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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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A House Divided
A House Divided
by Pearl S. Buck
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
The Return of Captain John Emmett
The Return of Captain John Emmett
by Elizabeth Speller
Answer as a Man
Answer as a Man
by Taylor Caldwell
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
Some Tame Gazelle
Some Tame Gazelle
by Barbara Pym
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Penmarric
Penmarric
by Susan Howatch
Cashelmara
Cashelmara
by Susan Howatch
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
Long Range Patrol
Long Range Patrol
by Dennis Foley
The Liam Devlin Novels
The Liam Devlin Novels
by Jack Higgins
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar
by Herman Wouk
The End of the Affair
The End of the Affair
by Graham Greene
The Hidden Flower
The Hidden Flower
by Pearl S. Buck
The Troubled Air
The Troubled Air
by Irwin Shaw
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
The Rich Are Different
The Rich Are Different
by Susan Howatch
Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon
by James Hilton
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road
by Erskine Caldwell
A Glass of Blessings
A Glass of Blessings
by Barbara Pym
Dragon Harvest
Dragon Harvest
by Upton Sinclair
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
by Robert Goldsborough
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
by James Jones
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Group
The Group
by Mary McCarthy
The Lost Books of the Odyssey
The Lost Books of the Odyssey
by Zachary Mason
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
by Donald McCaig
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
by William Faulkner
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
by Debra Magpie Earling
The Winthrop Woman
The Winthrop Woman
by Anya Seton
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
by Susan Vreeland
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
by Ann Moore
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
Short Stories
Short Stories
by Irwin Shaw
The Heart of the Matter
The Heart of the Matter
by Graham Greene
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This Proud Heart
This Proud Heart
by Pearl S. Buck
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
by Jose Saramago
The King Must Die
The King Must Die
by Mary Renault
A Morbid Taste for Bones
A Morbid Taste for Bones
by Ellis Peters
A Sport and a Pastime
A Sport and a Pastime
by James Salter
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
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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.