Some Good Historical Fiction
Explore the best historical fiction books with our curated list of top picks. Dive into captivating stories set in the past, perfect for history buffs and book lovers alike.
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The Birth of Venus
by Sarah Dunant
Turning fifteen in Renaissance Florence, Alessandra Cecchi becomes intoxicated with the works of a young painter whom her father has brought to the city to …
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City of Light
by Lauren Belfer
NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • “Breathtaking . . . a remarkable blend of murder mystery, love story, political intrigue, and tragedy of manners.”—USA Today …
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Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks
"When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated mountain village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine …
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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See
Lily is haunted by memories–of who she once was, and of a person, long gone, who defined her existence. She has nothing but time now, …
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A Prayer for the Dying
by Stewart O'Nan
Set in Friendship, Wisconsin, just after the Civil War, A Prayer for the Dying tells of a horrible epidemic that has gripped the town in …
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An Inconvenient Wife
by Megan Chance
AN INCONVENIENT WIFE is a rich blend of suspense, social history (America in the 1880s), and passion. Chance delivers a powerfully written page-turner about a …
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A Northern Light
by Jennifer Donnelly
Set in 1906 against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy," this Printz Honor Book effortlessly weaves romance, history, and …
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And Only to Deceive
by Tasha Alexander
From gifted new writer Tasha Alexander comes a stunning novel of historical suspense set in Victorian England, meticulously researched and with a twisty plot that …
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A Poisoned Season
by Tasha Alexander
London's social season is in full swing, and Victorian aristocracy is atwitter over a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis …
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The Dress Lodger
by Sheri Holman
In a novel set in London during the Industrial Revolution, a prostitute borrows a blue dress to attract a higher class of client and is …
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Silent In The Grave
by Deanna Raybourn
These ominous words, slashed from the pages of a book of Psalms, are the last threat that the darling of London society, Sir Edward Grey, …
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Silent In The Sanctuary
by Deanna Raybourn
fresh from a six-month sojourn in Italy, Lady Julia returns home to Sussex to find her father's estate crowded with family and friends— but dark …
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Silent on the Moor
by Deanna Raybourn
England, 1888 There are things that walk abroad on the moor that should not. But the dead do not always lie quietly, do they, lady? …
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The Boleyn Inheritance
by Philippa Gregory
From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Other Boleyn Girl" comesa tempestuous Tudor tale about two queens, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Parr, and …
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Fingersmith
by Sarah Waters
“Oliver Twist with a twist…Waters spins an absorbing tale that withholds as much as it discloses. A pulsating story.”—The New York Times Book Review The …
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Star of the Sea
by Joseph O'Connor
St. Petersburg High school juniors Dicey Bell, a baseball star, and Jack Chen, who loves science and role-playing games, discover a mutual attraction when paired …
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The Sparks Fly Upward
by Diana Norman
Few of those Philippa loves in London return her affection. Not the love of her life, who has a new bride. Not even her widowed …
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The Whiskey Rebels
by David Liss
America, 1787. Ethan Saunders, once among General Washington’s most valued spies, is living in disgrace after an accusation of treason cost him his reputation. But …
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A Conspiracy of Paper
by David Liss
Benjamin Weaver, a Jew and an ex-boxer, is an outsider in eighteenth-century London, tracking down debtors and felons for aristocratic clients. The son of a …
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The Day the Falls Stood Still
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
In the tradition of "City of Light" and "Fortune's Rocks" comes a stunning debut novel of one family's struggle, set against the tumultuous backdrop of …
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The Observations
by Jane Harris
The Observations is a hugely assured and darkly funny debut set in nineteenth-century Scotland. Bessy Buckley, the novel's heroine, is a cynical, wide-eyed, and tender …
