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524 ratings | 110 reviews | avg rating:4.77

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Kim van Alkemade

Goodreads Author

Born

in New York, NY, The United States

Website

http://kimvanalkemade.com/

Genre

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Gay and Lesbian

Member Since

March 2013

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Kim van Alkemade is a New York Times bestselling author whose work has been translated into eleven languages. After a career teaching writing at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, she now works at an independent bookstore in upstate New York where she lives with her partner, their rescue dog, and two feisty backyard chickens.

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Popular Answered Questions

Hi! I just read your book Orphan #8 (finished it about an hour ago actually). I feel the impact of your novel has greatly changed the way I look at people of the LGBTQ+ community who are Jewish. I'm a leader of my school's Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA). I was wondering if you'd be comfortable sharing your experience as a Jewish LGBTQ+ woman and as an author and how that has impacted you? Thank you so much!

Kim van Alkemade Hi Celeste, thanks so much for reading my novel! I'm not sure my personal experience is all that interesting or useful, but there are so many great re…moreHi Celeste, thanks so much for reading my novel! I'm not sure my personal experience is all that interesting or useful, but there are so many great resources through the American Library Associations LGBT Roundtable I'm sure you can find some great reading for your students. http://www.ala.org/rt/glbtrt
It is really important for me, though, to have LGBT characters in my historical fiction as I think it reclaims a historical space for us that is often invisible since so much was hushed up in the past. I'd also recommend that you check out the book Hidden From History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past, it's a fantastic resource.(less)

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Hi Kim, are was there currently research that caused you make this a into a novel- is it a personal experience for you?

Kim van Alkemade Hi Velvet, I wrote an essay for the back of the novel, the PS section, called "True Stories" that really goes in depth in answer to your question. Aft…moreHi Velvet, I wrote an essay for the back of the novel, the PS section, called "True Stories" that really goes in depth in answer to your question. After you read it let me know if you have any other questions!(less)

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Kim van Alkemade’s books

Average rating: 3.73 · 27,176 ratings · 2,867 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors

	Orphan Number Eight 3.72 avg rating — 21,698 ratings — published 2015 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Bachelor Girl 3.65 avg rating — 3,799 ratings — published 2018 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Counting Lost Stars 4.08 avg rating — 1,608 ratings — published 2023 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Upstate 4.28 avg rating — 71 ratings — expected publication 2026 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Kim van Alkemade rated a book really liked it Home Economics by Katy Hays (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5 hours, 34 min ago · like
Kim van Alkemade wants to read Unspeakable Things by Elizabeth Hand	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 24, 2026 03:54AM · like
Kim van Alkemade rated a book it was amazing Dangerous Independence: The Rebellious Life and Love of a Gilded Age First Lady by Rebecca Boggs Roberts	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 23, 2026 02:13PM · like
Kim van Alkemade rated a book it was amazing Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 21, 2026 05:49PM · like
Kim van Alkemade rated a book it was amazing Luna, Phoenix, Queen by Julie Orringer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 15, 2026 06:40PM · like
Kim van Alkemade rated a book it was amazing Doom Painting by A.K. Blakemore	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
When lazy aristocrats live large off the labor of the poor, one tax too many sets off a rebellion in this masterpiece of historical fiction about the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Written with bravado and verve, Blakemore brings a sweeping cast of charac ...more
Oct 11, 2026 10:38AM · like · see review
Kim van Alkemade finished reading The Black Woods: Pursuing Racial Justice on the Adirondack Frontier by Amy Godine	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 10, 2026 02:15AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Black Woods by Amy Godine. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Black Woods by Amy Godine <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Kim van Alkemade rated a book it was amazing Doom Painting by A.K. Blakemore	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
When lazy aristocrats live large off the labor of the poor, one tax too many sets off a rebellion in this masterpiece of historical fiction about the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Written with bravado and verve, Blakemore brings a sweeping cast of charac ...more
Oct 09, 2026 04:58AM · like · see review
Kim van Alkemade entered a giveaway Fruit Fly by Josh Silver (Goodreads Author) 10 copies available, ends on October 28, 2026 Enter to win »
Oct 08, 2026 04:49AM · like · see giveaway
Kim van Alkemade started reading Doom Painting by A.K. Blakemore	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 03, 2026 12:27PM · like

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Quotes by Kim van Alkemade (?)

“I was so used to pretending to be something I wasn't, it shocked me to be seen for what I was.”
― Kim van Alkemade, Orphan Number Eight

tags: crying, kiss, lesbian, lgbtqia, librarian, loneliness, rachel, romance

5 likes

“What makes you think I ever got married? Married women work themselves to death, all their money goes to husbands who gamble it away. Why would I ever do that to myself?”
― Kim van Alkemade, Orphan Number Eight

tags: businesswoman, chinese-american, equal-pay, feminism, marriage, marriage-equality, mrs-hong, wig-maker

3 likes

“Sometimes I ask myself if there’s any limit to the harm people can do to each other.” “No,”
― Kim van Alkemade, Orphan Number Eight

3 likes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Book Nook Cafe: What I read October 2015	59	38	Nov 21, 2015 02:46PM
Reading with Style: FA 2015 RwS Completed Tasks - Fall 2015	1016	104	Nov 30, 2015 09:00PM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2015: Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE POSTS)	3249	611	Nov 30, 2015 09:01PM
A Million More Pages: POFM November 2015	190	123	Dec 02, 2015 12:37PM
Book Nook Cafe: Carol's 2015 Reads & Reviews	167	92	Jan 07, 2016 09:37AM

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Kim van Alkemade

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