What’s everyones favorite historical fiction book or series please? ??
What’s everyones favorite historical fiction book or series please? ??
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What’s everyones favorite historical fiction book or series please? ??
Either of Hannah Kent’s novels are great!
Ken Follett has 2 great series. Look them up on http://fictfact.com/
Jodi Taylor’s St Mary’s Chronicles
I love the book Fool’s Crow (historical fiction about Native American’s ) It’s a really good book
@Bethany sounds right up my street thanku x
Goodnight, Mr Tom.
Pillars of the Earth, first in a trilogy by Ken Follett
@Linda great book
It’s a trilogy?! I only know of Pillars of the Earth and World Without End
The latest one is Column of Fire it came out last year I think
Thanks! I will check it out!!
Cheryl zach’s Southern Angels Series is fantastic
You people keep using the word “favorite” like it’s possible to have one out of many… But I did like Piers Anthony’s Geoddesy series… They follow man from the dawn of time on up to the nowish period.
@Cindy sounds interesting thank you… And I used favourite as a ‘general term’ you got my meaning though so all good ?
@Kelly You’d have to specify like… What kinda history, and there’s favorites in each era… Like, Eaters of the Dead is good. (They based that “Thirteenth Warrior” movie on it…) or the Little House books… Or the Papa books (Papa’s Wife, Daughter, and I THINK there’s a third one too… ) I have a huge soft spot for Greek Mythology, and what else can that possibly be except historical fiction!! Been into Verne lately too, although I’m finding it a little hard to focus on…
But try the Geoddessy… You’ll need to be okay with certain concepts which are outdated in today’s society (Like girls being women as soon as their bodies are grown)… Anthony writes VERY frankly about some of the human conditions… Rough outline. The books tend to follow one family through evolution. Say the first story is about B and F fighting other tribes for the best trees to gather fruit from, then the next story is about B and F except they’ve evolved into Bo and Fa learning it’s nicer living in a cave than sleeping on the ground… and so on through history… By the end, you’re reading about Brian, his wife Fran, and their kids who have a house and all the modern ameneties. You basically get to see Anthony’s concept of how man discovered fire and became what we are now… Plus he steps a tiny bit into the future for what we might become if we keep on with our self destructive human ways 😉
@Cindy wow thank you… I’ve written those down and to be fair I love anything historical…. History of any kind is my passion, anything set back in the past… Greek mythology fascinates me, native Americans I adore, world war 1 and 2,crimean war….anything really, I was just seeing what book or books people would choose or suggest from the top of their heads…
Okay… Look… I’m hesitant to suggest it BECAUSE Anthony writes with so little filter… But you might also possibly try his “Tatham Mound”. Again, the parts which make me concerned about recommending, all have to do with things our modern society find abhorrent, but in the time it’s written in? These things did happen. At one point, Anthony had a daughter who was really into the mound people in the Florida region… he wrote that book to help with funding for the research into those burial mounds. (If memory serves)
“Off the top of my head” though… Geoddessy, cause it spans ALL of history, and not just a little window.
@Cindy thank you.
😉
@Kelly Don’t know WHY I didn’t mention these too… Ellis Peters Brother Cadfael series… 1400’s warrior turned monk who solves mysteries. The actual historical bits seem fairly accurate… To my limited knowledge anyway. 😉
I’ve reread Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette several times
Love that one!
The John Jakes books that came out around the centennial… I think there were 8… the first one was The Bastard… also Roots by Alex Haley
Under An English Heaven Robert Radcliffe
Following ?
Poldark series by winston Graham
The Pendragon series by Helen Hollick (King Arthur legend from a historical perspective)
The Forever Queen by Hellen Hollick Technically the second in a series. I didn’t know that when I read it and haven’t read the others but it read quite well on its own. It takes place in 1002 English King Aethelred marries Danish princess Emma of Normandy. Better than it sounds. Female perspective.
Druids by Morgan Llywelyn pretty self explanatory. Mostly HF but has some magical realism.
THe House of the Spirits- not very old history late 19th century to 70’s I think (it’s been a while since I’ve read it). One of my favorite books. Has magical realism.
Probably not historically accurate, but Outlander is very good.
I did not read any of the previous comments as I’m replying from my newsfeed.
Cadfael by Ellis Peters.
The Plot Against America, by Phillip Roth
The Man in The High Castle, by Philip K. Dick
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon
The victorian writer GA Henty has a series of adventure novels that are more fiction than history, but still good fun. Mostly old-fashioned male protaganists doing deeds of improbably clever daring-do in historical settings. Still. A lot of fun.
Outlander
The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follet
Afton of Margate Castle
by Angela Elwell Hunt
I’ve heard good things about the seven sister series by Lucinda Riley
Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
OUTLANDER ❤️
I love to read John Jakes, the author of North and South, Heaven and Hell and other
My daughter used to Pendragon they are fiction but I took up reading them they good
Outlander!!
Outlander!
I really liked the Gracelin O’Malley series by Ann Moore, the Out of Time series by Caroline B. Cooney (which is really time traveling, but I loved it), and anything by Philippa Gregory.
The Camulod series by Jack Whyte, Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell and the last kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell
@Natasha love Bernard Cornwell’s books. Have you been watching The Last Kingdom?
@Gem I have watched the first 2 episodes of the first season. . .I liked them alot I need to catch up!??
@Natasha they are brilliant and get better and better. There are a few bits different from the books, but excellent nonetheless ☺️ We’re waiting for our takeaway to arrive and then we are watching some of S3 ☺️
Will check it out! Thank you!
All Bernard Cornell’s
Scarlet Pimpernel- hidden identities, unintended betrayal, misunderstanding, comedy, romance, and friends helping friends all during the French Revolution
Many books by Leon Uris have historical settings. I loved QBVII.
@Germaine on my tbr list going to the library eventually
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.
Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom.
Daughter of Fortune and Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende.
The Darwin Conspiracy by John Darnton.
Tell Me Who I Am by Julia Navarro.
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.
Outlander
At least 5 Outlander mentions …I bought the book but couldn’t get into it past the first 120 pages. Watched 2 episodes on Starz. Should I give it another chance?
@Jessica I love the show! The book was waaay too slow for me & bogged down with too many details.
Amber Rose I only watched 2 episodes and chose to work instead :S I made it to the 4th Wheel of Time book before giving up cause of a 6×7 page of 600 words small print describing a tapestry. Lol
@Jessica The first half of the first book isn’t very good, but they get better later. Particularly after book two.
@Sarah. I might be soft and try reading it again before selling my copy. Wrestling my way through “Toll the Hounds” and McGraw Hill right now lol
Mozarts Sister!
I like Ann Perry’s Victorian era mysteries, and Jaqueline Windspear;s series about Maisie Dobbs (my cat is named after her). Killing England was good.
@Lela, these were going to top my list! I also enjoy Charles Todd’s series.
All Soul’s Trilogy and Time’s Convert…
Hathaway series by Lisa Kleypas
Christian Jacq’s Ramses series or anything by Paul Doherty.
Katherine by Anya Seton. Forever Amber by Kathleen Windsor. Both might be out of print, I had to get mine from Abe Books after reading and loving them when I was at school in the 80s.
I remember Forever Amber!!
@Lela it was banned at one point for being too saucy! Funnily enough, I found a copy in my strictly religious grandparents’ bookshelf and stole it ?
It was the first “steamy” book I every read!
@Lela compared to nowadays it’s positively innocent!
Horatio Hornblower
Heirs of the Kingdom by Zoë Oldenbourg.
Wilbur Smith’s Courtney series is also great fun. Especially Birds of Prey and Monsoon.
Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
The Tudor Court by Philippa Gregory
Love Philippa Gregory books xx
Paullina Simons’ The Bronze Horseman or Joan Wolf’s The Road to Avalon.
Ken Follett – Kingsbridge and Century Trilogy
Ken Follet is always a winner. He never disappoints.
Oh yes, BRILLIANT!
I really loved Year of Wonders.
The Poldark series
The North and South trilogy by John Jakes. Starts with North and South, Continues with Love and War and the last book is called Heaven and Hell.
Year of Wonders is brilliant. As is other Geraldine Brooks novels. I also love a number of historical mystery writers – Charles Todd, Anne Perry, C.J. Sansom