Recommended Historical Fiction

This is the list for your recommendations of good fiction set in a time before the author was born --NOT any old book set in a time that's now past, nor books about modern people who happen to be researching the past! :-) Okay? (Also, let's NOT include alternate world scenarios --just actual settings.)

flag

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 2,432,494 ratings score: 45,988, and 466 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.31 avg rating — 1,189,990 ratings score: 34,546, and 355 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 742,841 ratings score: 30,203, and 309 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author) 4.47 avg rating — 2,651,805 ratings score: 28,938, and 300 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 3.87 avg rating — 924,058 ratings score: 24,194, and 248 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Outlander (Outlander, #1) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 1,011,932 ratings score: 21,652, and 223 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco 4.14 avg rating — 354,601 ratings score: 18,102, and 187 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 4.15 avg rating — 1,955,348 ratings score: 15,409, and 165 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Other Boleyn Girl (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #9) by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 491,508 ratings score: 14,857, and 155 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.43 avg rating — 839,450 ratings score: 13,906, and 147 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer 4.19 avg rating — 731,837 ratings score: 13,778, and 145 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley 4.44 avg rating — 158,310 ratings score: 13,688, and 143 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Shōgun by James Clavell 4.40 avg rating — 171,154 ratings score: 13,415, and 144 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 721,806 ratings score: 13,305, and 141 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 4.15 avg rating — 317,477 ratings score: 12,241, and 130 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Lonesome Dove (Lonesome Dove, #1) by Larry McMurtry 4.52 avg rating — 181,828 ratings score: 11,657, and 124 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (Goodreads Author) 4.20 avg rating — 585,600 ratings score: 11,304, and 120 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.30 avg rating — 241,082 ratings score: 10,982, and 118 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth's Children, #1) by Jean M. Auel 4.08 avg rating — 261,177 ratings score: 10,921, and 115 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas 4.09 avg rating — 315,975 ratings score: 10,768, and 115 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	I, Claudius (Claudius, #1) by Robert Graves 4.24 avg rating — 64,862 ratings score: 9,889, and 106 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 4,509 ratings score: 9,673, and 98 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	The Killer Angels (The Civil War Trilogy, #2) by Michael Shaara 4.32 avg rating — 84,296 ratings score: 9,019, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy 4.07 avg rating — 133,375 ratings score: 8,132, and 87 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 286,385 ratings score: 8,018, and 86 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Master & Commander (Aubrey & Maturin, #1) by Patrick O'Brian 4.07 avg rating — 55,970 ratings score: 7,993, and 83 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Katherine by Anya Seton 4.20 avg rating — 32,958 ratings score: 7,723, and 83 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) by Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 96,441 ratings score: 7,645, and 80 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 4.11 avg rating — 934,897 ratings score: 7,604, and 83 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 4.06 avg rating — 739,715 ratings score: 7,114, and 76 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The White Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #2) by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 172,346 ratings score: 7,101, and 77 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Ivanhoe by Walter Scott 3.76 avg rating — 93,435 ratings score: 6,946, and 75 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	The Alienist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, #1) by Caleb Carr (Goodreads Author) 4.06 avg rating — 170,353 ratings score: 6,797, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	The Last of the Mohicans (The Leatherstocking Tales, #2) by James Fenimore Cooper 3.70 avg rating — 96,571 ratings score: 6,766, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Here Be Dragons (Welsh Princes, #1) by Sharon Kay Penman 4.29 avg rating — 23,649 ratings score: 6,748, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman 4.40 avg rating — 21,629 ratings score: 6,473, and 70 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) by Hilary Mantel 3.90 avg rating — 204,617 ratings score: 6,409, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Goodreads Author) 4.32 avg rating — 1,508,314 ratings score: 6,175, and 68 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	Hawaii by James A. Michener 4.21 avg rating — 77,680 ratings score: 5,950, and 65 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Centennial by James A. Michener 4.25 avg rating — 42,517 ratings score: 5,879, and 65 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare 4.01 avg rating — 149,342 ratings score: 5,871, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Once and Future King by T.H. White 4.07 avg rating — 106,549 ratings score: 5,859, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes 3.68 avg rating — 47,323 ratings score: 5,741, and 62 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain 3.87 avg rating — 117,381 ratings score: 5,217, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander, #2) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.34 avg rating — 344,603 ratings score: 5,202, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind 4.03 avg rating — 442,758 ratings score: 5,171, and 56 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Treasure Island by Fiona MacDonald (Adapter) 3.68 avg rating — 504 ratings score: 4,976, and 52 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane 3.28 avg rating — 102,316 ratings score: 4,679, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy, #1) by Ken Follett (Goodreads Author) 4.31 avg rating — 315,166 ratings score: 4,643, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Burr by Gore Vidal 4.08 avg rating — 9,852 ratings score: 4,610, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone 4.08 avg rating — 89,008 ratings score: 4,516, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1) by Marion Zimmer Bradley 4.13 avg rating — 204,052 ratings score: 4,486, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome, #1) by Colleen McCullough 4.12 avg rating — 22,479 ratings score: 4,482, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Lincoln by Gore Vidal 4.23 avg rating — 9,217 ratings score: 4,416, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 3.88 avg rating — 239,621 ratings score: 4,249, and 48 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 4.24 avg rating — 344,330 ratings score: 4,227, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Beloved by Toni Morrison 3.94 avg rating — 416,444 ratings score: 4,203, and 48 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1) by C.J. Sansom 4.05 avg rating — 52,719 ratings score: 4,146, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Source by James A. Michener 4.30 avg rating — 42,825 ratings score: 4,104, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas 4.22 avg rating — 25,645 ratings score: 4,081, and 46 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 28,825 ratings score: 4,013, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	The Beekeeper's Apprentice (Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, #1) by Laurie R. King (Goodreads Author) 4.05 avg rating — 81,350 ratings score: 3,918, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2) by Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author) 4.30 avg rating — 53,430 ratings score: 3,861, and 43 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (Goodreads Author) 4.61 avg rating — 1,198,984 ratings score: 3,635, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	Kidnapped (David Balfour, #1) by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.79 avg rating — 63,402 ratings score: 3,522, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	The Game of Kings (The Lymond Chronicles, #1) by Dorothy Dunnett 4.14 avg rating — 9,366 ratings score: 3,466, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	The Mammoth Hunters (Earth's Children, #3) by Jean M. Auel 3.94 avg rating — 70,718 ratings score: 3,447, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3) by Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 46,132 ratings score: 3,444, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The Valley of Horses (Earth's Children, #2) by Jean M. Auel 4.02 avg rating — 87,264 ratings score: 3,337, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield (Goodreads Author) 4.40 avg rating — 37,011 ratings score: 3,324, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow 3.89 avg rating — 42,864 ratings score: 3,316, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Chesapeake by James A. Michener 4.20 avg rating — 25,099 ratings score: 3,297, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo 4.01 avg rating — 195,911 ratings score: 3,262, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	A Morbid Taste for Bones (Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, #1) by Ellis Peters 3.97 avg rating — 40,720 ratings score: 3,209, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Possession. A romance by A.S. Byatt 3.89 avg rating — 78,872 ratings score: 3,190, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Silas Marner by George Eliot 3.67 avg rating — 84,793 ratings score: 3,179, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester 4.17 avg rating — 16,720 ratings score: 3,117, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Armada by Robert Carter (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 88 ratings score: 3,044, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Bernard Nordhoff really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 14,853 ratings score: 3,006, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 367,400 ratings score: 2,992, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles 3.88 avg rating — 51,992 ratings score: 2,921, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius, #2) by Robert Graves 4.21 avg rating — 14,645 ratings score: 2,894, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset 4.30 avg rating — 11,545 ratings score: 2,818, and 32 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears 3.93 avg rating — 25,056 ratings score: 2,809, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 139,085 ratings score: 2,807, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 158,292 ratings score: 2,779, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Regeneration (Regeneration, #1) by Pat Barker 4.02 avg rating — 30,178 ratings score: 2,568, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4) by Bernard Cornwell (Goodreads Author) 4.31 avg rating — 39,566 ratings score: 2,556, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	Fire from Heaven (Alexander the Great, #1) by Mary Renault 3.97 avg rating — 8,930 ratings score: 2,548, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Voyager (Outlander, #3) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 299,482 ratings score: 2,516, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 780,267 ratings score: 2,504, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 294,459 ratings score: 2,430, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz 4.02 avg rating — 36,206 ratings score: 2,388, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 467,251 ratings score: 2,352, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	The Boleyn Inheritance (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels, #10) by Philippa Gregory (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 90,078 ratings score: 2,345, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor 3.99 avg rating — 18,221 ratings score: 2,244, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George (Goodreads Author) 4.26 avg rating — 27,981 ratings score: 2,224, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	A Conspiracy of Paper (Benjamin Weaver, #1) by David Liss (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 11,219 ratings score: 2,190, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (Goodreads Author) 4.25 avg rating — 308,104 ratings score: 2,183, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder 3.79 avg rating — 34,003 ratings score: 2,152, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

← Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 33 34 Next →

3,352 books · 3,400 voters · list created January 18th, 2009 by Werner (votes) .

Tags: fiction, historical-fiction

1 like · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (3400)

Werner 2390 books
190 friends

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads 3335 books
858 friends

Bettie 15707 books
20 friends

Cheryl Niepomnik 836 books
85 friends

Lars 1360 books
70 friends

Anam 621 books
3 friends

Laura 12694 books
319 friends

Pokątnik Złowieszczek 8208 books
359 friends

More voters…

Post a comment »
Comments Showing 1-50 of 74 (74 new)

date

newest »

message 1: by Seth (new)

Jun 21, 2010 02:58PM

Several of these don't seem to fit the requirement of "set before the author was born." Should some librarian go through and prune, or just live with it?

reply | flag

message 2: by Werner (new)

Jun 21, 2010 04:27PM

Seth, I'm the list's creator/moderator (and also a Goodreads librarian); but because of limited time, I don't monitor it as closely as I probably should, and I also haven't read a number of the listed books, so can't make that kind of call in most of those cases. I'll give it a going-over now, and delete anything I see that shouldn't be there; but maybe any other librarians who read this will want to help, too? Thanks for letting us know about the problem!

reply | flag

message 3: by Seth (new)

Jun 21, 2010 04:49PM

I'm happy to note any books that don't seem right (1984 by Orwell springs to mind... certainly not *historical* to him!). I'm a librarian as well but I don't want to go removing people's votes from a list without either consensus or the list creator approving.

reply | flag

message 4: by Werner (last edited Jun 21, 2010 05:01PM) (new)

Jun 21, 2010 05:00PM

Yes, 1984 was one of the five books I just deleted. I jotted down four more titles with 20th- century settings that are "iffy," but I'll need to check the author's birthdates; and I'll be leaving on vacation tomorrow for a week, so can't do that until I return. In the meantime, Seth, you have my permission to remove anything that you know was set in the author's own time; I created this list for genuine historical fiction, in the genre sense!

reply | flag

message 5: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Jun 22, 2010 10:41AM) (new)

Jun 22, 2010 10:33AM

Ones that are not historical fiction, in my view:

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott (set in 1860s and 70s, LMA was born in 1832)
Fatherland, by Robert Harris (I am very dubious. Hitler wasn't still Fuhrer in our 1961.)
What is the What? by Dave Eggers (set in very recent Sudan)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Set, I believe, in the 1850s, when Mr. Twain was a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi.)

reply | flag

message 6: by Werner (new)

Jun 29, 2010 05:14PM

Susanna, thanks for your helpful feedback! (And sorry I took so long to respond; you posted on the day I left on vacation, and I haven't been back long.) Someone else must have deleted the Eggers book, and I evidently got Little Women when I went through the list last week; but I can't believe I missed Huckleberry Finn! I've just deleted that one, and the Harris book as well.

reply | flag

message 7: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jun 30, 2010 12:43PM

Little Women is still there, I see, so I'll just remove it.

reply | flag

message 8: by Werner (new)

Jun 30, 2010 04:12PM

Thanks, Susanna! I've now missed it twice; mea culpa. :-)

reply | flag

message 9: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 09, 2011 11:54AM

Is Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scott Story history, or historical fiction? It looks like history to me from the description, but I haven't read it.

reply | flag

message 10: by Werner (new)

Mar 09, 2011 12:57PM

Susanna, I have the same question, but I haven't read it either. I'll do some more checking on that!

reply | flag

message 11: by Werner (new)

Mar 09, 2011 04:35PM

Susanna, the Library of Congress' assigned subject headings for the Shurtleff book identify it as fiction, and so does the catalog record for it in World Catalog. So I'd say that it does belong here.

reply | flag

message 12: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 10, 2011 08:52AM

OK - I honestly couldn't tell from the description! Thanks.

reply | flag

message 13: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Mar 10, 2011 09:02AM) (new)

Mar 10, 2011 08:59AM

I didn't think The Jungle was historical fiction; didn't Sinclair set that novel in his own time?

ETA: Northanger Abbey is historical fiction??

reply | flag

message 14: by Werner (new)

Mar 10, 2011 09:10AM

No, Susanna, neither of those are historical fiction! I haven't checked over this list lately; I see I need to do that ASAP. Since I posted clear guidelines at the top, when I created the list, for what goes on it and what doesn't, I never expected a problem; but I guess not everybody actually reads that part. (Sigh!)

reply | flag

message 15: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Mar 10, 2011 09:23AM) (new)

Mar 10, 2011 09:19AM

I'm just shocked Twilight hasn't crept on.

reply | flag

message 16: by Misfit (new)

Mar 10, 2011 09:28AM

Susanna wrote: "I'm just shocked Twilight hasn't crept on."

It will eventually :p

reply | flag

message 17: by Werner (new)

Mar 10, 2011 09:32AM

Well, I'm a Twilight series fan myself; but if anyone tries to claim it's historical fiction and puts it on here, either of us that catches it can delete it on sight! :-) Okay, I've deleted the two books you spotted, as well as What Is the What and Elie Wiesel's Night. (I didn't check the last two pages this time, but hopefully they're free of any anomalies.) I'll try to do a more thorough check later.

reply | flag

message 18: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 10, 2011 09:34AM

It's like weeding a garden.

reply | flag

message 19: by Werner (new)

Mar 10, 2011 09:47AM

Very true! :-)

reply | flag

message 20: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Mar 10, 2011 10:27AM) (new)

Mar 10, 2011 10:25AM

I think I also saw North and South by Mrs. Gaskell on here; I am dubious about that one as well. Written in 1855; set, I think, a little earlier than that (like a lot of Dickens), but within the author's lifetime (b. 1810). (The same reason I didn't vote for Vanity Fair, a superb novel.)

reply | flag

message 21: by Werner (new)

Mar 10, 2011 12:45PM

Thanks, Susanna! I'll be on the lookout for those two.

reply | flag

message 22: by Werner (new)

Mar 10, 2011 05:35PM

Susanna, I've checked over the rest of the list, and Vanity Fair was apparently deleted already. North and South is on here; but it turns out to be the one by John Jakes (set during the Civil War), not the one with the same title by Mrs. Gaskell. So, we're in good shape for the moment!

reply | flag

message 23: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Mar 11, 2011 10:39AM

Alrighty then!

reply | flag

message 24: by Bill (new)

Apr 07, 2011 09:42AM

FYI, Gaskell's North and South is back in, along with Jakes's.

reply | flag

message 25: by Werner (new)

Apr 07, 2011 09:51AM

Thanks for the heads-up, Bill. I've just tracked it down and deleted it --again. (Sigh!) It's a never-ending job.

reply | flag

message 26: by [deleted user] (new)

Jul 22, 2011 08:13PM

I just spotted The Hunger Games number 343 which needs to be deleted.

reply | flag

message 27: by Werner (new)

Jul 23, 2011 12:50PM

Done! Thanks for catching that, Alice.

reply | flag

message 28: by [deleted user] (new)

Jul 23, 2011 04:44PM

Werner wrote: "Done! Thanks for catching that, Alice."

I was going down the list last night to see what I missed.

reply | flag

message 29: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Jan 24, 2013 01:26PM) (new)

Jan 24, 2013 01:18PM

I see Pride and Prejudice has crept on (currently #51). Miss Austen was writing about her own time. You want me to delete it, Werner?

ETA: Also, Seabiscuit (#69) is non-fiction. As is John Paul Jones: Finding the Forgotten Patriot (#177).

Little Women is back, at #96.

reply | flag

message 30: by Werner (new)

Jan 24, 2013 03:07PM

Yes, Susanna, you can delete all four of those! Thanks for your help; it's much appreciated. (Tending to these lists is like keeping a garden weeded; it's a never-ending task!)

reply | flag

message 31: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jan 24, 2013 03:31PM

No problem.

I just noticed that All Quiet on the Western Front is at #139.

reply | flag

message 32: by Werner (new)

Jan 24, 2013 03:40PM

Thanks for catching that, Susanna! I just deleted that one, too.

reply | flag

message 33: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Jan 24, 2013 04:15PM

What about To Kill a Mockingbird, which is in the 360s?

reply | flag

message 34: by Werner (last edited Feb 07, 2013 11:18AM) (new)

Jan 24, 2013 04:23PM

That's not historical fiction either; Harper Lee was born in 1926, and sets the novel in the mid-1930s, when she was about Scout's age. I'll delete that one too, Susanna, thanks for catching it!

reply | flag

message 35: by Peter (new)

Feb 07, 2013 10:08AM

How on Earth is the entire Saxon Stories series by Bernard Cornwell on this list, but none of the Sharpe series?

reply | flag

message 36: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (new)

Feb 07, 2013 01:51PM

You could add them; it's easy to add books to lists. At the top of the list, at the tab next to "all votes."

reply | flag

message 37: by Werner (new)

Feb 07, 2013 02:40PM

Yes, Peter, by all means add the Sharpe series, if you've read the books and can recommend them! My guess is that whoever added the Saxon series hadn't read the Sharpe books --I haven't either, though I've seen and really liked a couple of the adaptations on DVD. (I do have the first three books of yet another Cornwell series, his Starbuck Chronicles, on my to-read shelf; they were a gift from my son-in-law.)

reply | flag

message 38: by Ankit (new)

May 22, 2013 11:35PM

I am a great fan of historical fiction. Its my favorite genre along with family saga's. Glad I found this list. It would be my pleasure to contribute to this list and learn from it as well.

Werner and Susanna, you two seem to be doing a great. I would like to help as well.

reply | flag

message 39: by Ankit (new)

May 22, 2013 11:39PM

I was quite surprised not to see Kane and Abel on the list. So I added that. Its one of my favorites of all time.

reply | flag

message 40: by Werner (new)

May 23, 2013 04:29AM

Thanks for the encouragement, Ankit! Yes, by all means add any good historical fiction you've read that you'd like to recommend to others; that's how this list (and other lists on here) get built up. (You don't need anybody's permission to add books to a Goodreads list. :-) )

reply | flag

message 41: by Mary (new)

Feb 22, 2014 11:01AM

Misfit wrote: "Susanna wrote: "I'm just shocked Twilight hasn't crept on."

It will eventually :p"

That is hilarious, but sadly true!

reply | flag

message 42: by Jeannie (new)

Mar 15, 2014 10:31PM

Someone who's read THE RED TENT, what did you think?

reply | flag

message 43: by Jeannie (new)

Mar 15, 2014 10:34PM

Jeannie Hudson Jeannie Hudson

This my own historical suspense. One of the best! No
kidding. I have the reviews to prove it.

reply | flag

message 44: by Jeannie (new)

Mar 15, 2014 10:34PM

Someone who's read THE RED TENT, what did you think?

reply | flag

message 45: by Werner (new)

Mar 16, 2014 05:50AM

Jeannie, if you think your book(s) should be on this list, go ahead and add it. Any member of Goodreads can add books to lists, as well as vote for ones that are already here.

I've never read The Red Tent, though it's been recommended to me. But hopefully some of the other people who've commented on this list have!

reply | flag

message 46: by Jeannie (new)

Mar 16, 2014 05:00PM

Thanks, Werner. I appreciate your comments.

reply | flag

message 47: by Jeannie (new)

Mar 16, 2014 05:01PM

Jeannie Hudson

reply | flag

message 48: by blueemerald (new)

Oct 14, 2014 01:07PM

Hello~
Wanted to mention a revised reading list that folks might enjoy. It is a Historical Fiction Series list. It is lengthy and well organized into various sections (military, nautical, ancient world, family saga, set in Europe....).

I'm putting this link out there with enthusiastic hopes that someone(s) will discover a new series to dive into!

http://1mpages.com/HistoricalFiction....

reply | flag

message 49: by Mitch (new)

Dec 27, 2015 06:58AM

I scrolled through the first 500 on this list, surprised not to find anything by Susanna Gregory (two great historical series - one set in the mid 1300's in Cambridge, England and another series during restoration England) or Paul Doherty (loved his series set around 1300 featuring crime fighter working for the king, Hugh Corbett)

reply | flag

message 50: by Werner (new)

Dec 27, 2015 10:46AM

Mitch, anytime you find a Goodreads list that's lacking some books you think should be there, you can add them! Any Goodreads member can do that; you don't have to be the list creator, or a Goodreads librarian. I haven't read any of Gregory's or Doherty's books myself (and I only add books to lists if I've read them), but I'm sure they'll be worthy additions for this list.

reply | flag

« previous 1 2 next »