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Best Historical Fiction
The best of historical fiction. Historical fiction are novels that re-create a period or event and often use historical figures as some of its characters. To be deemed historical, a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described.
Score
A book’s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
| 101 |
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Cutting for Stone
by
Abraham Verghese (Goodreads Author)
4.33 avg rating — 420,078 ratings
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| 102 |
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The Winter King (The Warlord Chronicles, #1)
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
4.26 avg rating — 53,855 ratings
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| 103 |
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The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers
by
Margaret George (Goodreads Author)
4.26 avg rating — 28,741 ratings
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| 104 |
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City of Thieves
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4.30 avg rating — 163,211 ratings
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| 105 |
|
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by
Jamie Ford (Goodreads Author)
4.05 avg rating — 312,687 ratings
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| 106 |
|
The Memoirs of Cleopatra
by
Margaret George (Goodreads Author)
4.19 avg rating — 21,384 ratings
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| 107 |
|
Shanghai Girls (Shanghai Girls, #1)
by
Lisa See (Goodreads Author)
3.92 avg rating — 161,328 ratings
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| 108 |
|
Corelli’s Mandolin
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4.03 avg rating — 92,004 ratings
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| 109 |
|
Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel, #1)
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4.03 avg rating — 63,832 ratings
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| 110 |
|
Master & Commander (Aubrey & Maturin, #1)
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4.07 avg rating — 62,432 ratings
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| 111 |
|
Redeeming Love
by
Francine Rivers (Goodreads Author)
4.51 avg rating — 362,684 ratings
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| 112 |
|
The Constant Princess (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #6)
by
Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)
3.93 avg rating — 166,343 ratings
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| 113 |
|
The Valley of Horses (Earth's Children, #2)
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4.04 avg rating — 95,055 ratings
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| 114 |
|
River God (Ancient Egypt, #1)
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4.22 avg rating — 43,213 ratings
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| 115 |
|
Water for Elephants
by
Sara Gruen (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 1,686,023 ratings
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| 116 |
|
Trinity
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4.29 avg rating — 25,149 ratings
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| 117 |
|
Burr
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4.09 avg rating — 10,530 ratings
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| 118 |
|
Stones from the River (Burgdorf Cycle, #1)
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4.09 avg rating — 96,243 ratings
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| 119 |
|
Quo Vadis
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4.01 avg rating — 41,317 ratings
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| 120 |
|
The Help
by
Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)
4.47 avg rating — 2,976,766 ratings
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| 121 |
|
The Kitchen God's Wife
by
Amy Tan (Goodreads Author)
4.04 avg rating — 87,379 ratings
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| 122 |
|
Chesapeake
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4.22 avg rating — 27,002 ratings
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| 123 |
|
The Bonesetter's Daughter
by
Amy Tan (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 132,204 ratings
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| 124 |
|
Johnny Tremain
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3.70 avg rating — 50,698 ratings
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| 125 |
|
Fingersmith
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4.02 avg rating — 116,201 ratings
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| 126 |
|
Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, #1)
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3.93 avg rating — 40,674 ratings
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| 127 |
|
Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)
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4.30 avg rating — 103,254 ratings
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| 128 |
|
The White Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #2)
by
Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 181,237 ratings
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| 129 |
|
Cleopatra's Daughter
by
Michelle Moran (Goodreads Author)
4.12 avg rating — 30,607 ratings
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| 130 |
|
Birdsong
by
4.11 avg rating — 83,020 ratings
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| 131 |
|
The Prince and the Pauper
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3.87 avg rating — 124,408 ratings
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| 132 |
|
The Song of Achilles
by
Madeline Miller (Goodreads Author)
4.31 avg rating — 1,896,669 ratings
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| 133 |
|
The Physician (Cole Family Trilogy, #1)
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4.41 avg rating — 59,185 ratings
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| 134 |
|
The Last of the Mohicans (The Leatherstocking Tales, #2)
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3.70 avg rating — 101,426 ratings
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| 135 |
|
Orlando
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3.87 avg rating — 111,107 ratings
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| 136 |
|
These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901
by
4.36 avg rating — 80,839 ratings
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| 137 |
|
The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children, #3)
by
3.96 avg rating — 76,855 ratings
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| 138 |
|
Ragtime
by
3.89 avg rating — 45,867 ratings
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| 139 |
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Innocent Traitor
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3.98 avg rating — 34,783 ratings
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| 140 |
|
Falls the Shadow (Welsh Princes, #2)
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4.40 avg rating — 10,584 ratings
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| 141 |
|
Those Who Save Us
by
Jenna Blum (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 103,096 ratings
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| 142 |
|
Genghis: Birth of an Empire (Conqueror, #1)
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4.39 avg rating — 37,121 ratings
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| 143 |
|
Kristin Lavransdatter
by
4.31 avg rating — 14,044 ratings
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| 144 |
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The Man in the Iron Mask (Le vicomte de Bragelonne, #4)
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3.99 avg rating — 66,701 ratings
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| 145 |
|
The Heretic Queen
by
Michelle Moran (Goodreads Author)
4.21 avg rating — 26,457 ratings
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| 146 |
|
An Instance of the Fingerpost
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3.94 avg rating — 26,770 ratings
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| 147 |
|
The Tea Rose (The Tea Rose, #1)
by
Jennifer Donnelly (Goodreads Author)
4.22 avg rating — 40,280 ratings
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| 148 |
|
Into the Wilderness (Wilderness, #1)
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4.12 avg rating — 43,151 ratings
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| 149 |
|
China Blues
by
Ki Longfellow (Goodreads Author)
4.14 avg rating — 1,627 ratings
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| 150 |
|
Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles
by
Margaret George (Goodreads Author)
4.09 avg rating — 14,894 ratings
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| 151 |
|
The Shell Seekers
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4.20 avg rating — 119,029 ratings
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| 152 |
|
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
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3.78 avg rating — 107,111 ratings
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| 153 |
|
Angle of Repose
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4.24 avg rating — 61,507 ratings
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| 154 |
|
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal
by
Christopher Moore (Goodreads Author)
4.23 avg rating — 180,311 ratings
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| 155 |
|
Tipping the Velvet
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4.05 avg rating — 76,991 ratings
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| 156 |
|
Flashman (The Flashman Papers, #1)
by
4.06 avg rating — 15,722 ratings
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| 157 |
|
The Persian Boy (Alexander the Great, #2)
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4.18 avg rating — 10,991 ratings
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| 158 |
|
Winter of the World (The Century Trilogy #2)
by
Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)
4.38 avg rating — 174,199 ratings
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| 159 |
|
The Phantom of the Opera
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3.96 avg rating — 269,706 ratings
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| 160 |
|
Winter Garden
by
Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)
4.28 avg rating — 395,163 ratings
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| 161 |
|
The Book of Negroes
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4.47 avg rating — 90,575 ratings
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| 162 |
|
Orphan Train
by
Christina Baker Kline (Goodreads Author)
4.20 avg rating — 459,937 ratings
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| 163 |
|
The Dovekeepers
by
Alice Hoffman (Goodreads Author)
4.07 avg rating — 79,494 ratings
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| 164 |
|
Agincourt
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 31,482 ratings
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| 165 |
|
War and Peace
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4.17 avg rating — 359,197 ratings
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| 166 |
|
Beneath a Marble Sky
by
John Shors (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 15,318 ratings
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| 167 |
|
Sacajawea
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4.25 avg rating — 16,333 ratings
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| 168 |
|
The Night Circus
by
Erin Morgenstern (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,075,727 ratings
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| 169 |
|
A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion, #1)
by
Francine Rivers (Goodreads Author)
4.57 avg rating — 105,313 ratings
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| 170 |
|
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
by
Mark T. Sullivan (Goodreads Author)
4.43 avg rating — 377,664 ratings
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| 171 |
|
The Girl from the Train
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4.14 avg rating — 14,565 ratings
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| 172 |
|
Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3)
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
4.36 avg rating — 51,874 ratings
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| 173 |
|
The Lady and the Unicorn
by
Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads Author)
3.71 avg rating — 47,087 ratings
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| 174 |
|
The King Must Die (Theseus, #1)
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3.97 avg rating — 10,188 ratings
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| 175 |
|
The Egyptian
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4.22 avg rating — 27,258 ratings
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| 176 |
|
King Rat (Asian Saga, #4)
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4.20 avg rating — 43,704 ratings
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| 177 |
|
Sheever's Journal, Diary of a Poison Master
by
K. Ritz (Goodreads Author)
4.30 avg rating — 27,825 ratings
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| 178 |
|
Follow the River
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4.23 avg rating — 23,013 ratings
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| 179 |
|
The Grass Crown (Masters of Rome, #2)
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4.33 avg rating — 13,102 ratings
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| 180 |
|
Peony in Love
by
Lisa See (Goodreads Author)
3.64 avg rating — 50,160 ratings
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| 181 |
|
Raintree County
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3.99 avg rating — 1,096 ratings
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| 182 |
|
The Archer's Tale (The Grail Quest, #1)
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
4.15 avg rating — 33,219 ratings
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| 183 |
|
The Traitor's Emblem
by
Juan Gómez-Jurado (Goodreads Author)
3.86 avg rating — 4,169 ratings
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| 184 |
|
The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2)
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
4.31 avg rating — 60,575 ratings
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| 185 |
|
The Lady Elizabeth
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3.99 avg rating — 28,449 ratings
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| 186 |
|
The Blind Assassin
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
3.96 avg rating — 161,908 ratings
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| 187 |
|
The Josephine Bonaparte Collection: The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, and the Last Great Dance on Earth
by
Sandra Gulland (Goodreads Author)
4.47 avg rating — 3,899 ratings
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| 188 |
|
The Winter Sea (Slains, #1)
by
Susanna Kearsley (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 69,209 ratings
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| 189 |
|
Excalibur (The Warlord Chronicles, #3)
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
4.44 avg rating — 30,438 ratings
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| 190 |
|
The Winter Rose (The Tea Rose, #2)
by
Jennifer Donnelly (Goodreads Author)
4.34 avg rating — 24,718 ratings
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| 191 |
|
Between Shades of Gray
by
Ruta Sepetys (Goodreads Author)
4.37 avg rating — 270,534 ratings
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| 192 |
|
In the Company of the Courtesan
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3.80 avg rating — 25,852 ratings
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| 193 |
|
A Gentleman in Moscow
by
Amor Towles (Goodreads Author)
4.32 avg rating — 644,405 ratings
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| 194 |
|
The Invention of Wings
by
Sue Monk Kidd (Goodreads Author)
4.26 avg rating — 329,246 ratings
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| 195 |
|
The House at Riverton
by
Kate Morton (Goodreads Author)
3.95 avg rating — 124,099 ratings
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| 196 |
|
Crocodile on the Sandbank (Amelia Peabody #1)
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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 78,139 ratings
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| 197 |
|
The Little House Collection (Little House, #1-9)
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4.36 avg rating — 156,604 ratings
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| 198 |
|
The Secret Life of Bees
by
Sue Monk Kidd (Goodreads Author)
4.10 avg rating — 1,341,780 ratings
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| 199 |
|
The Virgin's Lover (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #14)
by
Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)
3.74 avg rating — 56,989 ratings
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| 200 |
|
Mistress of Rome (The Empress of Rome, #1)
by
Kate Quinn (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 29,799 ratings
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3511 likes · Like
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Comments Showing 1-50 of 334 (334 new)
message 1:
by
Celeste
(new)
Aug 21, 2008 01:09PM
The classic historical fiction novel. Couldn't put it down!
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The best. Couldn't stop until I had read the entire series.
The Whiskey Rebels (by David Liss) should be on the list. Though I must say the list itself is sketchy. Just because a book takes place in some moment of time past does not make it historical fiction. The Kite Runner? What is that doing on here?
Good point, Charlotte.For example, I love Pride and Prejudice, but I didn't vote for it, as it is not a historical novel - Jane Austen was writing about her own time.
Flags of Our Fathers. Definately not fiction.
Where are the Norah Lofts books? She writes great historical fiction.
I don't think people are understanding what historical fiction is. If a book was written in the 1800's and it is based in that time frame, then would you consider it historical fiction? I would not. Historical fiction takes historical events (or figures)and creates fictionalized stories either centering on them or surronding them.
Agreed. Historical fiction refers to a time not your own featuring people, events & movements of the time & place re-created in a fictional story of your making. A generation before is time enough, IMHO.
Win Blevins's STONE SONG dserves to be recognized as a great book
I am ashamed that I even have read historical fiction.
I came here to vote after finding so many brilliant works of art on The Worst Book list. And here I find so many books that are in no way "historical." As already said, many of the above books (and many I love) were written in and of their times. So I could not vote for them. I read all genres (pretty much) but what to me is the best of that genre, so I am in no way embarrassed to read this one.
Middlesex? Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell? Like Water for Chocolate? Who made this list? Oh well, I enjoyed perusing it and found many new books to add to my "to-read" list.
It was made by the people, or at least the people here on this site who bothered to take the time to contribute. Obviously a massing of individual minds isn't going to match your personal tastes. These lists would be boring and hardly worth looking at if they did.
Rusty wrote: "I am ashamed that I even have read historical fiction. "Why? Have you read any Shakespeare? Or perhaps Homer? 
I (and my husband) read, or actually listened to audio recordings, of all the Sharp series, and just loved them. Cornwell is the only author who ever made me "see" a battle.
"Night" is NOT historical fiction. It's not even fiction ... it's the true story of Elie Wiesel's experiences during the Holocaust. So historical non-fiction would be a better category for it, evne though it doesn't technically exist. Please remove it from this list- I LOVE that book, but it doesn't fall in this category.
well I saw several historical fiction books I've read and though not my favorite I understand why they are on the list and I see a few I plan on reading shortly, I think it's great that someone compiled this list.
I really like the concept of the book cementary and given the responasbily to keep the books safe..
Manuel wrote: "I really like the concept of the book cementary and given the responasbily to keep the books safe.."Are you talking about the Cemetary of Books in the "Shadow of the the Wind"?
Lordy Lordy but this list is well out of kilter.ETA I am talking about the objective scoring, not the subjective comments. *waves white flag at Alice, who thought I was dissing a viewpoint* lol
And here I find so many books that are in no way "historical."Lola, I noticed that too. Despite the clear definition/description of "historical fiction" at the top there, I'm seeing all kinds of odd books here - Alexandre Dumas, for example, while one of my favourites, was writing not all that long after the Napoleonic War.
Books written during or shortly after the period in which they were set, but 50 years before our own, are generally termed "classics", not historical fiction.
I don't know how these lists work - is there a way of editing it?
Well, some of Dumas is historical fiction - like The Three Musketeers - but a lot of it isn't. The Count of Monte Cristo, for example.Shannon - I think only the creator of the list can edit it (excluding changing one's own votes, of course).
Any librarian can edit the list in order to remove books. However, GoodReads is REALLY strict about only removing books that without a doubt don't fit the category, as they don't want people to just remove books they don't like.I've removed "Anne of Green Gables" and "The Little House" collection. While both great books/series, they were written close to the time they took place and therefore don't fit the definition of historical fiction. There are a LOT of others I'm unsure about though.
Count of Monte Cristo was the one I was thinking of, Susanna, and his book on Napoleon. I actually forgot about the Musketeers!!Since anyone can add a book to a list, it stands to reason it could be removed as well. I don't see that function but I'm seeing far fewer non-historical books here than yesterday. Some are more science fiction than historical fiction, not that you can't straddle genres, but a lot of these are giving me a double-take. I personally don't want to change anything, unless it was glaringly obvious.
Shannon, at the very top of the list, immediately following the list description, there is a small (edit) link - very non-descript, very easy to miss.This link allows you to delete books one at a time.
I did see that, but I thought it was just for the intro description. Makes sense though!
All Quiet on the Western Front is historical fiction? It was written in the 20s, about the teens. Great book, but I wouldn't vote for it here.
What exactly is a "historical fiction" book? I thought all those books Courtney put down were historical and so I voted for the one I liked best. I don't really have a big vocabulary, so I am not sure what most of you guys were saying. =/
A work of historical fiction is a novel that is set in the past, Catherine.
Thank you for the comment I guess. =D
I didn't read through everyone's comments, so I'm not sure if this was mentioned already, but Elie Wiesel's "Night" is not historical FICTION. In fact, it was based on his own experiences in the Holocaust. It is a very touching, beautifully written book for anyone else who likes WWII non-fiction.
Most all of these are NOT historical fiction, IMO. Historical fiction novels are fictional accounts about real people in historical situations. Most mentioned here are simply period pieces. Examples of historical fiction include Mary Renault's The Persian Boy about Alexander the Great's chamberlain and catamite Bagoas; Family Favorites by Alfred Duggan, a fictional biography of Elagabalus; I, Claudius by Robert Graves about the 1st 5 Caesar's and Julian]by Gore Vidal about Julian II, a 4th century CE Roman emperor...
Some like The Mists of Avalon mentioned above and many other modern Arthurian tales are mythic fiction, not historical fiction.
Definitions vary; they clearly have here.
Susanna wrote: "A work of historical fiction is a novel that is set in the past."Not just our past but the past of the author too. Many of the examples in the list are simply books that are not contemporary to us and are, by no stretch of the imagination 'historical fiction.' The works of Jane Austen, for instance, are not historical fiction because she was writing about her own times. For a work to be historical it has to be set by the author in a time that precedes their own. It is arguable too that a book set in the author's imagined future does not belong in this category, like 1984. Such works are wholly imagined and not related to an historical reality.
As so do I Susanna, but maybe the author of this here list put Pride and Prejudice in because it is history to us now. I think that is something authors of the past and future sometimes forget funnily enough, unless you mock whole nations, the works you create will be around for a very long time. Susanna wrote: "Good point, Charlotte.
For example, I love Pride and Prejudice, but I didn't vote for it, as it is not a historical novel - Jane Austen was writing about her own time."
Antonia Fraser's The Wives of Henry VIII isn't even fiction! It's straight biography, and a very good one.
I look to historical fiction to take the facts (Henry VIII had 8 wives, most of whom died) and put real faces and real people behind those facts, explain how a real person could do the things they did or make the decisions they madeWhich historical fiction book is this an outline of please?
The Devil in the White City is NOT historical fiction. Eric Larson writes NON-FICTION!And some of these others I question whether they are "historical fiction" - they take place at a certain time in history and they are fiction. But that doesn't make them "historical fiction."
Maybe I just take my historical fiction too literally.
Jan wrote: "The Devil in the White City is NOT historical fiction. Eric Larson writes NON-FICTION!And some of these others I question whether they are "historical fiction" - they take place at a certain ti..."
Well, Larson does write fiction as well...
:O)
... but I get your point on this particular work - 300+ readers have it on the fiction shelf. I bet he's nearly as mad about it all as you are.
I guess it's sort of a compliment, as people "who don't read non-fiction" always want "non-fiction that reads like fiction."
To the best of my knowledge (and Wikipedia's as well) Erik Larson does not write fiction. He has worked for newspapers, he has taught non-fiction writing and, as far as I can tell, as only written non-fiction.
People may well read him as though he is fiction. Many think that non-fiction is dry and dull. I know many though Seabiscuit by Hillenbrand was fiction. But maybe these books can help bring people into the light. (jk)
Jan wrote: "To the best of my knowledge (and Wikipedia's as well) Erik Larson does not write fiction. He has worked for newspapers, he has taught non-fiction writing and, as far as I can tell, as only writ..."
Jan , is his profile on GR wrong? It states that he writes mysteries and thrillers as well but I cannot see any publications along those lines.
Colonel Charles Dahnmon Whitt has a new (Historic-Fiction) out. It is a 580 page hardback relating to the years from 1836 to 1900. It is based on an appalachian and his family as they live in the 1800's in Virginia and Kentucky. It also covers his service as a Confederate in Company H, of the 29th. Virginia Infantry. It is a day to day history where the folks come to life and keep you wondering, What's next? "Legacy, The Days of David Crockett Whitt" is the name of this narrative. Get it at dahnmonwhittfamily.com
WILL SOMEONE WITH SMARTS AND SKILLS PLEASE PLEASE PRUNE THIS LIST DOWN TO HISTORICAL FICTION. Without limitation, no definition. As Alan Turing famously said, Information is Entropy (Boundless information eventually becomes no information at all).Sadly, we must either cut The Crucible and Inherit the Wind......or let in ALL of Shakespeare's history plays.
Animal Farm is historical fiction?I cleaned out a lot of the non-fiction.
Stephanie wrote: "Middlesex? Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell? Like Water for Chocolate? Who made this list? Oh well, I enjoyed perusing it and found many new books to add to my "to-read" list. "Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell is historical fiction. The fictional elements including the historical use of magic in Britain, and the use of magic at that time in Britain. But the rest of the book is historical in setting and events, including the Napoleonic Wars. Remember, these aren't history books, but works of fiction that use history as a basis.
Is it historical fiction if it was contemporary at the time it was written? Some stuff on this list really confused me.
To my mind - if it was contemporary at the time it was written, it is not historical fiction.
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