Best Historical Fiction Books of all Time

Pan MacMillan selected their 50 Best Historical Books of all Time.

Updated August 8, 2023
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.
The house of fortune : a novel
Burton, Jessie
Paper Book
Alive with the magic of Amsterdam, the enchanting new historical novel from the author of the sensational New York Times bestseller The Miniaturist, which has sold more than two million copies. In 1705 Amsterdam, Thea Brandt is coming of age, trying to grapple...
Sin eater : a novel
Campisi, Megan
Paper Book
"A riveting depiction of hard-won female empowerment that weaves together meticulous research, unsolved murder--and an unforgettable young heroine." --The Washington Post The Handmaid's Tale meets Alice in Wonderland in this gripping and imaginative...
The water dancer : a novel
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * From the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me, a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss, and an underground war for freedom. "This potent book about America's...
Trust
Di?az, Herna?n
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21ST CENTURY A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2022 LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 BOOKER PRIZE "Buzzy and...
The red tent
Diamant, Anita.
Paper Book
In this modern classic interpretation of the biblical story of Dinah, Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of The Red Tent, a New York Times bestseller and the basis of the A&E/Lifetime mini-series. Twentieth Anniversary...
HAVEN
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
In this beautiful story of adventure and survival from the New York Times bestselling author of Room, three men vow to leave the world behind them as they set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them. In seventh...
The Wonder : a novel
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
Now a Netflix film starring Florence Pugh: In this "old-school page turner" (Stephen King, New York Times Book Review) by the bestselling author of Room, an English nurse is brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle--a girl said to have survived...
The evening and the morning
Follett, Ken
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a thrilling and addictive new novel--a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth--set in England at the dawn of a new era: the Middle Ages It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west...
The pillars of the earth
Follett, Ken
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller Oprah's Book Club Selection The "extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece" (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett's already phenomenal career--and begins where its prequel, The Evening and the Morning<...
Ross Poldark : a novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787
Graham, Winston
Paper Book
As Seen on Masterpiece(tm) on PBS®: Book 1 of the beloved Poldark series In the first novel in Winston Graham's hit series, a weary Ross Poldark returns to England from war, looking forward to a joyful homecoming with his beloved Elizabeth. But instead he discovers his father has died, his...
The four winds
Hannah, Kristin
Paper Book
"The Bestselling Hardcover Novel of the Year."--Publishers Weekly From the number-one bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes a powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression, a time when the...
The nightingale
Hannah, Kristin.
Paper Book
In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France . . . but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and...
The dance tree : a novel
Hargrave, Kiran Millwood
Paper Book
"If some prose sings, Kiran Millwood Hargrave's truly dances. Although set in the early sixteenth century, The Dance Tree addresses issues of the utmost importance today--the subjection of women, class inequality, the dangers of religious fundamentalism. Ultimately, however, the book's wisdom,...
The mercies : a novel
Hargrave, Kiran Millwood
Paper Book
After the men in an Arctic Norwegian town are wiped out, the women must survive a sinister threat in this "perfectly told" 1600s parable of "a world gone mad" (Adriana Trigiani).   Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Magnusdatter stands on...
Stone blind : a novel
Haynes, Natalie
Paper Book
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 "Haynes is master of her trade . . . She succeeds in breathing warm life into some of our oldest stories."--Telegraph (UK) The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships and Pandora's Jar returns with a fresh and stunningly...
A thousand ships : a novel
Haynes, Natalie
Audiobook
NATIONAL BESTSELLER "Gorgeous.... With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War."--Madeline Miller, author of Circe Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, a gorgeous retelling of the...
The attic child : a novel
Jaye, Lola
Paper Book
A hauntingly powerful and emotionally charged novel about family secrets, love and loss, identity and belonging. Two children trapped in the same attic, almost a century apart, bound by a shared secret. Early 1900s London: Taken from his homeland, twelve-year-old...
Circus of wonders : a novel
Macneal, Elizabeth
Paper Book
"Step up, step up! In 1860s England, circus mania is sweeping the nation. Crowds jostle for a glimpse of the lion-tamers, the dazzling trapeze artists and, most thrilling of all, the so-called "human wonders." When Jasper Jupiters Circus of Wonders pitches its tent in a poor coastal town, the life...
Dead man's walk : a novel
McMurtry, Larry.
Paper Book
In Dead Man's Walk, the prequel to the bestselling books, Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo, McMurtry dazzles readers once more with the early adventures of two of the most memorable heroes in contemporary fiction--Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call. National ads/media.
Beloved : a novel
Morrison, Toni.
Paper Book
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A spellbinding novel that transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. With a new afterword by the author.  This "brutally powerful, mesmerizing story" (...
Homecoming : a novel
Morton, Kate
Paper Book
The highly anticipated new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Clockmaker's Daughter, a sweeping novel that begins with a shocking crime, the effects of which echo across continents and generations Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a...
She who became the sun
Parker-Chan, Shelley
Paper Book
Two-time British Fantasy Award Winner Astounding Award Winner Lambda Literary Award Finalist Hugo Award Finalist Locus Award Finalist A Dragon Award Finalist Otherwise Award Finalist "Magnificent in every...
Mrs. Porter calling : a novel
Pearce, A. J.
Paper Book
From the author of the bestselling "jaunty, heartbreaking winner" (People) Dear Mrs. Bird, a charming and irresistible novel featuring aspiring journalist Emmy Lake as she navigates life, love, and friendship in London during World War II--perfect for fans of The Paris Library<...
Yours cheerfully : a novel
Pearce, A. J.
Paper Book
From the author of the "jaunty, heartbreaking winner" (People) and international bestseller Dear Mrs. Bird comes a charming and uplifting novel set in London during World War II about a plucky young journalist and her adventures as wartime advice columnist. ...
The land beyond the sea
Penman, Sharon Kay
Paper Book
The librarian of Auschwitz
Rubio, Salva
Paper Book
Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this graphic novel tells the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz. Taken...
Tombland
Sansom, C. J.
Paper Book
During the political upheaval of Tudor-era England, the lawyer Matthew Shardlake must decide where his loyalties lie in "one of the best ongoing mystery series" for fans of Hilary Mantel (Christian Science Monitor). LONGLISTED FOR THE SIR...
The lamplighters
Stonex, Emma
Paper Book
"Transported me effortlessly...Haunting, harrowing and heartbreaking, this is a novel that will stay with you." --Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push "A ghost story and fantastically gripping psychological investigation rolled into one. It...
The nickel boys : a novel
Whitehead, Colson
Paper Book
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * This follow-up to The Underground Railroad brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. * "One of the most gifted novelists in...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.