The Best of Really Good Historical Fiction
Discover the best historical fiction books that bring the past to life. Explore captivating stories, rich settings, and unforgettable characters in our top picks for must-read historical novels.
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The Queen's Fool
by Philippa Gregory
#1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory weaves a spellbinding tale of a young woman with the …
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The Borgia Bride
by Jeanne Kalogridis
Vivacious Sancha of Aragon arrives in Rome newly wed to a member of the notorious Borgia dynasty. Surrounded by the city's opulence and political corruption, …
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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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Slammerkin
by Emma Donoghue
Mary Saunders' lust for linen, lace and a shiny red ribbon leads her to a life of prostitution.
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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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The Last Days of Dogtown
by Anita Diamant
Based loosely on a true story of a historic community, this novel is set on Cape Ann in the early 1800s. Peopled with widows, orphans, …
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The Vanishing Point
by Mary Sharratt
Constrained by their small 17th-century English town, two independent, spirited sisters push the limits of propriety--one journeys to America where she disappears, and the other, …
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The Constant Princess
by Philippa Gregory
From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Virgin's Lover," this enthralling new novel answers one of history's most intriguing questions: What lay behind …
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Leonardo's Swans
by Karen Essex
Isabelle d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black-eyed blond …
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The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
Adventure saga of 12th century England, from a stone mason whose dream is to build a glorious cathedral to a man of God in a …
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I Am of Irelaunde
by Juilene Osborne-McKnight
Years after escaping slavery in Ireland as a young man, Patricius returns to Ireland to bring Christianity to the heathens, and finds himself joining forces …
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The Gilded Chamber
by Rebecca Kohn
For centuries her name has been a byword for feminine beauty, guile, and wisdom. This sweeping, meticulously researched novel restores Esther to her full, complex …