lincoln Highway" is a captivating novel set in 1954, following the journey of two brothers released from a Nebraska work farm. Their planned trip to New York City takes an unexpected turn when they encounter a fellow inmate and a runaway. The novel explores themes of brotherhood, freedom, and the complexities of the American Dream. Towles masterfully weaves together multiple perspectives and storylines, creating a rich and engaging narrative. The characters' choices and their consequences shape the story's compelling trajectory.

After being stolen from her German parents and raised in the forests of eastern Europe, Yona is left alone when her kidnapper dies. In 1941, she encounters Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution and teaches them how to survive in the wilderness, while they teach her about trust, connection, and hope. Inspired by real stories of survival, the novel blends historical fiction, suspense, and coming-of-age themes.

The Tempest, written around 1610-1611, is one of Shakespeare's last solo works. The play revolves around Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, who was usurped by his brother Antonio and left to die at sea with his infant daughter Miranda. They survive and find refuge on a remote island, where Prospero masters magic and enslaves the native Caliban and the spirit Ariel. When a ship carrying his enemies passes by, Prospero conjures a tempest to bring them ashore. The play explores themes of magic, betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness as Prospero manipulates the shipwrecked characters to rectify past wrongs and ultimately forgives them. The story also includes the romance between Ferdinand, the King of Naples' son, and Miranda, and ends with Prospero's decision to return to Milan and reclaim his dukedom.

In *The Plot*, struggling novelist Jake Bonner takes a story idea from one of his students and turns it into a bestselling book. When anonymous messages begin accusing him of theft, he is pulled into a dangerous mystery that forces him to confront the true origins of the plot he used.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel that explores the lives of two women, Vivian Daly, a 91-year-old orphan train rider, and Molly Ayer, a troubled teenager. Through their unexpected friendship, the novel delves into themes of resilience, identity, and the secrets that shape lives. The story highlights the historical context of the orphan trains, which carried over 250,000 children across America, often resulting in varied fates for the children involved.

Little Bitty Lies follows a woman whose husband disappears after squandering family funds, leaving her on the brink of financial collapse and forced to make desperate choices to protect her daughter. The protagonist decides to fake her husband's death to collect insurance money, setting off ethical dilemmas and emotional fallout. Mary Kay Andrews explores themes of maternal sacrifice, deception, and the lengths people go to preserve stability for loved ones. The story examines how morally ambiguous actions ripple through relationships and community trust. Andrews balances suspense with empathetic character work in a novel about survival and the cost of lies.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline tells the story of three women—Evangeline, Hazel, and Mathinna—whose lives intersect in 19th-century Australia. Evangeline, a governess, and Hazel, a pickpocket, are transported to a penal colony, while Mathinna, an Aboriginal girl, is 'adopted' by the governor's wife. The novel explores themes of redemption, freedom, and the unbreakable bonds of female friendships in a challenging new society.