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May 10, 2023 · Our list of the 50 best historical fiction books includes bestsellers, bookseller picks, and award winners. Find your next historical fiction read!
Mar 17, 2024 · From WW2 novels to historical romance novels, our guide to the best historical fiction books will transport you through time.
- Sughnen Yongo
- Reedsy
- The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. The Red Tent is narrated by Dinah, the daughter of Jacob — the patriarch of the Israelites in the Old Testament.
- Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin. Ursula K. Le Guin is best known for her pioneering work in fantasy, but Lavinia proves she’s a master of historical fiction too.
- I, Claudius by Robert Graves. When you hear about Roman emperors, you typically think of Augustus or Nero — few actually remember Claudius.
- The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd. At once painstakingly researched and painfully human, The Book of Longings tackles a provocative subject with a sensitive, lyrical touch: the hypothetical marriage of Jesus Christ.
- A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande. Setting: 1840s, Mexico. Set during the Mexican-American War, this 2022 novel explores themes of colonialism, war and star-crossed love.
- The Circus Train by Amita Parikh. Setting: 1930s, Europe. Every moment is full of magic at the World of Wonders, Europe’s finest traveling circus, and Amita Parikh’s novel brings that magic to life on every page.
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Setting: 1700s, Ghana. This novel, set in 18th-century Ghana and originally published in 2016, follows two half sisters who’ve never met.
- The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. Setting: 1930s, Texas Panhandle. This 2021 bestselling novel, which has nearly 60,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, looks at a crumbling marriage against the backdrop of the Great Depression.
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
- A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee
- Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The Buddha in The Attic by Julie Otsuka
- Doc by Mary Doria Russell
- The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
- The Fair Fight by Anna Freeman
Time Period and Setting: 192os, Russia Description: In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in...
Time Period and Setting: 1900s, India Description: Calcutta, 1919. Captain Sam Wyndham, former Scotland Yard detective, is a new arrival to Calcutta. Desperately seeking a fresh start after his experiences during the Great War, Wyndham has been recruited to head up a new post in the police force. He is immediately overwhelmed by the heady vibrancy ...
Time Period and Setting: 1800s, Canada Description: It’s 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. An up-and-coming e...
Time Period and Setting: Late 1800s, U.S. Description: Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of...
Time Period and Setting: Late 1700s, Jamaica Description: A true triumph of voice and storytelling, The Book of Night Women rings with both profound authenticity and a distinctly contemporary energy. It is the story of Lilith, born into slavery on a Jamaican sugar plantation at the end of the eighteenth century. Even at her birth, the slave women a...
Time Period and Setting: 1930s, Germany Description: It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. Wit...
Time Period and Setting: Early 1900s, U.S. Description: A gorgeous novel by the celebrated author of When the Emperor Was Divine that tells the story of a group of young women brought from Japan to San Francisco as “picture brides” nearly a century ago. In eight unforgettable sections, The Buddha in the Attic traces the extraordinary lives of these...
Time Period and Setting: Late 1800s, U.S. Description: Born to the life of a Southern gentleman, Dr. John Henry Holliday arrives on the Texas frontier hoping that the dry air and sunshine of the West will restore him to health. Soon, with few job prospects, Doc Holliday is gambling professionally with his partner, Mária Katarina Harony, a high-stru...
Time Period and Setting: Ancient Israel Description: Nearly two thousand years ago, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffman’s novel is a spellbinding tal...
Time Period and Setting: 1800s, England Description: Born in a brothel, Ruth doesn’t expect much for herself beyond abuse. While her sister’s beauty affords a certain degree of comfort, Ruth’s harsh looks set her on a path of drudgery. That is until she meets pugilist patron George Dryer and discovers her true calling—fighting bare knuckles in the ...
- Nikki Vanry
Dec 23, 2021 · Whether you’re a beginner to this genre or have been a fan for some time now, this list of the most influential historical fiction of all time might be helpful. Keep reading to know more about what roles gender, class, and ethnicity played in our defining our present.
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Jul 16, 2024 · Whether you’re looking for the sweeping historical romance of Winston Graham’s historical fiction series Poldark, or feminist retellings of ancient Greek myth like Natalie Haynes’ Stone Blind, there’s a historical fiction novel for everyone.
