Calling all book lovers, bibliophiles, and anyone who seeks the magic of a well-spun tale! These historical fiction novels are not just books; they are portals to the past, invitations to explore worlds long gone but never forgotten. I hope you are ready to ugly cry! Whether you’re a history buff, a romance enthusiast, or someone who simply appreciates a beautifully written novel, this list has something that will capture your imagination and leave you yearning for more.
Get ready to embark on an unforgettable literary journey through time with my carefully curated list of the best historical fiction novels that will transport you to different eras, exploring the intricate tapestry of history, romance, and war.
Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. #ad
On my historical fiction book list, I’ve handpicked the most captivating stories that have left readers spellbound, earning their rightful place among the highest-rated and most cherished books in the genre.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.
In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.
My Review, 5 Stars
If you love World War ll stories and crave historical fiction this book is for you. This is by far my favorite book by this author. When I finished and put this book down I was speechless and I’ve never had a book hangover quite like this one.
The novel is lengthy and it does start out slow. It became unstoppable once I had enough background into each character maybe around page 150 or so. It is a devastating brilliant story of a little blind girl, her father and her uncle who are Parisians while Germany is occupying Paris and on the other side of the spectrum it is about a German genius boy and his sister who are orphans and he gets sent to be groomed into a solider to serve the Reich.
I love that you get the story from two very different perspectives. This won the Pulitzer Prize for a reason. It is a must-read amongst book lovers.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb.
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything…
Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time. The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war.
My Review, 5 Stars
If you love a well-written love story you will love this book. It has the same pretense of an old romance novel but with all the sophistication of literature. It’s a love story so timeless it doesn’t adhere to the rules. This one will surely sweep you off your feet.
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this powerful debut novel reveals an incredible story of love, redemption, and terrible secrets that were hidden for decades.
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: On the eve of a fateful war, New York socialite Caroline Ferriday has her hands full with her post at the French consulate and a new love on the horizon. But Caroline’s world is forever changed when Hitler’s army invades Poland in September 1939—and then sets its sights on France.
My Review, 5 Stars
I was lucky enough to Skype author Martha Kelly and it was just the cherry on top. It was such a treat to hear from the author the inside scoop on the origins of the novel. Martha is very personable, funny, and humble.
I’d like to say in regard to the book it was surprising to me that Caroline Ferriday’s story went untold for so long. Also through my education, reading, movies, and media I never fully recall being aware of the “experimental surgeries” being done on children prisoners in concentration camps, why isn’t that more well-known?
I loved the characters they came to life before my very eyes. This is a must-read and now you can enjoy books 2 and 3!
Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry. The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.
My Review, 5 Stars
This book grew and the story slowly developed into a five-star read. If you have an inner warm love for books, then I think you have a place in your heart for this tale, because I’ve never heard a story where folks value and love books more than Troublesome.
I didn’t know what this book was about when I started it, and when it said blue people, I was confused because I’d never heard of that before, I went straight to Wikipedia.
After my brief research, I was fascinated. I kept up with Cussy slowly reveling in the simple story as it went along. The story then becomes more intense as it hits upon race, segregation, discrimination, poverty, and starvation. A true story of resilience.
Now you can read book 2!
The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force.
Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth.
My Review, 5 Stars
“I have learned that most people get along as best they can. They don’t intend to hurt anyone. It is merely a terrible by-product of surviving.” I read this book in just two days. I stayed up till 5 a.m. just to finish. It was that good.
I ugly cried. I loved the way the author wrote the story. The words were seamless to read and took me into another time. I felt the wet spray from the river on my face as I read this book and I felt the pain with the characters.
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Warwickshire in the 1580s. Agnes is a woman as feared as she is sought after for her unusual gifts. She settles with her husband in Henley street, Stratford, and has three children: a daughter, Susanna, and then twins, Hamnet and Judith. The boy, Hamnet, dies in 1596, aged eleven. Four years or so later, the husband writes a play called Hamlet.
My Review, 4 Stars
This book has no mercy. You will cry. I seriously couldn’t put this book down. It was so close to being the best book I’ve read in a long time, however, it was VERY sad and depressing whilst also being enduring and clever. The characters were written so well, the human emotion and the human experience. I loved the richness of the time that was depicted so carefully throughout the story. Sad. Tear-jerker! You’ve been warned.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: A captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.
My Review, 4 Stars
It kept my attention throughout and it was a good story intricately woven together between past and present. I liked the unlikely friendship between Vivian and Molly but the essence of the story is truly Vivian’s told as a youngster alone having immigrated from Ireland to New York.
It’s at that point she makes history as a girl on an orphan train. Vivian’s story is a heartbreaking one to hear, one that lingers with you, far after the pages have been turned and the book closed you are left to dwell on the little girl’s fate.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: If you start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy named Bruno. (Though this isn’t a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.
Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter one.
(I haven’t read this one yet because I watched the movie and I think if I do read this I’ll just die from sadness.)
Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford
purchase the Kindle, paperback, or hardcover on Amazon
About The Book: Inspired by a true story, this is the unforgettable story of a young boy named Ernest, set during the 1909 Seattle World’s Fair called the Alaska Yukon Pacific Expo. Ernest will be offered as a prize in the daily raffle at the fair, advertised as “Healthy boy to a good home for the winning ticket holder.”
My Review, 5 Stars
Read this if you want an enduring heartwarming albeit somewhat tragic love story.
Five stars hands down. The story of a Chinese boy sold from his country sold and sold again. A story of growth and love. It’s unlike any other. My heart was bleeding.
Historical fiction, with its ability to weave compelling narratives around real historical events, invites us to step back in time, providing a fresh perspective on the past while captivating our hearts with timeless tales of love, courage, and sacrifice.
From epic wartime sagas to timeless love that blooms amidst adversity these novels will tug at your heartstrings. These reviews are your compass, ensuring that you find the perfect read tailored to your tastes.
I Chug My Wine 