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The Best Historical Fiction Books

While time travel will probably never happen, we’ll always have the next best thing: historical fiction novels. Through the magic of fiction (and authors’ dedication to researching endless incredible details), readers can feel as though they’ve been everywhere and every time, from Ancient Greece to colonial Asia to the American Revolution. If you’re a fiction lover who wants to learn more about the past but isn’t sure about diving into the world of history books, it’s the best of both worlds. 

Another reason to love historical fiction is that it can be crossed with any other genre. From historical mysteries to steamy historical romance to hilarious historical fiction, whatever genre you enjoy can be placed in another period.

Clearly, this is a genre that truly has something for everyone. Whether you prefer novels that bring you to times of war and terror or more whimsical stories set in the past; historical fiction that is surprisingly accurate or tales that take creative license with their settings, you'll find endless books to add to your TBR pile in the lists below.

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Peony
Peony
by Pearl S. Buck
Cathedral
Cathedral
by Ben Hopkins
The Nakano Thrift Shop
The Nakano Thrift Shop
by Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell
Old Filth
Old Filth
by Jane Gardam
Bright Flows the River
Bright Flows the River
by Taylor Caldwell
Brighton Rock
Brighton Rock
by Graham Greene
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Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
by Kristina McMorris
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The Gossamer Cord
The Gossamer Cord
by Philippa Carr
Paragon Walk
Paragon Walk
by Anne Perry
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Callander Square
Callander Square
by Anne Perry
The Good Earth Trilogy
The Good Earth Trilogy
by Pearl S. Buck
The Flowering Thorn
The Flowering Thorn
by Margery Sharp
Portrait of an Unknown Woman
Portrait of an Unknown Woman
by Vanora Bennett
The Millionaire's Daughter
The Millionaire's Daughter
by Dorothy Eden
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
Far Bright Star
Far Bright Star
by Robert Olmstead
The Other Alcott
The Other Alcott
by Elise Hooper
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
by William Faulkner
The Prague Sonata
The Prague Sonata
by Bradford Morrow
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24 Epic World War II Books
The Return
The Return
by Victoria Hislop
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Song of the River
Song of the River
by Sue Harrison
The Last Witchfinder
The Last Witchfinder
by James Morrow
The Good German
The Good German
by Joseph Kanon
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
The Yellow Bird Sings
The Yellow Bird Sings
by Jennifer Rosner
The Toss of a Lemon
The Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan
The Madonnas of Leningrad
The Madonnas of Leningrad
by Debra Dean
The Long Song
The Long Song
by Andrea Levy
The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
Gone to Soldiers
Gone to Soldiers
by Marge Piercy
The Doll Factory
The Doll Factory
by Elizabeth Macneal
Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
by Max Hennessy
The Colour of Milk
The Colour of Milk
by Nell Leyshon
Anything for Billy
Anything for Billy
by Larry McMurtry
The Fatal Crown
The Fatal Crown
by Ellen Jones
Turncoat
Turncoat
by Aaron Elkins
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
by Faith Sullivan
Queen Margot
Queen Margot
by Alexandre Dumas
Fire from Heaven
Fire from Heaven
by Mary Renault
Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
by Percival Everett, Karen Tei Yamashita
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
by Philippa Carr
Night in Shanghai
Night in Shanghai
by Nicole Mones
Brazil-Maru
Brazil-Maru
by Susan Straight, Karen Tei Yamashita
Dirt Rich
Dirt Rich
by Clark Howard
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Sepharad
Sepharad
by Antonio Munoz Molina, Margaret Sayers Peden
Showing 51-100 of 330 results

Historical fiction is a genre where a fictional plot is set in a real historical setting or uses real historical characters. While there can be a mix of real and fictional events in the plot, historical fiction focuses on its fictional plot-points. 

The goal of historical fiction is to transport readers to another time. To do that, you’ll need to make the details of your story believable, even though it’s fiction. You want to focus on time period significance, historical accuracy, and detailed descriptions of characters and settings. 

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth is often considered the first historical fiction novel.