Five or Flop: the Best (and Worst) Historical Fiction Has to Offer

Welcome to Five or Flop, a podcast for the best (and worst) historical fiction has to offer! Each week, we'll be reading and reviewing a different historical fiction book on a scale from flop to five. Make sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates! Have a book you want us to read? Send us a recommendation: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8 Read along with us on StoryGraph! Join the Five or Flop: Season One Reading Challenge and track your progress: https://bit.ly/3T7z8jO

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Houston, We Have a Flop

For the second episode (and first book) of season five, guest host Kelly joins us on a journey to space with Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere! All of us have personal histories with TJR and the space program, so tune in for a fantastic discussion!*Thank you for bearing with us through some of this episode's audio problems!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Our Season Five Reading Challenge is live on StoryGraph! Find it here: https://rb.gy/2qehsnWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

10-14
01:01:06

The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson: Badass Feminists, Badass Flops

We're back, baby! Season five is here, and our theme is Family and Friends. We're reading historical fiction recommendations from our number 1 fans! In this episode, we're taking the stage and reading our first play: The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson. Erin's cousin Elizabeth is joining for the discussion, and she's got a special connection to this one! Listen to learn more.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Our Season Five Reading Challenge is live on StoryGraph! Find it here: https://rb.gy/2qehsnWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

10-07
01:08:18

Reviewing The Handmaiden: Our Final Flop Film

For the last bonus episode before season five begins, we're watching The Handmaiden, the Korean adaptation of Fingersmith! Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Our Season Five Reading Challenge is live on StoryGraph! Find it here: https://rb.gy/2qehsnWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

09-16
37:41

Watching The Color Purple: No Flops Here!

We're back to movies, watching the musical version of The Color Purple! Somehow, Whoopi Goldberg is still here?Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Our Season Five Reading Challenge is live on StoryGraph! Find it here: https://rb.gy/2qehsnWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

09-09
32:04

The Five or Flop Awards: Ranking Four Seasons of Prizewinners

Over the seasons, Grace and Erin have read a lot of award-winning novels, from the Pulitzer, to the Booker, to the... British Fantasy Award? Now, it's time to decide who deserved the honor!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

09-02
32:19

Watching The Letter: The Flopverse of W. Somerset Maugham

For our first bonus episode following Season Four, we're diving back into The Letter cinematic universe and watching the Bette Davis movie! Do we recommend it? Well, that's up to interpretation.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

08-26
26:27

The Color Purple by Alice Walker: Season Four Has Finished Flopping

It's the big season finale this week, and we're reading The Color Purple! We look back on the highs and lows of the season, but first we have a discussion about how classics age and what to do when an author betrays the themes of their most famous work.Here is the article Grace cites: Fact and Fiction in Alice Walker's The Color Purple, by Jacqueline Jones.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

08-05
59:36

Jews Queers Germans by Martin Duberman: The Most Notorious Flop on the Pod

We're walking a thin genre line in today's episode - come with us as we explore Jews Queers Germans by Martin Duberman!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

07-29
44:06

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: Fine or Flop?

We're discussing our two favorite topics this week- pacing and plot twists- as we read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

07-22
52:14

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia: Everything’s Flop Babe

We're excited to introduce a new subgenre to the pod this week with our first mystery novel! Find out the person, place, and weapon in this week's episode on Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

07-15
32:29

The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng: Flopping on the Veranda

We're crossing decades and oceans this week, and juggling tons of real-life historical figures: we're reading The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng! Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

07-08
41:30

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: Flop Dog Stands

We're two-thirds of the way through Season 4, and this week is a big one: we're reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides! The book covers a lot of ground, we have a lot of thoughts, and the historical accuracy section is a lot longer than usual!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

07-01
57:07

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta: Flopping in a Feminist Modern Way

Cantoras, Part 2? Grace and Erin disagree over this week's book, Under the Udala Trees, but we're excited to return to an era we previously visited in Season 2!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

06-24
40:24

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall: Premise Five, Practice Flop

This week, we tackle our romance pick for the season: A Lady for a Duke, a classic historical romance with an LGBTQ+ twist!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

06-17
52:45

Cantoras by Caro de Robertis: Erin's Flight Flops Again

Erin's back from Ireland with another plane story, Grace's AC is on full blast, and we have a new book and a new era on deck: Cantoras by Caro de Robertis, set in 1970s Uruguay!Note: Erin was correct in the episode! The Thirty Names of Night did win the Stonewall Book Award in 2021.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

06-10
46:08

Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel: How Do You Say Flop in French?

It's a special week, not only because we're reading Daughters of the Deer, but because we are joined by a special guest host: Jen! Will this episode be streamed more than Love in the Time of Cholera? Let's find out!The queer indigenous language source cited by Erin in the historical accuracy section can be found here: https://queerlanguage.com/2018/12/20/queer-indigenous-language-and-identity-north-america/Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

06-03
01:10:06

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue: Finally Free From Flops

We're off to Ireland (and so is Erin) this week, reading The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue! Hopefully, Erin doesn't catch the Spanish flu while she's there.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

05-27
50:55

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault: Alexander the Flop

This week, Erin confronts an old enemy when we read Mary Renault's The Persian Boy, the second in her Alexander the Great trilogy.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

05-20
36:12

The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar: An Unprecedented Number of Flops in NYC

In this episode, we're headed to both Syria AND Little Syria with The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar! We hope you like birds, because there certainly are an unprecedented number of them.Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

05-13
40:18

Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher: Camelflop

We're back this week with another audiobook and another Grace and Erin disagreement: it's Arthurian legend time, and we're reading Gwen and Art Are Not in Love!Five or Flop is a podcast dedicated to the best and worst historical fiction has to offer. Each week we'll be reading a new book and rating it on a scale of flop, fine, or five. The theme for Season Four is Reading Rainbow.Leave us a review and give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @fiveorflop_pod for all the latest updates!Join our Season Four Reading Challenge on StoryGraph: http://bit.ly/4mcCZbjWant to recommend a book for a future season? Submit the title here: https://forms.gle/1JroxLkK157zpa9N8

05-06
53:10

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