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  1. Genres
  2. ›Historical Fiction

Best Historical Fiction Books

Explore the best historical fiction books — comprehensive summaries, key takeaways, and insights from the standout titles in this genre.

2,135 summaries

Showing 1,393–1,416 of 2,135

  1. Dog soldiers

    Robert Stone

    ★ 3.7 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    A journalist's bad plan to smuggle heroin from Vietnam to California traps him and his wife in a cycle of betrayal, violence, and drug-fueled paranoia.

  2. Legacy

    Shannon Messenger

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    As Sophie and her friends expose years of lies, they find their shared past holds the key to a coming conspiracy, making them question every alliance until they no longer know who to trust.

  3. The Glass Sentence

    S.E. Grove

    ★ 3.8 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    In an 1891 Boston fractured by a temporal cataclysm, a map-obsessed girl must navigate a world where continents exist in different time periods to rescue her kidnapped cartographer uncle.

  4. The Land

    Mildred D. Taylor

    ★ 4.2 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    In post-Civil War Georgia, Paul-Edward Logan, a biracial boy caught between two worlds, seeks to claim his own land and identity amidst prejudice and betrayal.

  5. The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall

    Mary Downing Hahn

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Orphaned Florence seeks refuge in a grand English manor, only to discover her spectral cousin Sophia, a manipulative ghost with a sinister agenda, intends to use her for murder.

  6. To the End of the Land

    David Grossman

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    An Israeli mother, desperate to avoid news of her son's death in battle, hikes through the Galilee with her estranged former lover, telling him her son's life story to keep him alive through words.

  7. The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes

    Elissa R. Sloan

    ★ 3.6 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    Fifteen years after their pop group broke up, three former bandmates uncover the secrets behind their star's suicide, exposing the harsh reality of celebrity.

  8. Joan of Arc

    Mark Twain

    ★ 4.1 (6k) average on GoodreadsSpirituality

    Mark Twain's surprisingly earnest and deeply researched account elevates the Maid of Orléans from historical figure to a beacon of unwavering faith and courage, as seen through the eyes of her loyal page.

  9. The 42nd Parallel

    John Dos Passos

    ★ 3.8 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    Through the lives of five Americans and appearances by historical figures, "The 42nd Parallel" shows a nation entering the 20th century, revealing the spirit of a young country about to change.

  10. The Angry Tide

    Winston Graham

    ★ 4.4 (6k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    Ross Poldark navigates London politics and his marriage in Cornwall. The feud with George Warleggan and the forbidden love of Morwenna and Drake threaten to cause new conflicts.

  11. Thunder Cake

    Patricia Polacco

    ★ 4.4 (6k) average on GoodreadsLifestyle

    During a thunderstorm, a girl and her grandmother quickly gather ingredients for a special 'Thunder Cake,' turning the girl's fear into a brave adventure and a delicious memory.

  12. The Steel Wave

    Jeff Shaara

    ★ 4.3 (6k) average on Goodreads

    Eisenhower's diverse army prepares to shatter Hitler's European fortress. Rommel's strategic skill is undermined by Hitler, while an 82nd Airborne sergeant drops behind enemy lines, and a 29th Infantry private braces for Omaha Beach. All converge on the D-Day invasion that reshaped history.

  13. The Courage of Sarah Noble

    Alice Dalgliesh

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    Eight-year-old Sarah Noble discovers true courage is not the absence of fear, but embracing the unknown wilderness and befriending new neighbors while helping her father build a home in 1707 Connecticut.

  14. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights

    Howard Pyle

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    Young Arthur pulls Excalibur, courts Guinevere, and navigates Camelot's magic and treachery, all through Howard Pyle's classic stories.

  15. Blood Water Paint

    Joy McCullough

    ★ 4.1 (6k) average on GoodreadsCreativity

    In 17th-century Rome, painter Artemisia Gentileschi defies expectations and trauma, using her art to expose truth and assert her power in a world that tries to silence her.

  16. Dancing at the Rascal Fair

    Ivan Doig

    ★ 4.2 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    Two Scottish immigrants, bound by duty and drawn to the wild beauty of Montana's Two Medicine country, find their hearts entangled in a fateful contest as they strive to tame both the land and their own complicated lives.

  17. Burnt Shadows

    Kamila Shamsie

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    After the Nagasaki bombing, a woman's life unfolds through love, betrayal, and the lasting marks of history, linking families across continents and generations through 20th-century upheavals.

  18. The American

    Henry James

    ★ 3.7 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    An American millionaire, new to European society, falls for an aristocratic French widow, uncovering her family's dark past and facing a choice between revenge and personal honor.

  19. Ali and Nino

    Kurban Said

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    In a city between East and West, a Muslim aristocrat and a Christian princess fight for their love during war, cultural divides, and the landscapes of Azerbaijan and Persia.

  20. The Feast of Roses

    Indu Sundaresan

    ★ 4.1 (6k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    In 17th-century India, Mehrunnisa, Emperor Jahangir's twentieth wife, rises from the harem to unprecedented power, shaping an empire and inspiring the Taj Mahal amidst court intrigue and rivalries.

  21. Ninth Ward

    Jewell Parker Rhodes

    ★ 4.0 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha and her clairvoyant caretaker Mama Ya-Ya must use their hope and resilience to survive Hurricane Katrina.

  22. A Long Long Way

    Sebastian Barry

    ★ 4.2 (6k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    Naive Irish solider Willie Dunne confronts the horrors of World War I, only to return home and find his Ireland fractured by a different, equally devastating war.

  23. A Long Fatal Love Chase

    Louisa May Alcott

    ★ 3.7 (6k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    After selling her soul for freedom, a young woman is swept into a perilous, globe-trotting chase across 19th-century Europe, relentlessly pursued by the enigmatic and obsessive man who first promised her escape.

  24. Before We Were Free

    Julia Alvarez

    ★ 3.9 (6k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    In 1960s Dominican Republic, twelve-year-old Anita navigates the dangers of Trujillo's dictatorship, facing his secret police and the pain of leaving her family to find freedom.

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