Any era, place, person, event.

I read The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett out of curiosity and I absolutely fell in love! I'm a heavy sci-fi and fantasy reader but I just wasn't feeling any of my TBRs so I tried reading Pillars and oh wow I couldn't put it down! The world building and characters are just so well-developed and the pacing is immaculate UGH i just LOVED it

Now I'm on World Without End and am thinking of going further into the series (and the Century Trilogy)! Can't wait!

Please drop your great historical fiction recs because I'd love to explore this genre more! And please tell me this is a worthwhile rabbit hole haha.

EDIT: Wow thanks so much for the recs, guys. I am floored by all your responses, they all sound amazing! Love this community!

I like to read historical fiction that centers women’s experiences. I think Kate Quinn is the queen of this. She writes incredible and complex women in history and doesn’t skimp on the plot or history.

So I’m looking for similar authors. Those who write historical fiction about women but who do it well.

I’ve read so many where it’s so bad (eg. cartoonish villains, men who are completely one dimensional, constant “telling” instead of “showing”) that I’m beginning to feel like Kate is in a league of her own.

Oh great Reddit, help me find my next “read all they’ve written” historical fiction author.

(Except COVID-19).

I've set the flair as historical fiction but modern fiction is also welcome!

I have just finished *Year of Wonders* by Geraldine Brooks which I enjoyed, and Christopher Buelman's *Between Two Fires* which I didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would. As a child I read a short-ish "introduce your child to history" type book series which included the plague of 1666 which I remember fondly.

TIA!

hello! i've recently been getting into more historical fiction, and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations for books (set in history) that cover a long period of time or multiple generations, and explore the change and transformation that happens in that time

books in this category I've enjoyed:

We, the Drowned by Carsten Jensen (my gold standard for this type of story)

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (though less so, it captures a similar atmosphere)

I assume something like Dune would be similar, though I haven't read it yet (and I would prefer if it wasn't sci-fi, though fantasy is welcomed)

thank you!!

edit: thank you everybody for your wonderful recommendations!! i now have like a billion books to check out lol, i hope this thread helps others find good recommendations as well!!

i need a book that will educate me on wars or movements or just any kind of history that has characters and a story that i can follow and sympathise with, i just feel like it helps experiences and stories stick to me for longer and have a bigger impact on me. at the same time though (and i know this is ignorant) i want to read something with a fiction blend. i have a few books i recently read that were absolutely devastating but i really loved:

- all the light we cannot see by anthony doerr - i loved the story, the characters, i loved the way it showed us aspects of people living during the war that i personally never considered before.

- the kite runner and the mountains echoed by khalid hosseini - this guy's work is INSANE. the kite runner made me way too sad and i couldn't stop crying but i cant deny the fact that it taught me alot about Afghanistan's history.

i know most books will probably be sad, but im open to any kind of recommendations that will help me learn things to be honest.

Hi, I'm looking for any recommendations on fiction books that are based around the bubonic plague please. I'm just back from a holiday in Edinburgh and one of the activities we done was to tour the old streets and they talked about the impact that the Plague had on people in the city at that time. I have since read some non fiction about it but I'm wondering if anyone has read any fiction books with this subject at the core of the story. Thank you all in advance

Edit: thank you all so much for commenting your recommendations. looks like I have lots of books to get reading

I read The Little Liar by Mich Albom and I loved it!!

Suggest me a thrilling book set during WW2. Please and thank you!

I love the books “the help”, “the book thief”, and “miss spitfire” and I’m hoping to read some more historical fiction books. The problem is, a lot of them are very academic and stuffy, and I’m looking for more of a story that isn’t as hard to think about when I read it. Got any ideas?

I loved rich characters in the book, Gus, Call, Lorena, Newt, Roscoe. I felt the same way after East of Eden, Shogun, Pillars of the Earth. I enjoy historical fiction with well developed and interesting characters. What books (series of books) would you recommend that would make me fall in love with the new set of characters. Historical fiction page turners would be preferred. I’ve hears that the western True Grit is good too. Also, some people recommend The Winter King but I don’t know if those fit the richness of characters requirements or are page turners.

I genuinely think Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is the best book I’ve ever read. Ever since finishing it, I’ve been trying to find something that makes me feel the same way. There was just something about the storytelling that completely pulled me in. I got so attached to the characters, and the way their lives unfolded across generations was incredible. I honestly didn’t want it to end.
I’m looking for historical fiction with that same kind of storytelling, where the characters feel real and you get so invested in their lives that you keep thinking about them even after you’ve finished the book.
It doesn’t have to be set in Korea or have a similar plot at all. I’m open to any country, culture, or time period. I just want something beautifully written with an immersive story and characters that stay with you.
For those of you who have read Pachinko, what would you recommend? I’d love to know which books gave you that same feeling or left you thinking about them long after you finished. I feel like I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since!

EDIT: Thank you so much for all of the recommendations!! Even if I didn't reply to you directly, just know I did see your comment and have taken it into consideration for my TBR. Much appreciated!

I've been really fixated on maritime narratives and biographies, specifically those dealing with shipwreck, survival in harsh conditions (specifically the arctic, but I'm open minded), mutiny, and/or cannibalism. For whatever reason, it's just fascinating to me!

With the following books in mind, I would love some more recommendations as to what I should pick up next.

I've read:

1. Madhouse at the Ends of the Earth by Julian Sancton (introduction to the subject, absolutely perfect — well-paced, informative, just great.)
2. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick (absolutely loved this one, couldn't put it down.)
3. Bounty by Caroline Alexander (I had a hard time getting through this one, I don't know why.)

Currently reading:

1. The Terror by Dan Simmons (loving it especially the supernatural/horror-ish element!)

On my list already:

1. The Wager by David Grann
2. Captain's Dinner by Adam Cohen
3. Fatal Journey by Peter Mancall

I also really enjoyed Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and Chaos by Tom O'Neill. I struggled with Devil in the White City by Erik Larson — I DNF'd at page ~130, but if you guys think it's worth me finishing, let me know.

So, based on all of that, please let me know what else you think I might like! I'm obviously angling more towards my maritime subject matter, but if you have other equally harrowing, fascinating or downright scary true crime or historical suggestions for me, feel free to share them below.

Thanks in advance!

So I'm a huge history buff. I know it's not possible for a book to be 100% historically accurate, but I'm looking for ones where the author clearly tried their damnedest! 😆 Stuff with a truly pedantic amount of historical detail and obsession with authenticity.

Also, I'm sure this is just my perception because of what I've been exposed to, but it seems like 60 percent of all historical fiction books are either 19th century romances or WW2 novels. Those are fine, but not my cup of tea. I'm looking for historical fiction that takes place before the 20th century. Preferably in any time period from the medieval period through the 19th century, but I'll really take anything with a pre-1900 setting.

Just moved to the US and want to read historical fiction books based on US.

I read:
Fiction:
Before We Were Yours
Yellow Wife
Orphan Train

Non-fiction:
We Carry Their Bones

Enjoyed and gain a lot of perspective from all listed. Looking more towards slavery in the US, but feel free to throw in your favorite historical fiction books.

I don't really know what exactly I'm looking for other than I need a book to really get into. I really love historical fiction, particularly regency, victorian, wwi & wwii eras, though I'm open to exploring others... though nothing too contemporary. I don't want it to feel like today.

I would strongly prefer a female lead and I don't like stories where romance is the focus, and honestly little to no romance is preferred, but if there's any lesbian/wlw historical fiction books out there I'm intrigued to know about them.

Also! Disabled characters that are treated well are also a great bonus, but not required or anything.

As for other genres within historical fiction - love fantasy, dark academia, horror, mystery.. based on real events/memoire style. I like all those as well.

I hope to find some fun new stories. Thank you!

Edit: Thank you all for your lovely recs! I'm adding them all to my TBR 🥰

There are loads of novels around the big crisis moments of either ww1 or ww2 but I've yet to encounter novels that dive into the countryside or pastoral setting of war during The Great Qar or WW2.

I appreciate this might be very particular or niche but can anyone suggest a fictional book that focuses on this particular setting?

EDIT: [update] thanks for all the recommendations! I'll have a sieve through abd select a couple!

I'm looking for books that are kinda just about the everyday life of people. My main inspirations are Bowelfly's monastic menagerie (on Tumblr), Iron Lily's Ordo Mediare (multiple platforms) and Tamora Pierce's Song of the lioness series.

I'm not picky about plot. It can be about courtly love and life, the toil of the serfs, or whatever you like so long as it matches the timeframe and vibe. I'm okay with a little fantasy but would like it to be a bit limited.

Thank you in advance!!

Hello! Bit of an odd request, but as someone who last picked up a book on WW2 in middle school, I wanted to ask for suggestions for a buddy read I'm doing- it has to be a novel around WW2 (though I imagine the first Great War will do, in a pinch), and I'd really love some particularly descriptive writing, especially concerning equipment or vehicles. Something to make you feel like you're almost there.

Hi!

I'm writing an essay and I'm going to be talking about the themes of colonization in Sir Gawain & the Green Knight. One of the ideas is about how the book portrays Wales as a "wild and untamed" land, which then makes it okay for the British to go in and take control, in order to promote colonization.

I want modern books (or at least more modern) that also fall into this same idea, preferably about Native Americans & colonization of Africa. Books that might be part of the "empty Africa" trope would be good, too.

To be clear, I do NOT think colonization is a good thing! My plan is to show how colonization uses the same propaganda strategies throughout the years.

Thanks and let me know if you need more information!

I’m wrapping up my first trip to Chicago. Did the architecture boat tour and during it, realized I haven’t read many books with Chicago settings!

Any historical fiction recs?

I did read Devil in the White City — which was fantastic non fiction, but I’m looking for something a little less dense (I got a little glossy eyed on the architect’s chapters). Hope that makes sense.

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your suggestions!!! I’m sitting at ORD waiting for my flight home and my TBR list is growing! A number of the suggestions were already ones I’d been interested in (not even realizing they had connections to Chicago), so I’ll probably start there. Thanks again, this is wonderful.

Well-researched historical fiction has always been my very favorite genre. Lately, I've read several historical novels that feature strong women, and it has whetted my appetite for more. I'm open to any time period prior to WWII. And I also love reading about absolutely anywhere in the world because I enjoy learning about different cultures through the lens of fiction. (Which is why possibly my favorite subgenre of historical fiction is historical fiction about immigrant populations.)

Some favorites:

The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (not technically historical, but the early book in particular feels set in an utterly different time, plus I have a particular soft spot for Chinese and Japanese history - I have read several of her other books, although a very very long time ago, but I remember enjoying them too)

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Circe by Madeline Miller (also not technically historical, but still the right vibe)

The Outlander novels by Diana Gabaldon (I haven't read all of these, but the ones I did read, I liked because of the character of Claire, as well as the meticulous historical research Gabaldon did - in general though, I wouldn't say I'm usually a big fan of anything that gets into the realm of science fiction or fantasy, these are a rare exception)

I should add that I'm not generally a fan of romance novels. I don't mind a love story being part of the story, but I don't want it to be the primary driver of the plot. (The Outlander books being the only exception I can think of, but I also truly don't think of those as romance novels, there is so much more to them than that.)

What I'm looking for more than anything is really good historical research, where I can finish the book and feel like I've genuinely learned something interesting, and a really strong female protagonist/s. I don't necessarily mean strong in the sense that she is "plucky" and "nothing gets her down" LOL. She certainly doesn't have to be a saint, I like complex characters. When I say strong, I mostly just mean really well developed. I will always prefer a book with an average plot that has very well written characters over a book with a compelling plot but two-dimensional characters.

Thank you!!

I was wondering if there good historical fiction books on ww2 maybe on the European Theater, Pacific Theater, North Africa. Really just any good story during ww2.

Hi!! I’ve been craving another WWII historical fiction. I’ve read…

- The Nightingale
- The Winter Garden
- All the Light We Cannot See
- Pachinko
- City of Thieves
- The Book Thief

My favorites were AtLWCS, Book Thief, Pachinko, and City of Thieves. Any recommendations would help wonderful!!

I really enjoy history. books with a focus or history intertwined are very enjoyable to me. one of my all time favorites is Gates of Fire. Another is War of the Rats.

what suggestions do you have for me?

Can anyone recommend some well written, well researched medieval fiction please. Something I can immerse myself in.