Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres to read. There’s something about being transported back in time into cultures and places so different from our modern time that really fascinates me. Historical fiction that focuses on events or moments that actually happened throughout history, told through the eyes of a fictional character, is the kind that fascinates me the most. Those with historical accuracy get me going even more.
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However, there’s a whole host of historical fiction out there and so you may be sitting there, reading this post thinking “well where do I start, Luke?” “who’s a great author to guarantee some fantastic historical fiction from?” Well, don’t worry person who’s speaking to their device, I’m here to give you some recommendations based on the books I’ve read.
My recommendations all vary. Some of my recommendations are gritty, true-to-real-life offerings whilst others are simply books set decades ago based on very fictitious events but in a time famous for certain cultural differences.
Additionally, in places I’m recommending an individual book, with others I’m recommending a specific author who writes historical fiction and some of their books I’ve read I’d recommend.
So if you’re looking for some historical fiction to get into, keep reading and you might find something to get into!
C.J. Sansom – author
The first I’m going to recommend is CJ Sansom, the late author. Sansom wrote a fair few different historical fiction novels but was most famous for his Shardlake series (the series I’d recommend). Matthew Shardlake is a lawyer in the 1500s who lives with a hunched back but works for some very senior people to go around and secretly try and solve murders or crimes that are happening.
Sansom’s historical accuracy is to be marvelled. I’m not one who researches every historical detail in his books but there are ways in which they’re written and small details that are included that make it easy to see that Sansom cares about ensuring his books are as accurate as possible.
Despite being a main protagonist who struggles to tell a joke and lives during a fairly dark time in England’s history, the way CJ Sansom manages to portray Shardlake and the other cast of characters (some of whom can tell a joke) is genuinely compelling. You end up falling in love with these characters and growing interested in their own personal trials, outside of the criminal trials they’re involved in.
I’ve read the first three books in the series and need to read the remaining four, but if 16th century British history is a particular enjoyment to you, I could not recommend what I’ve read of this series so far more!
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
Last year I became quickly obsessed with the whole Enigma Code and Bletchley Park after visiting it. Whilst there, I popped into the gift shop and picked up The Rose Code by Kate Quinn – a novel my mother-in-law actually recommended having read it herself.
A bit of quick background: for those that aren’t aware of “The Enigma Code” or “Bletchley Park”, Bletchley Park was a fairly top secret set of buildings in the town of Bletchley during the second world war which was set up to try and crack the secret codes the Germans were using to communicate with one another. Us Brits had the codes but we needed to translate them in attempts to know what the Germans’ next move would be. There were some incredibly intelligent people working incredibly unsocial hours to ensure Britain always remained aware of what the Germans were up to.
Alan Turing is the most famous of the codebreakers having developed the Bombe machine was said to have potentially knocked 2-4 years off of the war and saved millions of lives. The place is now etched in history is somewhere you can go to learn about these incredible people, their stories, their living conditions, working conditions and much more!
Anyway, The Rose Code focuses on the Wrens of Bletchley Park. This is the name used for essentially the women who worked every day actually translating these codes. The Rose Code focuses on three of these women who are loosely based on actual women who worked there. It tells the stories of the times before the war, during the war and then after the war. It’s a brilliant read and includes fascinating insights into the war, Bletchley Park and what the conditions were like for these women. And there’s a good twist to boot!
Taylor Jenkins Reid – author
Without a doubt, an author who I’m always excited for a new release from is Taylor Jenkins Reid. Now, Reid isn’t necessarily exclusively a historical fiction writer, however some of her biggest titles have been set in the past.
Unlike The Rose Code or Sansom’s Shardlake series, Reid’s historical fiction is far more fiction than historically accurate. Her characters and plot are set decades ago but other than some large, historically notable events, these are very much fictional events about fictional characters.
I’ve read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Malibu Rising and Carrie Soto is Back so far. I’d have to say the first two were my favourite by quite some way.
I won’t go deeply into the details of each of the books of hers I’ve read so far just save your eyes and mind from some reading however these books I’ve read of of Reid’s have all followed a fairly similar structure. That structure is generally: famous person (or people) living their life in the spotlight with fame and personal issues being a struggle for them. It may sound like a fairly simple structure but Reid adds in a lot of nuances, often a fantastic cast and some great smaller details to make these all feel like you’re reading the lives of genuine stars.
Set in different periods of time (all within the past 50 years or so) Reid’s books neatly tie in with one another with the characters in the books sometimes featuring in each other’s books – even as a passing name sometimes.
If the actual history of things isn’t your thing but you’re looking for books set in the 70s, 80s, 90s etc then Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones would be my recommendations from Reid.
- Check out The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
- Check out Daisy Jones and the Six
- Check out Malibu Rising
- Check out Carrie Soto is Back
The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
Another Quinn who’s written a fantastic historical fiction is Joanna Quinn. The Whalebone Theatre is actually the debut novel from Quinn but is a very composed and even ambitious at times novel about a girl and her step/half siblings as they grow up before and during the war. Before the start of the war, they discover a whale carcass on the beach and decide they want to turn their passion for performing into theatre productions using this carcass as the theatre.
This is the beginning of a bond between them that continues as the war comes along and they attempt to stay in touch despite all being in different places and having different roles in the war.
It’s a powerful story that exercises the changes the war had on people and how it affected different people mentally and physically. It also looks at the dynamics of what it means to be family – who you deem actual family despite those who may be blood family.
It’s a wonderful debut and was one of my favourite books I read in 2024.
Kristin Hannah – author
And last, but by no means least, is arguably my favourite author at the moment. I go through different fazes of who my favourite authors are but at the moment everything I read by Kristin Hannah is simply brilliantly leaving me emotionally and what feels physically attached the incredible characters and stories she writes.
I’ve read four Hannah books so far: The Four Winds, The Nightingale, The Women and Night Road. Every single one of which had me thinking about it for many days after finishing it.
Nearly all (I say “nearly” because Night Road doesn’t quite follow the same formula) of Hannah’s books tell the forgotten story of women throughout history. They tell the story of often one fictional woman set during a famous historical time which shows the way women were treated during these times but also how women did incredible things that simply weren’t spoken about and thus not written down and thus not made common knowledge throughout history.
The Four Winds focuses on the story of a single mother who has to keep her children fed, alive and happy during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era. The Nightingale tells the story of two women in France during World War 2 and their two very different struggles during the war. The Women tells the story of Frankie who signs up to become a nurse during the Vietnam War because she thinks it’ll do her family proud but soon finds out that women aren’t talked about in the war, either during or after.
Night Road is a slightly different novel that explores the lives of two siblings, their mother and their friend and how after one night’s mistake, it changes all of their lives forever.
However, the three aforementioned books all follow the “Hannah formula” and all left a real mark on me and with a new found respect for the untold story of women throughout history.
Find anything you liked the sound of?
So there we have it. It’s not the most exhaustive list of historical fiction you’ll ever find but I like to think there’s some diversity in the genre and I’ve represented that in some of my favourite books!
Let me know if you decide to pick any of these up and if so, which of them you enjoy! I also always love to hear new book recommendations. I know there are some huge names such as Ken Follett and Hilary Mantel who I’ve not yet read and so haven’t featured on here and others such as Bernard Cornwell, Diana Gabaldon and Robert Harris whose books I have read but didn’t quite grasp me enough to feature on this list.
