Beneath The Scarlet Sky. Reads like a fiction but based on a true story. The love story will break your heart into a million pieces. Even made my 69 year old retired State Policeman father cry.
I have always loved Barbara Erkine’s books. They are slightly different as the subject is always either about a reincarnation or haunging so they are set in the past and based on historial characters, but also the present,. I’ve been a fan of hers for 30 years. I do prefer her books set in the distant past though, but I did enjoy them all.
I often note that authors I loved 30-50 years ago rarely get a mention on here. It seems to be all the new authors that everyone reads and talks about but some of the people who were writing that long ago wrote brilliant books.
This shares fictional characters in WW II who were medical students in The Netherlands and their university was closed. They lived thru the injustices of the war (as the people did). Amazing thought provoking story about the lives of people experiencing this. The author is fabulous
Gandhi. Gosh, I loved his biography. It was Gandhi’s story but also the story of all who struggle for what is right. He was a hero, a spiritual hero. Not fiction. But fiction based on facts stories can be found in the wonderful books of Taylor Caldwell.
I bought the ebook on a Dutch website that is similar to Amazon. I’m Canadian living in the Netherlands and heard of this book about Quebec fictional history and had to get it. I read it in 2 days (probably would have been quicker if I didn’t have to work lol). It was an awesome read. I hope you can find it.
@Eileen Only too true.An “oldie” but always a goodie! I feel the same about some Georgette Hayes novels- they transport me back to my youth. Many thanks for your agreement!
I hope you enjoy them. Few books make me cry but the depth of love I read in these books (whether unwannted or not and not necessarily sexual love!) was quite heartbreaking.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. There are two more after this one. It is about the building of a Cathedral at Winchester in the twelfth century. Also the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett . Both brilliant trilogies
I’ve just downloaded the second in the century trilogy. Are there a lot of details about the Holocaust? Is it more gruesome or detailed than the first book (regarding the camps)? Just want to prepare myself before I read it. @Shelley@Sandra
Another great set of books is Edith Pargeter’s “The Heaven Tree” trilogy, also set in medieval England. I absolutely loved the characters and found it an intensely emotional series that broke my heart!
The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell- It won book of the year in the Bay Area… Book of the year in Los Angeles.. Ans was an International best seller!
Agree: Fabulous Historical novel I couldn’t put down
I loved the Welsh Prince Trilogy. Starts with Here Be Dragons. By Sharon Kay penman Word of caution: you must slog through the first 180 pages. At page 181 you fall deeply in love.
The Lymond series by Dorothy Dunnett. Six books starting with The Game of Kings. The first one starts slow but it’s so worth sticking with it The only books I’ve ever read twice back to back because I loved them so much.
The series by C j Samson set around Henry VIII brilliant just read beneath a scarlet sky loved this book based on a true story around world war 2 and the kingmaker books around the war of the roses great books also the angles mark listen to this on audible took a bit to get into but great listen
Katherine Clements has two that I thought were great – The Crimson Ribbon and The Silvered Heart. There’s also a great book called To Sleep No More by Dinah Lampitt ?x
Beneath The Scarlet Sky. Reads like a fiction but based on a true story. The love story will break your heart into a million pieces. Even made my 69 year old retired State Policeman father cry.
@Melissa – agree Melissa – the most amazing book – could not put it down
@Melissa who is the author?
@Belle – Mark Sullivan
The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher, Another Woman’s Husband by Gill Paul. Ken Follett’s books are excellent!
The Bronze Horseman by Paulinna Simons
Michelle Moran books starting with Nefertiti.
The Knightingale by Kristin Hanna-Beneath a Scarlet Sky.
Check out hazel grace arranged. Normally I don’t like historical fiction but I loved this book! (Its a trilogy)
The Nightingale
The Tattooist of Auchwitz
Lilac Girls
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate was probably the best book I’ve read this year
C j sansom series
I have always loved Barbara Erkine’s books. They are slightly different as the subject is always either about a reincarnation or haunging so they are set in the past and based on historial characters, but also the present,. I’ve been a fan of hers for 30 years. I do prefer her books set in the distant past though, but I did enjoy them all.
I often note that authors I loved 30-50 years ago rarely get a mention on here. It seems to be all the new authors that everyone reads and talks about but some of the people who were writing that long ago wrote brilliant books.
This shares fictional characters in WW II who were medical students in The Netherlands and their university was closed. They lived thru the injustices of the war (as the people did). Amazing thought provoking story about the lives of people experiencing this.
The author is fabulous
My Dear Hamilton and America’s First Daughter. Both by same author. Fabulous!
Brilliant unputdownable will read again
Nightingale was fabulous
The kitchen house. One of my favorite books!
@Lisa thanks will have a look at this!
Memory of Violets…
Shoemakers Wife..
Just listening to Gloria Cook, first time with this author and not tried this genre for many years. Listening to A Home For Alice and it is brilliant.
The thread by Victoria Hislop
@Jane this is great read it recently on your recvomendation
We Were The Lucky Ones
Alice Network
The Secret Wife by Gill Paul, Circling The Sun by Paula McLain is good too
Anything by Phillipa Gregory
@Jodi yes!!
Munich by Robert harris
Those Who Save Us
Killer Angels. About gettysburg simply awesome
Tattoist of Auschwitz
@Amanda just read this. Great book
The Killer Angels and Wouk’s Winds of War and War and Remembrance.
Mark Fine’s The Zebra Affaire @Author
The nightingale
Alice Network and Before We We Were Yours were two of my favorite that I read this year.
@Terri read both! Fabulous
Anything by Ken Follett or James Michener
Philippa Gregory.
Philippa Gregory .
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois
Philippa Gregory, Ken Follet.
@Ruth love Follet not keen on Gregory’s later books.. her early ones are great though
Pillars of the earth by Ken follet. One of my all time favourites
I’ve always been put off by the sheer size of his books. Should I think again?
@Emily yes worth it
Following
I loved all the John Jakes series.
Wilbur Smith
These are my favorites:
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See
@Lisa Wow. What a fantastic list! A+
Loved the Tea Girl
Lonesome @Dove
@Lisa all the light we cannot see is one of my favorite books ever!
The Kitchen House so good ?
Lisa Harkins the buddha in the attic has a very unique style. Loved it!?
Gandhi. Gosh, I loved his biography. It was Gandhi’s story but also the story of all who struggle for what is right. He was a hero, a spiritual hero.
Not fiction. But fiction based on facts stories can be found in the wonderful books of Taylor Caldwell.
C J Samson books starting with Dissolution
@Barbara read them all! Truly fabulous !
Thanks
Stella Riley’s Cavalier abd Roundheads series
A Splendid Defiance is a very good read.
@Shirley all her books are. I really enjoy them, she writes very well and her research is great.
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
The Orphan’s Tale
The Home for unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman
Candy where did you get the book. The Home for unwanted girls. Please and thank you. Sending much love ❤️
I bought the ebook on a Dutch website that is similar to Amazon.
I’m Canadian living in the Netherlands and heard of this book about Quebec fictional history and had to get it. I read it in 2 days (probably would have been quicker if I didn’t have to work lol). It was an awesome read.
I hope you can find it.
Candace thanks so much for your prompt reply I will carry on looking.Goodnite Sleeptite and G-d bless ❤️
Same to you ❤
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Katherine by Anya Seaton
I loved Katherine Anya Seton is another often looked-over author nowadays, but her books are great!
@Eileen Only too true.An “oldie” but always a goodie! I feel the same about some Georgette Hayes novels- they transport me back to my youth. Many thanks for your agreement!
Have you read Edith Pargeter’s “Heaven Tree” trilogy of books. I absolutely adored them. So engrossing?
@Eileen Many thanks for your kind suggestions. I’ll read them next! x
I hope you enjoy them. Few books make me cry but the depth of love I read in these books (whether unwannted or not and not necessarily sexual love!) was quite heartbreaking.
@Eileen Your lovely comments only make me yearn to read these novels even more. Many thanks for your kindness.x
Far Pavilions by M M Kaye about the Raj.
Anything by Philippa Gregory
@Rochelle totally agree!
not keen on her later books- early ones I thought were great
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. There are two more after this one. It is about the building of a Cathedral at Winchester in the twelfth century. Also the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett . Both brilliant trilogies
@Sandra Have read these! But thanks
@Sandra all brilliant
I’ve just downloaded the second in the century trilogy. Are there a lot of details about the Holocaust? Is it more gruesome or detailed than the first book (regarding the camps)? Just want to prepare myself before I read it. @Shelley @Sandra
@Danna brilliant trilogy. But I have read loads of accounts on the Holocaust, and have been to Auschwitz.
Another great set of books is Edith Pargeter’s “The Heaven Tree” trilogy, also set in medieval England. I absolutely loved the characters and found it an intensely emotional series that broke my heart!
“The Morris Murders by Hunter Finn.” Especially since all the places in the forgotten village are still there to visit.
Following!
Anything by Elizabeth Chadwick.. Historically accurate about little known characters in history
The Tatooist of Auschwitz.
We Were the Lucky Ones
By Georgie Hunter
the constant princess YOU WILL NOT REGRET THIS
Pillars of the Earth, The Other Boleyn Girl, Nightingale, Unbroken, Seabiscuit by Hillenbrand, One Thousand White Women, The Help, Water for Elephants
Unbroken and Seabiscuit are non-fiction, but very fine books nonetheless.
@Jane True but they read like fiction.
@Melodie read all of these- just fab- thanks though ?
@Shelley ?
The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman. Also The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer.
??
The Great Alone
The Alice Network
Before we were yours
@Karen I absolutely loved Before we were yours! Have you read the Orphan Train?
@Stella No but downloaded this! Thanks
@Karen I agree. The Alice Network was great.
Two Brothers by Ben Elton.
Diana gabaldon
Sarah’s Key
@Carol Amazing book!!!
@Carol Have read this – was fab!
The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva.
Helen Coulter, by Wendell Berry.
Memoirs of a geisha, Molokai, the pilot’s wife
Following
Anything by Ann Rinaldi
The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell-
It won book of the year in the Bay Area…
Book of the year in Los Angeles..
Ans was an International best seller!
Agree: Fabulous Historical novel I couldn’t put down
@Elyse thanks !!
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpia Lahiri
From beginning to end these stories held me captive. Brilliant engrossing stories
Snow Flower and The Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Leavers Lisa Ko
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Tale For The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The book of Negroes.
It is the story of an african girl stolen from her home, put on a ship and sold as a slave in America. Heartbreaking
I loved the Welsh Prince Trilogy. Starts with Here Be Dragons. By Sharon Kay penman
Word of caution: you must slog through the first 180 pages. At page 181 you fall deeply in love.
@Tamara I love anything by Sharon Penman, she’s an amazing author and really knows her stuff!
The Lymond series by Dorothy Dunnett. Six books starting with The Game of Kings. The first one starts slow but it’s so worth sticking with it The only books I’ve ever read twice back to back because I loved them so much.
@Linda at last a fellow Lymond person!! ? Best books ever, i’ve read them SO many times.?? Have you read her ‘Niccolo’ series? Just as unputdownable.
@Nina yes! And her mysteries are fun too
Anyone who reads Lymond gets obsessed with the books. Everyone I’ve talked into trying them feels that way.
@Linda yup read them too – she was just such great author <3
Stop..lol that’s too many for me to write down.
@Danita ???
The Nightingale and or The Alice Network. Both very good about women in WW1. The Alice Network is about a female spy network.
the Alice network was awesome
The Star of the Sea – Joseph O’Connor
The Bregden Chronicles
The Shardlake Series – fantastic books!
Here be dragons – Sharon Penman
Echoes from the Oasis…
The series by C j Samson set around Henry VIII brilliant just read beneath a scarlet sky loved this book based on a true story around world war 2 and the kingmaker books around the war of the roses great books also the angles mark listen to this on audible took a bit to get into but great listen
Beneath a scarlet sky. Brilliant unputdownable. Enjoy ❤️
Following
Katherine Clements has two that I thought were great – The Crimson Ribbon and The Silvered Heart. There’s also a great book called To Sleep No More by Dinah Lampitt ?x
Love all Dinah Lampitt:)
Norah Lofts
The Queens Fool Philipa Gregory
Angela’s Ashes so good