Historical fiction books set in Ancient Greece
The Children of Jocasta
by Natalie Haynes
Set in mythological Ancient Greece
The Children of Jocasta is a classical Ancient Greek fib flipped on its oral sex. In gripping prose, Natalie Haynes reimagines the Oedipus and Antigone stories from mythology if the often-overlooked female characters were at the center, and in the march tells a new english of this ancient story .
A Thousand Ships
by Natalie Haynes
Set in Ancient Troy
region history, part legend, the Trojan War much defines antiquity. Natalie Haynes ’ s mighty historical fresh gives new life to the narrative of two ancient cultures at war. She takes a narrative of heroes and kings and explores the experiences of the women caught up in these terrifying events. From slave women to queens, and even a goddess or two, Natalie Haynes ’ retelling puts female voices front and centre. Longlisted for the Women ‘s Prize for Fiction 2020 and chosen as one of The Guardian ‘s ‘Best Books of 2019 ‘, if you ‘re looking for your adjacent historical fiction read, A Thousand Ships is not to be missed .
Read Natalie Haynes on her top five ancient Greek women on film.
Historical fiction books set in Ancient Rome
The Emperor’s Babe
by Bernadine Evaristo
Set in 3rd century Roman London
Booker Prize 2019 winner Bernadine Evaristo ’ s back catalogue is expansive, and this historical novel is a must-read for fans. In The Emperor ’ sulfur Babe, visit second hundred Londinium and follow Zuleika, a nubian woman in a Roman world just trying to survive. She knows the city, with its slave girls and scuff queens, villas and slums, and she knows how to stay one dance step ahead. Until, that is, she attracts the attention of the Roman Emperor, the most potent man on Earth. . .
Historical fiction books set in the 12th century
The Land Beyond the Sea
by Sharon Penman
Set in 12th century Jerusalem and Europe
In 1172 the Kingdom of Jerusalem is besides known as Outremer – the country beyond the sea. When the men of the First Crusade captured Jerusalem from the Saracens in 1099, many crusaders stayed on and built a life sentence in this new world of blazing heat, alien customs and enemies who are besides neighbor. But immediately Saladin, leader of the huge Saracen united states army, is seeking retribution for the slaughter in 1099. . .
Historical fiction books set in medieval England
The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
Set in 12th century England
Welcome to medieval England, where a civil war ravages the country and a monk is on a deputation. Ken ’ s The Pillars of the Earth follows Philip, a give monk, who joins forces with Tom, a talented builder, to undertake the most ambitious project either has always set themselves to. In a worldly concern in agitation, however, their travel will not be a smooth one .
The foremost book in Ken Follett ‘s serial, The Kingsbridge Novels, this diachronic saga is one to get lost in .
Historical fiction books set in the 14th century
She Who Became the Sun
by Shelley Parker-Chan
Set in 14th century China
An absorbing historical illusion, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan reimagines the rise to power of the Ming Dynasty ’ s founding emperor. In a famine-stricken village on a cold plain, a visionary shows two children their fates. For a syndicate ’ s eighth-born son, there ’ s greatness. For the second daughter, nothing .
In 1345, China lies restless under harsh Mongol rule. And when a bandit raid wipes out their home, the two children must somehow survive. Zhu Chongba despairs and gives in. But the girlfriend resolves to overcome her destiny. So she takes her dead brother ’ south identity and begins her travel. Can Zhu escape what ’ s written in the stars, as rebellion sweeps the nation ? Or can she claim her brother ’ randomness enormousness – and raise arsenic high as she can dream ?
Historical fiction books set in the 16th century
The Sin Eater
by Megan Campisi
Set in 16th century England
Set in a thinly cloaked sixteenth century England, Megan Campisi ’ second debut novel is a wonderfully waver narrative of treason and treachery, women and might. When fourteen year old May is arrested for stealing a loiter of boodle she is sentenced to become a Sin Eater, a crushing prison term that will see her shunned by club and exiled to the edge of town. For a Sin Eater hears the confessions of the die and eats their sins as a funeral rite, and is believed to be stained by these sins. When May is called to hear the deathbed confessions of two of the Queen ’ mho courtiers she hears whispers of a awful rumor her invisibility allows her to investigate .
Read Megan Campisi on the truth behind her novel The Sin Eater.
City of Vengeance
by D. V. Bishop
Set in 16th century Florence
When a big jewish usurer is found dead, Cesare Aldo, an policeman of the criminal woo, is tasked with solving his murder. Over the course of his investigation, Aldo uncovers a plat to overthrow the unstable rule of Florence, Alessandro de ’ Medici. Aldo is caught in a delirious race against time to solve the murder and stop the conspiracy, while keeping his own secrets safely locked aside. This historical crime thriller is an exciting introduction from D. V. Bishop .
Tombland
by C. J. Sansom
Set in Tudor England
Tombland is the seventh fresh in C. J. Sansom ‘s historical fabrication Shardlake series. Set in a politically fluid England following the death of Henry VIII, the audacious detective Shardlake must uncover the mystery surrounding the murder of Edith Boleyn before it results in the dispatch run of the english woo .
Find out more about the real-life events that inspired Tombland .
The City of Tears
by Kate Mosse
Set in 16th century France
The sequel to bestselling author Kate Mosse ’ s epic poem historical fiction novel The Burning Chambers, The City of Tears is set in France in 1572, when the Wars of Religion have been raging for ten-spot crimson years. A royal marriage may mean peace at death, but when Minou Joubert receives a wedding invitation she has no mind that in the days following the marriage her own class will be ripped aside. This is set to be one of the best historical fiction books of 2021 .
Historical fiction books set in the 17th century
The Mercies
by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Set in 17th century Norway
When the men of Vardø are all but wiped out in a devastate ramp, the surviving women have no choice but to fend for themselves. But as the women grow increasingly independent, suspicions and rivalries grow, coming to a dangerous head with the arrival of scots commissioner Absalom Cornet. The Mercies is based on the on-key floor of a crushing ramp that hit the norwegian island of Vardø in 1617 and the subsequent hex trials of 1621 .
Kiran Millwood Hargrave tells us more about the witch trials that inspired The Mercies .
Historical fiction books set in the 18th century
Daughters of Night
by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Set in 18th century London
This diachronic crime fiction fresh is the second from Laura Shepherd-Robinson, following her award-winning debut Blood & Sugar. Set in London in 1782, it ’ s the history of Caroline Corsham, who is determined to seek justice for a string of murders of high-class prostitutes – crimes that the patrol are all besides happy to ignore. As she delves deeper into the darkest, concealed corners of georgian club, Caroline soon finds that much more than her reputation is at stake. . .
Ross Poldark
by Winston Graham
Set in 18th century Britain
historical fiction is often the footing for some of the most acclaim and democratic period play, and Winston Graham ’ s Poldark series is no exception. Fans of the Poldark television series in particular, and historical fabrication in general, will love this sweeping saga. In the foremost book Ross Poldark, the eponymous hero returns home from the American War of Independence to find his estate derelict and the woman he loves engaged to his cousin. . .
Discover all the Poldark books in order.
Historical fiction books set in the 19th century
Dead Man’s Walk
by Larry McMurtry
The first gear book in the celebrated Lonesome Dove series from Larry McMurtry, Dead Man ‘s Walk is a classical western that takes you deep into the heart of the american english West .
These are the godforsaken days when Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call first encounter the wild frontier that will form their characters. not so far twenty dollar bill, Gus and Call enlist as Texas Rangers under the command of Caleb Cobb, a capricious criminal determined to seize Santa Fe from the Mexicans. The two young men experience their first bang-up gamble in the barren, empty landscape of the capital plains, in which arbitrary ferocity is the only law – whether from nature, or from those whose territory they must cross in order to reach New Mexico .
Danger, sacrifice and fear test Gus and Call to the limits of endurance, as they seek the intensity and courage to survive against about insuperable odds .
The Piano Tuner
by Daniel Mason
Set in 1880s London and Burma
Piano radio receiver Edgar Drake has recieved an unusual and unexpected request from the War Office : he must travel to the jungles of Burma to repair a rare thousand piano owned by an enigmatic army surgeon. His travel will take him across Europe, over the Red Sea and into India and beyond, accompanied by an elusive woman. As Edgar begins to question the motivation for his mission, he wonders if he will return home plate to the wife who waits for him. . .
The Doll Factory
by Elizabeth Macneal
Set in 19th century Britain
In 1850s London Iris dreams of becoming an artist. In a country that treats her as a second-class citizen because of her sex she jumps at the luck to study under pre-raphaelite painter Louis Frost in exchange for posing as his model. unknown to her, however, this international relations and security network ’ t the lone man who has her in his sights and a dark compulsion bubbles in a strange watching from the periphery.
Read two exclusive extracts from The Doll Factory.
Beloved
by Toni Morrison
Set in 19th century America
Beloved opens less than a ten after the abolition of bondage in the USA and follows the life of the immediately emancipated Sethe and family as they try to build a fresh biography for themselves. Disturbances in their home lead them to believe that Sethe ’ s older daughter, who died years earlier, is haunting them. This must-read novel explores the psychological effects of slavery ampere well as syndicate and gender dynamics .
The Water Dancer
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This is the historical fresh that Oprah Winfrey called, ‘ One of the best books I have ever read in my entire life. ’ Hiram Walker was born into bondage on a Virginia grove, but one fateful decision will take him away from his plantation family and into the heart of the metro war on slavery. For Hiram is a man with a privy, a cryptic world power he was gifted at parturition .
The Redemption of Philip Thane
by Lisa Berne
Meet Philip Thane : an cussed rogue and a villain. He never wanted to come to little Whittlesey to make a speech, and he surely did n’t want to be stuck in a coil, living the like day over and over again. He takes the gamble though to get close to Miss Margaret Allen, who is in town to research a book. Philip is astonished to find she can resist his charms. possibly, just possibly, it ‘s clock time for Philip to take a good look at himself and win her heart the right way. A must for fans of Bridgerton .
Historical fiction books set in the 20th century
The Kitchen Front
by Jennifer Ryan
Young widow Audrey is trying to keep a ceiling over her and her children ‘s heads, two years into the second World War. So she decides to enter a BBC cook contest which aims to help housewives eke out their rations. The prize is a function as the program ‘s first ever co-host, and the contest is intense : there ‘s Audrey ‘s alienated sister Gwendoline, Gwendoline ‘s maid Nell and trained chef Zelda, who is desperate to succeed in a man ‘s world – and desperate to keep her secret hide. . .
A Marvellous Light
by Freya Marske
historic fabrication with a dispute : this is an alternative, magic-soaked version of edwardian England. youthful baronet Robin Blyth had assumed he was in line for a minor character in government. But, as it turns out, he ‘s actually the parliamentary liaison for a close magic trick society. Against an idyllic backdrop of hedge mazes and manor houses, Robin must foil a plat that endangers every sorcerer in the entire country .
If you love books with a fantastical twist, discover our edit of the best fantasy books, here .
Sunset Swing
by Ray Celestin
Kerry Gaudet, a young nurse, travels to LA on an pressing hunt to find her missing buddy. A series cause of death is on the loose, and Kerry fears the worst. meanwhile, recently retired PI Ida Young is reluctantly helping the patrol, when a young womanhood is found dead in her hotel room – the LAPD turn their gaze on Ida as the main defendant. And Dante Sanfelippo is trying to extricate himself from the Mob so he can move to the Napa Valley to make wine. First he has one more favor to do, one that throws him headfirst into a dangerous conspiracy. This swirling floor of life and death in the City of Angels completes Ray Celestin ‘s american english crime quartet .
The Prince of the Skies
by Antonio Iturbe
Writer, romantic, navigate, hero. Anthoine de Saint Exupéry has one dream, and that ‘s to be a fly. Despite his aristocratic origins, nothing can keep Anthoine grounded with his decision to take to the skies.
From the bestselling author of The Librarian of Auschwitz, Antonio Iturbe, comes an incredible fresh based on the substantial life of Anthoine de Saint Exupéry and his cryptic death. together with friends Jean and Henri, Anthoine pioneered new mail routes across the earth and changed aviation forever. At the same time, Anthoine began sour on The little Prince, a children ‘s fib that would go on to reach millions of readers around the populace – despite the looming shadow of the Second World War. The prince of the Skies is a narrative of love and company, war and heroism, and the power of the written discussion .
Yours Cheerfully
by AJ Pearce
Set in 1940s England
A sequel to AJ Pearce ‘s heartwarming and touching debut, Dear Mrs Bird .
When the Ministry of Information calls on Britain ’ south women ’ south magazines to help recruit urgently needed female workers to the war feat, Emmy is thrilled to be asked to step up and help. But when she and Bunty meet a young woman who shows them the identical very challenges that women war workers face, Emmy must tackle a life-changing dilemma between doing her duty, and stand by her friends .
The Secrets of the Lake
by Liz Trenow
Set in 20th century England
The war may be over, but for Molly life is even in convulsion. Uprooted from London after the death of her mother, Molly, her church father and younger brother Jimmy are starting again in a quiet greenwich village in the countryside of Colchester. As summer sets in, the heat is about a oppressive as the greenwich village gossip. Molly dreams of becoming a diarist, finding a articulation in the global, but most of the time must act as Jimmy ’ s carer. At precisely ten years erstwhile he is mollie ’ s darkness, following her around the greenwich village as she falls under the spell of local boy Kit .
Pippo and Clara
by Diana Rosie
Set in 20th century Italy
It ’ mho 1938, Mussolini is in office in Italy and war is on the horizon. Pippo and Clara are brother and sister, newly arrived in an unspecified city with their family. When their mother goes missing one good morning they both go in search of her, with Clara turning right and Pippo left. As a consequence of their choices, the children ’ mho lives will be changed everlastingly .
The Pull of the Stars
by Emma Donoghue
Set in 1918 Ireland
As war and disease lay waste to Ireland, Nurse Julia Power works in a bantam cellblock in an short-handed hospital, where anticipant mothers struck by an unfamiliar influenza are quarantined together. Julia is assisted by two newfangled arrivals, Doctor Kathleen Lynn, on the rivulet from the police, and a youthful volunteer benefactor, Bridie Sweeney, and over the course of three days these women will change each other ‘s lives in unexpected ways. The Pull of the Stars is a classic history of hope and survival from the bestselling generator of Room .
Read more about Emma’s inspiration for The Pull of the Stars.
The Most Precious of Cargoes
by Jean-Claude Grumberg
Set in 1940s Europe
Told with fairytale lyricism, this historical novel is set against the horrors of the Holocaust. Once upon a time, a poor people woodcutter and his wife lived in a forest. Despite their poverty and the war raging around them, the wife prays that they will be blessed with a child .
A jewish serviceman rides on a prepare with his wife and counterpart babies. When his wife no long has adequate milk to feed them both, in desperation he throws his daughter into the forest, hoping that she ’ ll be saved. When the woodcutter ’ s wife finds the baby she takes her dwelling, though she knows this act of kindness may lead to her death. This moving historic fiction ledger is a will to our capacity for forgivingness in even the darkest times .
The Muse
by Jessie Burton
Set in 20th century Britain
Jessie Burton ’ s The Muse guides readers through 1967 London and 1936 Spain. The connection between these two periods is a painting with a story of its own. For protagonist Odelle to understand her present in the 1960s she must look back and unlock the mysteries of this masterpiece and the syndicate who owned it thirty years before .
The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing
by mary Paulson-Ellis
Set in 20th century Britain
When a war veteran passes away in an Edinburgh harbor home, it seems as though he has no known family. But the fifty thousand pounds found sew into his burying suit attracts the attention of heir orion Solomon Farthing, who hopes that if he finds the man ’ mho close living relative he ’ ll get a plowshare of the money. His investigations lead him to a mystery dating back to 1918, when a group of abandoned soldiers sheltered in a french farmhouse to await the armistice. Flitting between contemporary Edinburgh and WWI, Mary creates a graphic visualize of both settings that demonstrates how tat our presents are with our pasts .
The Nickel Boys
by Colson Whitehead
Set in 1960s America
Colson Whitehead ‘s second Pulitzer Prize-wining fresh is based on the history of a veridical reform school in Florida. When one innocent mistake sees Elwood Curtis sentenced to a period of clock time at The Nickel Academy he is faced with a evil environment of aroused and physical abuse. He befriends companion inmate Tucker, but one decision will have decades-long repercussions for both boys .
Kololo Hill
by Neema Shah
Set in 1970s Uganda and Britain
Neema Shah ’ randomness debut is a heartbreaking historical fiction novel set in Uganda and Britain. When a crushing decree is announced which says all Ugandan Asians must leave the country in ninety days, Asha and Pran and Pran ’ s mother Jaya must leave everything they ’ ve ever known for a modern biography in Britain. But as they try to rebuild their lives, a severe confidential hangs over them .
The Lamplighters
by Emma Stonex
Set in 1970s Cornwall
Inspired by true events, Emma Stonex ’ randomness debut historic novel is a riveting mystery which will grip the proofreader, and a beautifully written exploration of love and grief. In Cornwall in 1972, three keepers vanish from a outback beacon, miles from prop up. The door is locked from the inside, and the clocks have stopped. What happened to those men, and to the women they left behind ?
Read more: The Best Philosophy Books Of All Time
For even more diachronic fiction recommendations, do n’t miss this sequence of Book Break :
