Best Historical Fiction Books to Add to Your Reading List

I’ve always loved historical fiction—the kind of books that whisk you away to another place and time. Recently, a member of the Triad Moms on Main Community Chat suggested I share a list of favorites, and I was thrilled to gather recommendations.

Historical fiction typically means novels set at least 30 years in the past, often weaving real historical events, figures, or settings with fictional characters. These books can be dramatic, romantic, suspenseful, or even fantastical—but the best ones make you feel as though you’re truly living in another era.

Whether you’re new to the genre or already a devoted reader, here’s a long list of historical fiction novels that span centuries and continents.

Why Read Historical Fiction?

Historical fiction not only entertains but also deepens your understanding of different cultures, struggles, and human resilience. From ancient Greece to 20th-century New York, these stories highlight how universal themes like love, loss, and hope transcend time.

Epic Historical Sagas

• The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
• The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
• Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
• The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
• The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
• The Mirror & The Light by Hilary Mantel

Historical Romance & Relationships

• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
• The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
• City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
• Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce

War, Survival & Resilience

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
• The Orphan Collector by Ellen Marie Wiseman
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer
• A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
• The War of the Poor by Eric Vuillard

Family Sagas & Generational Stories

• Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
• The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
• These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card
• The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
• Beloved by Toni Morrison

Global Historical Fiction (Set Outside the U.S. & Europe)

• In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner (Cambodia)
• Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Japan)
• The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (China/Japan)
• The Gods of Tango by Carolina De Robertis (Argentina)
• The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave (Norway)
• The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd (Galilee)
• Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield (Ancient Greece)

Classics of Historical Fiction

• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
• Atonement by Ian McEwan
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
• Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
• The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

Mysteries, Intrigue & Darker Themes

• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
• The City of Tears by Kate Mosse
• City of Vengeance by D.V. Bishop
• The Bourbon Thief by Tiffany Reisz
• How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang
• The Inheritance of Solomon Farthing by Mary Paulson-Ellis

Contemporary Historical Fiction Favorites

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
• The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• Deacon King Kong by James McBride
• Summer of ’69 by Elin Hilderbrand

Read more Book Nook blogs here!

By Guest Blogger Ellen Bryant Lloyd 

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Ellen Bryant Lloyd is the author of FRECKLES and FRECKLES and The Great Beach Rescue, the editor of Life at Lake Jeanette and Irving Park Living magazines, a premium level writer with Story Terrace (storyterrace.com) and a freelance writer. Please visit funwithfreckles.com and facebook.com/funwithfreckles to learn more about Freckles. She lives in Greensboro with her husband and two children.