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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.
| 401 |
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The Blood upon the Rose (Women of Courage, #2)
by
Tim Vicary (Goodreads Author)
3.75 avg rating — 442 ratings
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| 402 |
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Ride the Wind
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4.39 avg rating — 6,280 ratings
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| 403 |
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A Suitable Boy (A Bridge of Leaves, #1)
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4.11 avg rating — 49,590 ratings
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| 404 |
|
Poland
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4.05 avg rating — 11,766 ratings
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| 405 |
|
The Penelopiad
by
Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author)
3.71 avg rating — 84,156 ratings
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| 405 |
|
Roman Blood (Roma Sub Rosa, #1)
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3.95 avg rating — 9,304 ratings
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| 407 |
|
The Soldier's Wife
by
Margaret Leroy (Goodreads Author)
3.90 avg rating — 15,228 ratings
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| 408 |
|
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar
by
Robert Alexander (Goodreads Author)
3.92 avg rating — 15,721 ratings
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| 409 |
|
The Pit and the Pendulum
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4.14 avg rating — 71,565 ratings
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| 410 |
|
Life After Life (Todd Family, #1)
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3.78 avg rating — 238,925 ratings
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| 411 |
|
The Shelters of Stone (Earth's Children, #5)
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3.87 avg rating — 51,531 ratings
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| 412 |
|
For the Love of Armin
by
Michael G. Kramer (Goodreads Author)
4.30 avg rating — 1,141 ratings
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| 413 |
|
The Forest
by
Edward Rutherfurd (Goodreads Author)
4.05 avg rating — 10,241 ratings
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| 414 |
|
The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)
by
Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 1,817,638 ratings
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| 415 |
|
The Rising Tide (World War II: 1939-1945, #1)
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4.17 avg rating — 9,893 ratings
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| 416 |
|
The Long Winter (Little House, #6)
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4.18 avg rating — 91,701 ratings
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| 417 |
|
Mary, Called Magdalene
by
Margaret George (Goodreads Author)
3.90 avg rating — 9,121 ratings
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| 418 |
|
Altar of Resistance (World War Two #2)
by
Samuel Marquis (Goodreads Author)
4.20 avg rating — 1,083 ratings
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| 419 |
|
The Scarlet Lion (William Marshal, #3)
by
Elizabeth Chadwick (Goodreads Author)
4.33 avg rating — 6,467 ratings
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| 420 |
|
The Virgin Blue
by
Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads Author)
3.67 avg rating — 34,163 ratings
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| 421 |
|
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
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4.03 avg rating — 37,460 ratings
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| 422 |
|
The Steel Wave (World War II: 1939-1945, #2)
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4.29 avg rating — 8,133 ratings
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| 423 |
|
The Twentieth Wife (Taj Mahal Trilogy, #1)
by
Indu Sundaresan (Goodreads Author)
4.07 avg rating — 16,640 ratings
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| 424 |
|
The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. (Josephine Bonaparte, #1)
by
Sandra Gulland (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 17,217 ratings
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| 425 |
|
A Reliable Wife
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3.28 avg rating — 80,108 ratings
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| 426 |
|
A Fine Balance
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4.38 avg rating — 157,738 ratings
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| 427 |
|
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
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4.18 avg rating — 18,921 ratings
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| 428 |
|
Devil's Brood (Plantagenets #3; Henry II & Eleanor of Aquitaine, #3)
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4.38 avg rating — 8,113 ratings
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| 429 |
|
Child 44 (Leo Demidov, #1)
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4.11 avg rating — 89,031 ratings
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| 430 |
|
Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, #3)
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4.38 avg rating — 22,282 ratings
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| 431 |
|
Inés of My Soul
by
Isabel Allende (Goodreads Author)
3.99 avg rating — 32,615 ratings
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| 432 |
|
I, Elizabeth
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4.02 avg rating — 13,548 ratings
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| 432 |
|
Caesar's Women (Masters of Rome, #4)
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4.29 avg rating — 7,638 ratings
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| 434 |
|
Two Rivers (The Peacemaker, #1)
by
Zoe Saadia (Goodreads Author)
4.07 avg rating — 1,048 ratings
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| 435 |
|
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
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4.18 avg rating — 210,624 ratings
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| 436 |
|
Mara, Daughter of the Nile
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4.25 avg rating — 13,450 ratings
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| 437 |
|
Pied Piper
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4.27 avg rating — 5,177 ratings
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| 438 |
|
King Hereafter
by
4.25 avg rating — 2,239 ratings
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| 439 |
|
A Day of Fire: A Novel of Pompeii
by
Kate Quinn (Goodreads Author)
4.03 avg rating — 4,456 ratings
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| 440 |
|
Death Comes for the Archbishop
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3.97 avg rating — 42,218 ratings
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| 441 |
|
The Covenant
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4.22 avg rating — 21,778 ratings
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| 442 |
|
Cat and Mouse
by
Tim Vicary (Goodreads Author)
4.11 avg rating — 368 ratings
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| 443 |
|
A Visit from Voltaire
by
Dinah Lee Küng (Goodreads Author)
3.61 avg rating — 132 ratings
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| 444 |
|
Ireland
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4.05 avg rating — 11,989 ratings
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| 445 |
|
The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1)
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4.01 avg rating — 258,609 ratings
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| 446 |
|
Skeletons at the Feast
by
Chris Bohjalian (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 26,863 ratings
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| 447 |
|
To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)
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4.11 avg rating — 43,597 ratings
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| 448 |
|
By the Shores of Silver Lake (Little House, #5)
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4.18 avg rating — 81,834 ratings
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| 448 |
|
Secrets of a Charmed Life
by
Susan Meissner (Goodreads Author)
4.24 avg rating — 67,750 ratings
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| 450 |
|
The Secret Keeper
by
Kate Morton (Goodreads Author)
4.16 avg rating — 171,926 ratings
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| 451 |
|
Penmarric
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4.13 avg rating — 6,764 ratings
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| 452 |
|
Through a Glass Darkly (Tamworth Saga, #2)
by
Karleen Koen (Goodreads Author)
3.97 avg rating — 11,350 ratings
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| 453 |
|
Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1)
by
Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author)
4.29 avg rating — 70,111 ratings
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| 454 |
|
Snow Falling on Cedars
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3.86 avg rating — 192,956 ratings
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| 455 |
|
Memories Of My Future
by
Ammar Habib (Goodreads Author)
4.39 avg rating — 7,144 ratings
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| 456 |
|
The Girl from Venice
by
3.42 avg rating — 8,716 ratings
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| 457 |
|
Roma (Roma, #1)
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3.94 avg rating — 8,695 ratings
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| 458 |
|
Musashi
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4.47 avg rating — 23,177 ratings
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| 459 |
|
The Last Queen
by
C.W. Gortner (Goodreads Author)
4.07 avg rating — 11,760 ratings
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| 460 |
|
The Great Alone
by
Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author)
4.45 avg rating — 1,104,416 ratings
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| 461 |
|
Eaters of the Dead
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3.71 avg rating — 45,920 ratings
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| 462 |
|
Birds Without Wings
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4.16 avg rating — 16,040 ratings
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| 463 |
|
The Blood of Flowers
by
Anita Amirrezvani (Goodreads Author)
3.99 avg rating — 19,564 ratings
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| 464 |
|
Silk Road (Epic Adventure, #1)
by
Colin Falconer (Goodreads Author)
4.27 avg rating — 10,283 ratings
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| 465 |
|
Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs, #1)
by
Jacqueline Winspear (Goodreads Author)
3.93 avg rating — 121,296 ratings
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| 466 |
|
Thousand Pieces of Gold
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3.89 avg rating — 2,712 ratings
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| 467 |
|
The Winds of War (The Henry Family, #1)
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4.38 avg rating — 59,069 ratings
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| 468 |
|
The Power of One (The Power of One, #1)
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4.36 avg rating — 93,458 ratings
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| 469 |
|
The Once and Future King (The Once and Future King, #1-5)
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4.07 avg rating — 116,820 ratings
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| 469 |
|
Dust Child
by
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Goodreads Author)
4.23 avg rating — 18,481 ratings
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| 471 |
|
Sepulchre (Languedoc, #2)
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3.80 avg rating — 22,353 ratings
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| 472 |
|
The Night Tiger
by
Yangsze Choo (Goodreads Author)
3.86 avg rating — 65,758 ratings
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| 473 |
|
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History (Maus, #1)
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4.39 avg rating — 368,112 ratings
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| 474 |
|
Honolulu
by
Alan Brennert (Goodreads Author)
4.08 avg rating — 25,239 ratings
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| 475 |
|
Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)
by
Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author)
4.55 avg rating — 138,320 ratings
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| 476 |
|
The Plot Against America
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3.81 avg rating — 67,880 ratings
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| 477 |
|
The Burning Land (The Saxon Stories, #5)
by
Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author)
4.31 avg rating — 40,297 ratings
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| 477 |
|
Homegoing
by
Yaa Gyasi (Goodreads Author)
4.47 avg rating — 390,861 ratings
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| 479 |
|
Tales of the South Pacific
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4.04 avg rating — 16,490 ratings
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| 480 |
|
Revelation (Matthew Shardlake, #4)
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4.37 avg rating — 26,853 ratings
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| 481 |
|
Before We Were Yours
by
Lisa Wingate (Goodreads Author)
4.40 avg rating — 705,415 ratings
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| 482 |
|
Queen Margot
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4.15 avg rating — 14,395 ratings
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| 483 |
|
Jackdaws
by
Ken Follett (Goodreads Author)
4.08 avg rating — 42,709 ratings
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| 484 |
|
Lady of Hay
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4.07 avg rating — 8,388 ratings
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| 485 |
|
Chasing the Dragon: BY NEW BLOOD DAGGER AND SCOTTISH CRIME DEBUT SHORTLISTED AUTHOR (Betancourt Mystery Series Book 2)
by
4.27 avg rating — 655 ratings
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| 486 |
|
The Journeyer
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4.32 avg rating — 4,057 ratings
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| 487 |
|
Shadow of the Moon
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4.23 avg rating — 4,640 ratings
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| 488 |
|
The Light of Eternal Spring
by
Angel Di Zhang (Goodreads Author)
3.91 avg rating — 516 ratings
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| 489 |
|
Samarkand
by
Amin Maalouf (Goodreads Author)
4.24 avg rating — 30,928 ratings
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| 489 |
|
A Queen's Spy (The Tudor Mystery Trials #1)
by
Samantha Burnell (Goodreads Author)
4.02 avg rating — 1,232 ratings
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| 491 |
|
Legacy
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4.15 avg rating — 3,122 ratings
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| 492 |
|
The Kingmaker's Daughter (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #4; Cousins War, #4)
by
Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author)
really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 49,720 ratings
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| 493 |
|
Palace Walk (The Cairo Trilogy, #1)
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4.20 avg rating — 21,988 ratings
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| 494 |
|
Wait for Me
by
Caroline Leech (Goodreads Author)
4.08 avg rating — 3,514 ratings
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| 495 |
|
The Death of Kings (Emperor, #2)
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4.30 avg rating — 21,304 ratings
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| 496 |
|
City of Light
by
Lauren Belfer (Goodreads Author)
3.78 avg rating — 5,633 ratings
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| 497 |
|
The Spring of the Ram (The House of Niccolò, #2)
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4.42 avg rating — 2,940 ratings
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| 498 |
|
The Girl You Left Behind
by
Jojo Moyes (Goodreads Author)
4.03 avg rating — 177,479 ratings
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| 499 |
|
Ariadne: A Novel of Ancient Crete
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4.11 avg rating — 161 ratings
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| 500 |
|
Daughters of the Dragon (The Dragon #1)
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4.48 avg rating — 23,398 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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