35 Best Historical Fiction Books We Love Recommending

Perfect for readers and book clubs that love unforgettable discussions. It includes both recent bestselling releases and a few timeless classics that readers continue to cherish, highlighting strong, complex women and men and are set in vivid locations, ranging from war-torn cities to peaceful countryside estates. = Book Club Discussion Questions Available

The Calamity Club By Kathryn Stockett Set in 1933 Mississippi, Birdie Calhoun is in a tough spot and needs money quickly to rescue her ...... family's farm in the Delta. While in Oxford, she meets Meg, an adventurous 11-year-old girl without parents, and Charlie, a woman with a wild plan to make a lot of money. This long-awaited sequel to The Help is filled with humor, emotion, and strong women who are determined to stand their ground and fight for what they believe in. read more

The Young Will Remember By Eve J. Chung In the brutal winter of 1950, Chinese American war correspondent Ellie Chang survives a plane crash behind enemy lines ...... in North Korea. A stranger steps out of the crowd and claims Ellie as her long-lost daughter, and a family hides her at enormous risk. From the author of Daughters of Shandong comes a powerful story of the Forgotten War and the mothers who fight to protect their children. read more

Daughters of the Sun and Moon By Lisa See In 1870, three very different Chinese women land in the rough frontier town of Los Angeles: Dove, a scholar's sheltered ...... daughter; Petal, a peasant girl sold into servitude; and Moon, a doctor's wife with a sharp mind. One wants love, one wants freedom, and one wants justice. As anti-Chinese violence builds toward the 1871 massacre, their unlikely friendship may be the only thing that saves them. read more

Kin By Tayari Jones Niecy and Annie are motherless girls who grow up as "cradle friends" in tiny Honeysuckle, Louisiana. As adults, their ...... lives split down very different roads, until a devastating tragedy pulls them back together. The new novel from the author of An American Marriage asks a question every reader will feel: who, really, is your family? read more

Wild Dark Shore By Charlotte McConaghy Dominic Salt and his three children are the last caretakers of a remote island near Antarctica, guarding a seed vault as the seas ...... rise around them. Then a mysterious woman washes ashore, and the family's carefully kept secrets begin to surface. From the author of Migrations, this is a gripping, gorgeous story of grief, survival, and a wild place at the edge of the world. read more

Keeper of Lost Children By Sadeqa Johnson In occupied Germany in the 1950s, American officer's wife Ethel Gathers discovers an orphanage full of children born to ...... German women and Black GIs, and she sets out to find them homes. Their story intertwines with Ozzie, a Black soldier in love with a German woman, and Sophia, a 1965 teenager who uncovers a secret about who she is. Inspired by the real-life "Brown Baby Plan," this moving novel about belonging is from the author of The House of Eve. read more

It Girl By Allison Pataki In New York at the turn of the 20th century, a shopgirl named Evelyn Talbot becomes an artist's muse, a Broadway ...... star, and America's most famous face. But every powerful man who promises her security wants something in return. Inspired by the real Evelyn Nesbit, this dazzling novel has a twist you won't see coming. read more

Cleopatra By Saara El-Arifi History calls her a seductress, a witch, and a villain. In this bold reimagining, Cleopatra finally tells her own story as ...... a queen, a mother, and a strategist blessed by the gods. Lush, fierce, and touched with magic, it's a must for readers who loved Circe. read more

The Briar Club By Kate Quinn In 1950s Washington, D.C., the women living at Briarwood House are strangers to one another. That changes when a new ...... resident, Grace, begins inviting them for Thursday-night dinners. As they gather for these meals, they start to bond and become friends, each keeping their own secrets. However, as tension and suspicion from the McCarthy era rise, things take a dark turn one night when a shocking event leaves a body on the floor. Suddenly, it becomes clear that everyone has hidden depths, and no one is exactly who they appear to be. read more

The Amalfi Curse By Sarah Penner Nautical archaeologist Haven Ambrose comes to Positano to study shipwrecks, but she's secretly hunting for the gems her ...... late father saw on his last dive. As strange storms batter the coast, she uncovers Mari's story, a young sea witch from 1821 whose magic may have cursed the village. Lemon groves, sunken treasure, and old sorcery make this the perfect escape from The Lost Apothecary's author. read more

The First Witch of Boston By Andrea Catalano In 1646, healer Margaret Jones and her husband Thomas arrive in the Massachusetts Bay Colony hoping for a fresh start. ...... But Margaret's outspoken nature makes her a target in a quick-to-judge Puritan community. Based on the true story of the first woman hanged for witchcraft in Boston, decades before Salem, it's a gripping love story and a haunting warning. read more

Becoming Madam Secretary By Stephanie Dray After witnessing the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, Frances Perkins vows to protect working people. Her fight l...... leads her to FDR's cabinet, where she becomes the first woman to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary and a driving force behind Social Security. Inspiring and timely, it's the story of the woman behind the New Deal that history nearly forgot. read more

One Good Thing By Georgia Hunter Lili and Esti have been inseparable since their university days in Ferrara, Italy. When Germany occupies the country and ...... Esti is gravely wounded, she asks Lili to take her young son Theo and run. From the author of We Were the Lucky Ones comes a heart-pounding journey south through war-torn Italy and a tribute to friendship and courage. read more

Good Dirt By Charmaine Wilkerson When Ebby Freeman was ten, she saw her brother shot during a break-in at the family's Connecticut home, and an heirloom ...... stoneware jar made by an enslaved ancestor shattered with him. Years later, jilted at the altar, she escapes to France, only to run straight into her ex. From the author of Black Cake, this sweeping mystery explores family, loss, and what we inherit. read more

The Frozen River By Ariel Lawhon In the winter of 1789, a man is found frozen in Maine's Kennebec River, and midwife Martha Ballard is called to examine the body. ...... Her findings point toward two powerful men she has already accused of another crime. Based on a real midwife's diary, this gripping mystery features a heroine who won't stay silent in a world run by men. read more

Isola By Allegra Goodman Marguerite de la Rocque is a wealthy orphan in 16th-century France, until her guardian drags her on a voyage to the New World. ...... When he discovers her secret love affair, he abandons her on a remote, wind-scoured island off Canada's coast. Based on a true story, it's an unforgettable tale of survival, faith, and a woman who refused to die. read more

The Storm We Made By Vanessa Chan Years ago, bored housewife Cecily Alcantara secretly helped the Japanese invade British Malaya. Now it's 1945, the occupation is brutal, ...... and her own children are paying for her choices. This fierce debut asks how far a mother will go to undo a single terrible decision. read more

Babylonia By Costanza Casati Semiramis begins life as an unwanted orphan in a world ruled by gods and powerful men. Through cunning, ambition, and nerve, she rises ...... from the shadows to rule the Assyrian empire. From the author of Clytemnestra, this epic tells the story of a woman who refuses to be anyone's possession. read more

House of Eve By Sadeqa Johnson In 1950s Philadelphia, 15-year-old Ruby Pearsall is determined to be the first in her family to go to college. In Washington, D.C., Eleanor Quarles ...... marries into an elite Black family that never quite accepts her. When an unplanned pregnancy threatens Ruby's dreams, the two women's lives connect in ways neither could expect. read more

Lookong For Jane By Heather Marshall In 2017, Angela finds a decades-old letter in a Toronto bookstore, a confession meant for someone else. ...... Its trail leads back to a home for unwed mothers in the 1970s and to the Jane Network, an underground group that helped women when no one else would. It's a gripping story of three women, motherhood, and the right to choose. read more

Strangers In Time By David Baldacci In London in 1944, two teenagers, Charlie and Molly, struggle to find help. Charlie steals to survive. Molly comes home ...... to find her parents missing. They find shelter with a grieving bookshop owner, Ignatius Oliver, who has his own secrets. Baldacci shifts from thrillers to a heartfelt story about the families we choose. Praise "A masterpiece of a historical thriller." -Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Eternal "Oliver Twist meets the Blitz. A beautiful read." -Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network read more

The Lion Women of Tehran By Marjan Kamali In 1950s Tehran, privileged Ellie and fearless Homa become best friends and vow to be "lion women." As Iran moves ... ... through coups, protests, and revolution, a betrayal tears them apart. From the author of The Stationery Shop, this moving story explores friendship, women's rights, and the price of courage. read more

Behind Every Good Man By Sara Goodman Confino It's 1962, and suburban housewife Beverly Diamond catches her husband, a Senate campaign manager, with his secretary. ...... With two kids, no degree, and no money, she does the unthinkable: she joins the rival campaign to beat him at his own game. Witty, warm, and full of heart, it's a cheer-out-loud story of a woman discovering exactly what she's capable of. read more

The Vanishing Half By Brit Bennett The Vignes twins grow up identical in a small Black Louisiana town, then run away together at sixteen. Years later, one sister ... ... is back home raising a dark-skinned daughter, while the other is secretly living as a white woman with a husband who knows nothing of her past—a bestselling, unforgettable story about race, identity, and the lives we choose to leave behind. read more

Time Tested Historical Fiction

Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishiguro Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy grew up at Hailsham, an idyllic English boarding school where the teachers were kind but ... ... strangely guarded. As adults, they begin to understand what Hailsham was really preparing them for. Quiet, haunting, and devastating, this modern classic from a Nobel laureate will stay with you long after the last page. read more

The Dovekeepers By Alice Hoffman In 70 CE, nearly a thousand Jews held out against the Roman army on the mountain fortress of Masada. Hoffman tells their ...... story through four remarkable women who tend the doves, each carrying secrets, magic, and great love. It's a lush, mythic novel of courage at one of history's most famous last stands. read more

Before We Were Yours By Lisa Wingate In 1939 Memphis, 12-year-old Rill Foss and her siblings are taken from their family's riverboat and placed in a notorious ... ... orphanage. In present-day South Carolina, Avery Stafford stumbles onto a family secret that leads back to them. Based on a real adoption scandal, this heartbreaking bestseller will keep you up all night. read more

Memoirs of a Geisha By Robert Golden Sold away from her poor fishing village as a child, Chiyo is taken to Kyoto's Gion district to train as a geisha. Through ...... rivalries, heartbreak, and war, she becomes the celebrated Sayuri while longing for the one man she can't have. Rich and immersive, this classic opens the door to a hidden world. Vintage | January 10, 1999 | 448 pages | ISBN 9780679781585 From the publisher read more

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas By John Boye When nine-year-old Bruno's family moves to a lonely new house during World War II, he goes exploring along a long wire ... ... fence. On the other side, he meets Shmuel, is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think that would a boy in striped clothes, and a secret friendship begins. Simple, powerful, and devastating, it's a story readers never forget. read more

Pachinko By Min Jin Lee In early 1900s Korea, teenage Sunja becomes pregnant by a wealthy stranger and accepts a marriage that takes her to Osaka, ...... Japan. Across four generations, her family fights to survive and belong in a country that treats them as outsiders. Epic and deeply human, it's one of the most beloved family sagas of our time. read more

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini In 1970s Kabul, two childhood friends, Amir from a wealthy family and Hassan, deeply loyal to him, share a bond that defines ...... their lives. Their friendship is strong, but a single moment changes everything between them. Many years later, while living in America, Amir receives a call that brings him back to Afghanistan, which the Taliban now control. This is a powerful story about guilt, friendship, and the opportunity to make things right again. read more

The Undergrounf Railroad By Colson Whitehead Cora is enslaved on a cotton plantation in Georgia until she flees north on the Underground Railroad, ...... imagined here as a real train running beneath the earth. Each state she reaches holds new dangers, and a relentless slave catcher is always close behind. A Pulitzer Prize winner, it's a gripping, unforgettable reckoning with American history. read more

An American Marriage By Tayari Jones Celestial and Roy are newlyweds in Atlanta with bright futures, until Roy is wrongfully convicted and sentenced ...... to twelve years in prison. As the years drag on, Celestial finds comfort with her childhood friend Andre. When Roy is suddenly released, all three must face what love and loyalty really mean. read more

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Daughters of the Sun and Moon By Lisa See Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds. ...More

The Book Witch By Meg Shaffer She can hop into any novel, she just can't stay there. Come along with the book witch in this magical and inspiring love letter to reading from the USA Today bestselling author of The Wishing Game ... More

Keeper of Lost Children By Sadeqa Johnson In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman's vision in post WWII Germany will tie together three people in an unexpected way....More

My Husband's Wife By Alice Feeney The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists is back with a psychological masterpiece that will leave you questioning everything you know about love, identity, and revenge. By the author of His & Hers, now a #1 Netflix show!... More

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