Books like The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw

Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’s 1837-39 social novel, follows an orphan raised in a workhouse who flees to London, joins a gang of pickpockets, and uncovers family secrets while exposing child labour and exploitation.

Craig of the Mohicans, a frontier scout turns away from civilization, forming a bond with a Mohican warrior as they escort two sisters across the perilous wilderness of America's frontier.

Set during the French Indochina War, the novel follows British journalist Thomas Fowler, his mistress Phuong, and American idealist Pyle, whose ambitions and tragic fate reshape their lives amid political turmoil.

A coming‑of‑age narrative set in 19th‑century England, following young David Copperfield as he navigates orphanhood, hardship and society’s social hierarchies.

Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Lowland traces two brothers—Subhash, who settles in America, and Udayan, who joins a political uprising in Calcutta—and their divergent paths until a tragic event forces a return to India and a quest to mend family bonds.

Henry James’s early novel follows an American diplomat in Paris who must navigate the social intrigues of diplomatic life, the complexities of man‑woman relationships, and the contrasting worlds of America and France during the late nineteenth century.

A fast-paced historical romance set in early America, featuring the legendary Natty Bumppo and a love story set against the backdrop of the French and Indian War.

A former Japanese POW survivor in post-war Malaya journeys to the secluded Garden of Evening Mists to learn from a reclusive gardener, uncovering secrets of war and forgiveness amid the country's turbulent fight for independence.

A Chilean woman embarks on a quest to find her lover in 1840s California's goldfields, facing numerous challenges and adventures along the way.

The Deerslayer: A prequel to James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales, focusing on the rapid civilizing of New York and the introduction of the hero, Natty Bumppo, to the frontiersmen of the time.

In The Madonnas of Leningrad, aging tour guide Marina recalls the siege of Leningrad, preserving her memories of war and art while living in contemporary America.

Natty Bumppo's first journey into frontier life and the challenges of defending his freedom against dangerous Indians and the corrupting influence of a ruthless new lawman, setting the stage for the larger story of The Last of the Mohicans.

A group of settlers encounters an old trapper on the prairie in 1805, as they push westward over the Great Plains for new land and opportunities in the United States of America, while the country is still being explored.

A historical adventure novel about a Chilean seamstress who flees to Peru and forms a passionate bond with a conquistador, leading to the creation of a new city and a clash between the Spanish and indigenous peoples of Chile.

After 20 years of faithfully managing her home while her whaling husband is absent, Lyddie faces the twin blows of grief and legal loss when her property passes to her daughter’s husband. Determined to regain control, she challenges the law and custom of Cape Cod’s 18th‑century whaling community.

After a social blunder in 1942 Philadelphia, the Hyde family’s fortunes drop. To regain favor, Ellis embarks on a wartime quest to find the Loch Ness Monster, while his wife Maddie learns self‑discovery amid conflict.

An English heiress in late 18th‑century India adopts an orphaned untouchable boy, forming a mother‑son bond that is shattered when he is kidnapped and found dead, leading Coral to unravel a dangerous family secret.

A tale of the 1839-1846 Anti-rent War in New York, featuring the Littlepage Manuscripts and classic literature characters, including James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, focusing on themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, through the eyes of the Littlepage family, who uncover a secret manuscript that reveals the true power behind the anti-rent movement, and how it was suppressed by those in control, offering a fresh perspective on the history of the era through the lens of a family torn between tradition and change, amidst the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future, with the Littlepage family's journey reflecting the themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future, and the Littlepage family's journey reflecting the themes of rebellion, political activism, and the clash between tradition and progress, set against the backdrop of the tumultuous social upheaval of the time, with James Fenimore Cooper and Ralph Waldo Emerson as characters who embody the conflict of tradition and progress, and the struggle between the past and the future.

After Maribel’s life‑saving recovery, the Rivera family seeks a new life in Delaware, but cultural and linguistic hurdles threaten to derail their hopes for the American Dream.