BuzzFeed Books recently asked Goodreads about the historical fiction books that its users have been loving lately. Below are 17 titles that have been getting high ratings and ample attention from the site’s many lovers of history.
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd 1.by Sue Monk Kidd
Viking
In first-century Galilee, a curious, ambitious, rebellious young womanhood named Ana is raised by a affluent syndicate but defies their expectations. When she meets an 18-year-old jesus, both are drawn to each other ‘s ideas and spirits, and they finally marry. The book tracks the trials of their think life in concert. 5-star review: “ I was wholly blindsided by the elegance of this record — a history rich with brave women who persevered through a time deeply rooted in maleness. Amidst discrimination and conquest, the supporter battles a ten thousand of obstacles including love, personal expression, syndicate, and loyalties. Again and again her displays of steadfastness and perseverance are on fully display. I would strongly suggest listening to this book if possible. The narrator ’ mho voice is made for this narrative — strong but soothing at the lapp time. ” — Aaron S. Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich 2.by Louise Erdrich
harpist
Thomas Wazhashk works as a night guard, is a chair on the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa council, and becomes implemental in the 1953 fight against a charge that would allow the government to abandon treaties that protected Native Americans ’ rights to their state. Thomas ’ s niece Patrice works at the factory he guards at night ; she stretches her little wage to support her brother and mother while dreaming of abandoning the expectations she feels from the tribe and following her boastful sister Vera to Minneapolis. 5-star review: “ I loved everything about this script – the publish, the characters, the narrative, the importance of it and that Louise Erdrich pays a fantastic tribute to her grandfather who inspired this story. It ’ s a beautifully written and depicts a hard smell of community, of class, and of the hard life on the Chippewa Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota. It ’ south filled with characters that are easy to love, to admire, to root for as they fight for their identity, their domain, not to be ‘terminated ‘, as they struggle with managing their daily being. ” — Angela M.
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In the aftermath of the spanish Civil War, a young and meaning widow and an Army doctor trust on each other for survival as they flee on the SS Winnipeg and emigrate to Chile, starting their lives over on a new continent just as World War II erupts.
5-star review: “ Isabel Allende is at her finest in this sweeping historic class saga. It ‘s a high sour report of adversity and exile and a relationship behave of necessity that develops into a thick and bide sleep together. ” — Jeanette Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang 4.by C Pam Zhang
Riverhead
In the Gold Rush–era American West, siblings Lucy and Sam ( the children of taiwanese immigrants ) find themselves orphaned when their forefather dies in the middle of the night. Knowing there ‘s no matchless left to protect them in their dangerous mine town, they hit the road with a steal knight and their don ‘s body — in search of a proper burying locate that will allow them to say goodbye to their pasts. 5-star review: “ This was, merely put, one of the best novels I ’ ve read in years. A stunning history that was dripping with originality, and writing that bled truth on every page. This book broke barriers and literally had me captivated late into the nox, and the merely thing C Pam Zhang left me with was an intolerable need for more — of her spell, of her beautiful short prose, and poetic sentences that blew me away. ” — Jonathan Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
5. The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Little, Brown and Company
In 17th-century Norway, 20-year-old Maren Magnusdatter sees the fisherfolk of her hometown drowned, leaving the women to fend for themselves. When a scots strange arrives three years late, he sees an evil set in motivation of a conquerer — but his wife sees freedom. 5-star review: “ I found this fresh wholly unputdownable, with its depictions of the landscape and harsh lives in those days. While reading I was no long in my sofa — I was out there, with Ursa attending to her digest baby, on the ship, in the kirk of Vardo, and on the cliff looking out for the giant which comes to Maren in her dream. I believe it is a actual giving on the separate of the author to write in such a way. It will send chills down your spine. ” — Beata Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel 6.by Hilary Mantel
Henry Holt & Company
Mantel ’ s Thomas Cromwell trilogy, which began with 2009 ’ s Wolf Hall, last comes to an end. The novel covers the last years of Cromwell ’ second life, starting shortly after the execution of Anne Boleyn. 5-star review: “ A brilliant end to this superb historical trilogy on Cromwell, the ordinary valet who rises to an exalted condition under Henry VIII. Mantel ’ second research is impeccable, her blend of fact and fabrication is extraordinary, nowhere is this more apparent than in her amaze characterizations. Despite knowing where this is all heading, the tension and suspense had me biting my nails ! Simply fantastic and highly recommended. ” — Paromjit Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
7. Deacon King Kong by James McBride
Riverhead
It ’ second 1960s New York ; Cuffy Lambkin, bettor known as Sportcoat, a deacon at the Five Ends Baptist Church, has just shot 19-year-old drug dealer Deems Clemens in the boldness — efficaciously putting a aim on his own spinal column. Residents try to make sense of the shoot as the mystery behind it slowly unravels. 5-star review: “ This book was a balm for my soul, a portrait of a black church community circa 1969 with sugared characters ( well, most of them ), interconnections that stretch binding decades, and a diagram with more than one mystery at its heart. The poverty and racism are there, but sol excessively are McBride ’ s huge heart, laugh-out-loud humor, and amazing compose. I loved it. ” — Jan Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate 8.by Lisa Wingate
Ballantine Books
In small-town Louisiana in 1987, a freshman teacher arrives to find she ca n’t quite engage her fresh students. then she discovers a book telling the narrative of three young women — recently freed Hannie ; the heiress Lavinia ; and Lavinia ‘s Creole half sister, Juneau Jane — trying to find their families in the aftermath of the Civil War over a hundred years earlier. 5-star review: “ Slow to start, this book packed a mighty punch. Wingate did a capital job building her plot and joining the two-story lines. I found this record to be captivating, challenging, and emotionally moving. I love books that not only teach me something but affect me emotionally arsenic well. ” — Debra Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora 9.by Afia Atakora
Random House
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Starting at the begin of the Civil War and jumping bet on and forth in time to span multiple generations, Conjure Women tells the stories of three women — Miss May Belle, a therapist and midwife ; Rue, her enslave and precocious daughter ; and Varina, the plantation owner ‘s daughter — and follows the secrets and histories that connect them. 5-star review: “ Afia Atakora ’ randomness word picture of slavery and exemption in the era of the American Civil War is heartbreaking and incredibly raw. An huge amount of research has gone into writing seriously about this afflictive period in history, and yet she is able to weave in a beautiful report of a mother-daughter relationship, womanhood, enslaved life on a plantation, the harrowing awakening that women have always been up for sale by even those who claim to love and protect them regardless of their proximity to wealth and condition, and the bitter realization that came with abolition — that freedom did not equate to equality and regard. ” — Biblio Bushra Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card 10.by Maisy Card
Simon & Schuster
The man known as Stanford Solomon is actually Abel Paisley, who faked his death more than 30 years ago and abandoned his life in Jamaica to start afresh in the US. Jumping between the past and future, These Ghosts Are Family explores the stories of Paisley ‘s ancestors and descendants — enslave women in colonial Jamaica, his struggling daughters in mod Harlem — and the ways each generation ‘s trauma bleeds into those that follow. 5-star review: “ Wow. Just, wow. This book was such an incredible dive into all of the twists and turns that formed this kin throughout the generations. I was reading it like my life depended on it. Card transported me to a clock and place I don ’ thymine think I ’ five hundred always have experienced differently. I ’ thousand hope that the longer I sit and think about this book, I ’ ll come up with a more coherent review. But I ’ m not above shoving it at people with jazz hands and a ‘READ IT NOW ! ‘ for commodity measure. ” — Amber
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The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai 11.by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai
algonquian
As the communist government rises in Vietnam, Trần Diệu Lan is forced to flee her family farm with her six children. Years by and by, her granddaughter, living in Hanoi, has to watch her parents and uncles leave to fight in a war threatening to tear her life apart. 5-star review: “ When I read this book, I was right field away transported to the dense highlands and the lavish tropical lowlands of Vietnam. Nguyễn ’ s writing enveloped me into the lives of characters who have experienced agonizing struggles — deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as survived triumphantly against all odds. This is an engrossing floor told in the eyes of two generations of a kin who have lived through hideous cruelty and hate brought upon by war. Inspired by real life events, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai told a identical betroth narrative in her introduction novel that I more than highly recommend. ” — Nursebookie Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes 12.by Jojo Moyes
Pamela Dorman Books
Moyes ‘s latest novel ( which sparked controversy last October, when author Kim Michele Richardson described “ alarming similarities ” between their two books ) follows Alice Wright, a british woman who marries an american serviceman but soon finds herself restless in small-town Kentucky. Everything changes when she signs astir to join Eleanor Roosevelt ‘s traveling library project — and she, with four other amazing women, become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, changing lives ( including their own ) as they go. 5-star review: “ Moyes writes with rage and vitality in this impeccably researched novel, fully of details and ample descriptions of this historical era. The women are a disparate group of improper, stand-out, building complex characters. This is a terrific take that immerses the proofreader in this period of US history and the norms, expectations, and attitudes of the time, with the drama enhanced by the beautiful location. ” — Paromjit
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The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates 13.by Ta-Nehisi Coates
One populace
The Water Dancer is a coming-of-age narrative about Hiram — a young man with a photographic memory who was born into slavery — and his personal journey of self-discovery and freedom. He ‘s the son of a egg white grove owner and an enslave black charwoman, whom his father ultimately sold away. In a community divided into three course systems — the Tasked ( black slaves ), the Quality ( white landowners ), and lower-class whites — we follow Hiram as he dissects the true mean of “ family ” and why kin does n’t constantly equate to bloodlines. 5-star review: “ Everything about this novel is brilliant. Coates is a fabulous writer with a fantastic sense of place, history, time, and character. It is his detail take on a form of the Underground Railroad, with an enormous cast of characters who are beautifully drawn and completely memorable. ” — Elizabeth George Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert 14.by Elizabeth Gilbert
Riverhead
Elizabeth Gilbert ’ randomness City of Girls takes the reviewer binding to 1940s New York City, through the perspective of 89-year-old Vivian Morris reminiscing about her wilderness clock time in the theater. Her report is rich people with memorable characters — the bizarre aunt she moves in with who owns her own field ( albeit one in major disrepair ), the epic leading lady, the chorus of chorus girl, the alluring ahead man — and a vibrant typeset, all of which come tumbling down when Vivian finds herself in the midst of a intimate scandal. 5-star review: “ I INHALED this book ! It ‘s an absolutely gorgeous novel about a charwoman figuring her life out earlier, during, and after WW2. It manages to be a playfulness, debauched understand, while besides grappling with big messy issues like dishonor, grief, and how we live with our choices and mistakes. Read it ! ” — Amy Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand 15.by Elin Hilderbrand
Little, Brown and Company
It ‘s 1969, and the Levin kids are breaking tradition by not spend the summer at their grandma ‘s Nantucket home. The oldest sibling, Blair, is meaning in Boston ; center sister Kirby ‘s fourth dimension is split between protests and her first caper on Martha ‘s Vineyard ; and their brother Tiger has been deployed to Vietnam — leaving 13-year-old Jessie alone with her mother and grandma, each hiding secrets from the others.
5-star review: “ Elin Hilderbrand ’ second beautiful and intricate descriptions of Nantucket and Martha ‘s Vineyard made me feel like I was actually there experiencing it all along with the characters – the houses, beaches, restaurants, food, country club, etc., all sounded fantastic. The life style, pop culture, dress, dialogue, and opinions came across as authentic to the time period, and I like that the author thought to include real events. Song titles as chapter headings actually set the temper, and the handy Spotify list that Hilderbrand created allowed me listen while reading, making it feel even more like 1969. The arrant script to unwind and relax on the beach with. ” — NZLisaM Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead 16.by Colson Whitehead
Doubleday
Elwood Curtis is an ambitious, socially conscious, law-abiding adolescent in 1960s Tallahassee who gets into the wrong car on his first day of elective community college classes and winds up arrested for car larceny. His sentence is enrollment at the Nickel Academy — which, despite its solid reputation, turns out to be built on cruelty, racism, and corruption. As Curtis discovers that his well behavior and best intentions wo n’t be enough to keep him dependable, his worldview shifts, and survival becomes more of a scheme. 5-star review: “ Unlike many diachronic fabrication novels, or novels based on true events, Whitehead does n’t spend hundreds of pages building up his place setting, or dumping information on the lector. He goes true into the hideous depths of the narrative, constructing a fresh that shows incredible restraint and nuance. It is the ending that elevated this ledger from being great to being absolutely leading and fabulously affecting ! I was in truth surprised by the revelations in the end, which wholly clarified how brilliant and significant the non-linear structure is for the report. ” — RodKelly Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
17. Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris
St. Martin ‘s press
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Cilka is 16 years old when she ‘s taken to Auschwitz, but she ‘s quickly separated and saved by a commanding officer who finds her beautiful. When the war ends, Cilka is charged as a collaborator and sent to a siberian prison camp — but when a kind female doctor of the church takes her under her wing, Cilka starts to develop a greater understanding of resilience and humanness. 5-star review: “ This was an absorb and heartbreaking read. I read this novel in equitable a few sittings. At times the suffer was identical difficult to read but then I thought about what people had gone through. I am constantly amazed at the resilience of those who endured so much. Although there was so much cruelty there was besides compassion and courage. A deeply compelling and challenging read with complex and well-developed characters, Cilka’s Journey will stay with me for a very long clock time. ” — Deanna Get it from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon .
