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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 1,537–1,560 of 2,135

  1. Quicksand

    Jun'ichirō Tanizaki

    ★ 3.7 (5k) average on Goodreads

    In 1920s Osaka, a respectable married woman's life unravels into a thrilling, dangerous obsession when she falls for a beautiful, manipulative artist, pulling her into a dark labyrinth of passion, jealousy, and deceit.

  2. Front Lines

    Michael Grant

    ★ 4.1 (5k) average on GoodreadsScience Fiction

    In an alternate 1942, as the world teeters on the brink, three ordinary American girls are thrust onto the brutal front lines of World War II after a landmark court decision drafts women into combat against the Nazi war machine.

  3. The Black Book of Secrets

    F.E. Higgins

    ★ 3.9 (5k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A runaway boy becomes a pawnbroker's apprentice in a village of dark confessions, learning that everyone, himself included, has a hidden past.

  4. Jackaroo

    Cynthia Voigt

    ★ 3.9 (5k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    A spirited innkeeper's daughter, stranded with a noble during a snowstorm, finds a mysterious costume that sparks her interest in the kingdom's masked outlaw, Jackaroo.

  5. Trumpet

    Jackie Kay

    ★ 4.1 (5k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    The sudden death of a beloved jazz trumpeter reveals a lifetime of shared secrets and deep love, forcing his widow to confront a son's anger and public judgment while cherishing the truth of their extraordinary marriage.

  6. Code of Honor

    Alan Gratz

    ★ 4.3 (5k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    When his decorated older brother is suddenly branded a terrorist, a high school football star must race against time to decipher cryptic clues and expose a dangerous truth that could clear his brother's name or shatter their family forever.

  7. Once An Eagle

    Anton Myrer

    ★ 4.4 (5k) average on GoodreadsLeadership

    From World War I to Vietnam, an honorable soldier's commitment to duty and his men conflicts with a rival's rise through the ranks, defining a lifetime of struggle over military leadership.

  8. The Piano

    Jane Campion

    ★ 3.9 (5k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    In 19th-century New Zealand, a mute pianist's arranged marriage unravels into a passionate and dangerous awakening when her instrument becomes the key to forbidden desire and the secrets of her past.

  9. Hurricane Gold

    Charlie Higson

    ★ 4.2 (5k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    Before he was 007, a young James Bond plunges into a treacherous Mexican jungle, battling ruthless thieves and uncovering a web of greed and betrayal to protect a family's secret.

  10. The Spymistress

    Jennifer Chiaverini

    ★ 3.6 (5k) average on Goodreads

    In a city full of Confederate secrets, a privileged Richmond abolitionist risks everything to build a spy ring, smuggling intelligence and orchestrating escapes right under Jefferson Davis's nose.

  11. Shadow Country

    Peter Matthiessen

    ★ 4.0 (5k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    In the Florida Everglades, a sugar planter's violent death at the hands of his neighbors uncovers ambition, racism, and the American frontier's lasting impact, as his son tries to understand what happened.

  12. Twenty and Ten

    Claire Huchet Bishop

    ★ 4.1 (5k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    At a secluded French boarding school, twenty children risk everything to hide ten Jewish refugees from Nazi soldiers, showing that even small voices can defy great threats.

  13. One Foot in Eden

    Ron Rash

    ★ 4.1 (5k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    In isolated, drought-stricken Appalachia in 1954, a sheriff deals with a missing body and a town's secrets, as multiple voices tell a story of murder, desire, and hidden truths.

  14. Damascus Countdown

    Joel C. Rosenberg

    ★ 4.3 (5k) average on GoodreadsPolitics

    As Israel launches a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, a CIA operative races to prevent the detonation of two surviving warheads by a vengeful regime poised for apocalyptic retaliation.

  15. Petersburg

    Andrei Bely

    ★ 4.0 (5k) average on GoodreadsLiterary Fiction

    In 1905 Petersburg, a student plots to assassinate his senator father, starting a symbolic event that reflects Russia's search for identity.

  16. Lion Heart

    A.C. Gaughen

    ★ 4.0 (5k) average on GoodreadsFantasy

    To save King Richard and stop Prince John, Lady Thief Scarlet must navigate difficult alliances and her love for Robin Hood, even as their lives are at risk.

  17. Grenade

    Alan Gratz

    ★ 4.2 (5k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    On the war-torn island of Okinawa in 1945, a Japanese boy conscripted with a grenade and an American Marine fighting for survival are set on a collision course that will force them to confront the true cost of war and the unexpected paths to humanity.

  18. Alone on a Wide Wide Sea

    Michael Morpurgo

    ★ 4.2 (4k) average on GoodreadsChildren's

    Orphaned and sent to the Australian outback after WWII, Arthur Hobhouse experiences hardship and loss, finding comfort in the sea. This love guides his daughter on a journey to reunite their family.

  19. The Sackett Brand

    Louis L'Amour

    ★ 4.2 (4k) average on Goodreads

    Cornered under the Mogollon Rim by forty vengeful gunslingers, Tell Sackett must hold his ground until his diverse, fiercely loyal family—from outlaws to bankers—can ride in to defend their brand against overwhelming odds.

  20. No Less Than Victory

    Jeff Shaara

    ★ 4.3 (4k) average on Goodreads

    As Allies push for victory in Europe, a desperate German counteroffensive in the Ardennes traps American soldiers in the brutal Battle of the Bulge, leading to the discovery of the Holocaust's unspeakable horrors.

  21. The Last of the Wine

    Mary Renault

    ★ 4.1 (4k) average on GoodreadsRomance

    During Athens' golden age, two wrestling friends navigate their city's athletic contests, the Olympic games, and the Peloponnesian War, their bond growing under Socrates's questioning gaze.

  22. Orphan Monster Spy

    Matt Killeen

    ★ 3.9 (4k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    An orphaned Jewish girl, disguised as an Aryan, infiltrates an elite Nazi boarding school to steal bomb blueprints, navigating dangerous friendships and secrets.

  23. Last Days of Summer

    Steve Kluger

    ★ 4.4 (4k) average on GoodreadsYoung Adult

    In 1940s Brooklyn, a fatherless, baseball-obsessed boy's relentless pursuit of his New York Giants hero sparks an unlikely, heartwarming friendship that alters both their lives.

  24. Strong Medicine

    Arthur Hailey

    ★ 3.9 (4k) average on GoodreadsThriller

    A woman at the top of a pharmaceutical company finds a frightening conspiracy when a new drug's promise of healing conflicts with corporate greed, forcing her to choose between her job and exposing a deadly secret.

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