Historical fiction I have read and loved
Explore my curated list of beloved historical fiction books I've read and loved. Discover captivating stories, rich settings, and unforgettable characters in these must-read novels.



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Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
Ninety-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski remembers his time in the circus as a young man during the Great Depression, and his friendship with Marlena, the star of …

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The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
"Original hardcover edition published by William Morrow and Company Inc.; previously published in a Plume edition"--T.p. verso.

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An Instance of the Fingerpost
by Iain Pears
A national bestseller and one of the New York Public Library's Books to Remember, An Instance of the Fingerpost is a thrilling historical mystery from …

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Gates of Fire
by Steven Pressfield
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “Steven Pressfield brings the battle of Thermopylae to brilliant life.”—Pat Conroy At Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared …

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Tides of War
by Steven Pressfield
Brilliant at war, a master of politics, and a charismatic lover, Alcibiades was Athens’ favorite son and the city’s greatest general. A prodigal follower of …



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When Christ and His Saints Slept
by Sharon Kay Penman
The acclaimed author of The Sunne in Splendor and Falls the Shadow now begins a new trilogy, set in medieval England, during a time of …


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Girl with a Pearl Earring
by Tracy Chevalier
Holland comes to dazzling life in this richly imagined portrait of Griet, a sixteen year old of the 1660s who inspired one of Vermeer's most …

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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 …