Historical Fiction

Recent historical fiction releases.
Updated May 13, 2024
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The Women
Kristin Hannah
A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times! From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women--at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a...
The Fraud
Zadie Smith
The New York Times bestseller * One of the New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year * One of NPR's Best Books of the Year * Named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly and BookPage * One of Oprah Daily's Best Novels of 2023 "[A] brilliant...
North Woods
Daniel Mason
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told...
The Armor of Light
Ken Follett
An epic continuation of the series that began with The Pillars of the Earth, The Armor of Light heralds a new dawn for Kingsbridge, England, where progress clashes with tradition, class struggles push into every part of society, and war in Europe engulfs the entire continent and...
The Vaster Wilds
Lauren Groff
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2023 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, ESQUIRE, VOGUE, LA TIMES, SLATE, HARPER'S BAZAAR and others "Part historical, part...
The Fox Wife
Yangsze Choo
Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . . Manchuria, 1908. In the last years of the dying...
Lady Tan's Circle of Women
Lisa See
*NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!* From "one of those special writers capable of delivering both poetry and plot" (The New York Times Book Review) an immersive historical novel inspired by the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China--perfect for fans of...
Let Us Descend
Jesmyn Ward
OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * Instant New York Times Bestseller * Named one of the best books of 2023 by The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe, Time, The New Yorker, and more. "Nothing short of epic,...
The Warm Hands of Ghosts
Katherine Arden
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * During the Great War, a combat nurse searches for her brother, believed dead in the trenches despite eerie signs that suggest otherwise, in this hauntingly beautiful historical novel with a speculative twist, from the author of The Bear and the Nightingale.
The River We Remember
William Kent Krueger
AN EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE In 1958, a small Minnesota town is rocked by a shocking murder, pouring fresh fuel on old grievances in this dazzling novel, an instant New York Times bestseller and "a work of art" (The Denver Post). On Memorial Day...
The Storm We Made: A Novel
Vanessa Chan
NATIONAL BESTSELLER A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK In this spellbinding novel, an ordinary housewife becomes an unlikely spy--and her dark secrets will test even the most unbreakable ties. Malaya, 1945. Cecily Alcantara's...
Becoming Madam Secretary
Stephanie Dray
Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference. When she's not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell's Kitchen, Frances throws...
The Phoenix Crown
Kate Quinn
From bestselling authors Janie Chang and Kate Quinn, a thrilling and unforgettable narrative about the intertwined lives of two wronged women, spanning from the chaos of the San Francisco earthquake to the glittering palaces of Versailles. San Francisco, 1906. In a city...
The Familiar
Leigh Bardugo
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER * #1 INDIE BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "An immersive, sensual experience." --The New York Times "Essential." --The Washington Post From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh...
The Great Divide
Cristina Henríquez
A TODAY Show Read With Jenna Book Club Pick! A powerful novel about the construction of the Panama Canal, casting light on the unsung people who lived, loved, and labored there It is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built...
The Evolution of Annabel Craig: A Novel
Lisa Grunwald
A young Southern woman sets out on a journey of self-discovery as the infamous 1925 Scopes Trial tests her faith and her marriage in this moving novel from the author of Time After Time and The Irresistible Henry House. "Lisa Grunwald is a national treasure. ...
The Underground Library: A Novel
Jennifer Ryan
When the Blitz imperils the heart of a London neighborhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to save the community's beloved library in this novel based on true events from the author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. When the new deputy...
Last House: A Novel
Jessica Shattuck
"An ambitious historical epic that doubles as an intimate family saga. Jessica Shattuck captures and connects it all--the imperial ambitions of the postwar generation, the rebellion of their offspring in the Sixties, and the fallout we're still sifting through today. . . . This is a wide-ranging...
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
Helen Simonson
A young woman's life is forever changed in the summer after World War I when she befriends a group of independent, motorcycle-riding women in a seaside town on the English coast--a captivating novel from the bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand ...
Can't We Be Friends: A Novel of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe
Eliza Knight
Award-winning author Denny S. Bryce and USA Today bestselling author Eliza Knight collaborate on a brilliant novel that uncovers the boundary-breaking, genuine friendship between Ella Fitzgerald, the Queen of Jazz, and iconic movie star Marilyn Monroe.  One woman was...
The Sweet Blue Distance
Sara Donati
A young midwife travels west to the New Mexico Territory to care for women in need and faces dangers more harrowing than the ones she's fleeing in this epic tale of survival, redemption, and love from Sara Donati, the international bestselling author of the Wilderness series. 1857...
Learned by Heart
Emma Donoghue
"A wrenching love story" (Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post) based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Drawing on years of...
Finding Margaret Fuller: A Novel
Allison Pataki
A "sweeping" (Entertainment Weekly) novel of America's forgotten leading lady, the central figure of a movement that defined a nation-from the New York Times bestselling author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post "Whether exploring Margaret's...
All Our Yesterdays
Joel H. Morris
A USA Today Bestseller! A propulsive and piercing debut, set ten years before the events of Shakespeare's historic play, about the ambition, power, and fate that define one of literature's most notorious figures: Lady Macbeth. Scotland, the 11th Century. Born...
American Daughters: A Novel
Piper Huguley
In the vein of America's First Daughter, Piper Huguley's historical novel delves into the remarkable friendship of Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt, the daughters of educator Booker T. Washington and President Teddy Roosevelt. At the turn of the twentieth century, in a...
Chenneville: A Story of Loss, Murder, and Vengeance
Paulette Jiles
Consumed with grief, driven by vengeance, a man undertakes an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post-Civil War frontier seeking redemption in this fearless novel from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of News of the World.  Union soldier John...
The Tower: A Novel
Flora Carr
A bold, feminist debut novel, reimagining Mary, Queen of Scots's darkest hour, when she was held hostage in a remote Scottish castle with a handful of loyal women while plotting a daring escape to reclaim her country and her freedom. "Such a vivid, visceral read, you feel you're...
Shelterwood: A Novel
Lisa Wingate
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a sweeping novel inspired by the untold history of women pioneers who fought to protect children caught in the storm of land barons hungry for power and oil wealth. "Wingate's stellar...
The Lost Book of Bonn: A Novel
Brianna Labuskes
For fans of The Rose Code and The Librarian Spy comes another literary themed historical novel from the author of The Librarian of Burned Books. Germany, 1946: Emmy Clarke is a librarian not a soldier. But that doesn't stop the Library of Congress from sending her overseas to Germany to...
The Glassmaker: A Novel
Tracy Chevalier
"This charming fable is at once a love story that skips through six centuries, and also a love song to the timeless craft of glassmaking. Chevalier probes the fierce rivalries and enduring loyalties of Murano's glass dynasties, capturing the roar of the furnace, the sweat on the skin, and the...
The Titanic Survivors Book Club: A Novel
Timothy Schaffert
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * From the author of The Perfume Thief, a remarkable tale about the life-changing power of books and second chances, following the Titanic librarian who opens a bookshop in Paris where he meets a secret society of survivors. "Deeply moving...
The Wind Knows My Name
Isabel Allende
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * "The lives of a Jewish boy escaping Nazi-occupied Europe and a mother and daughter fleeing twenty-first-century El Salvador intersect in this ambitious, intricate novel about war and immigration" (People), from the author of A Long Petal of the Sea and...
The Woman with No Name: A Novel
Audrey Blake
"Resilience, courage, and bravery outshine the enemy is this fast-paced, historical read." -- Booklist Older, diminutive, overlooked...she becomes one of the most ferocious and feared espionage agents in the are against the Nazis. World War II London, 1942. Though she survived the...
Switchboard Soldiers
Jennifer Chiaverini
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I--the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to...
The Housekeepers
Alex Hay
The night of London's grandest ball, a bold group of women downstairs plot a daring revenge heist against Mayfair society in this dazzling historical novel about power, gender, and class Named a Best Book of Summer by The Washington Post * Good Housekeeping ...
The Reformatory
Tananarive Due
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner and a New York Times Notable Book "You're in for a treat. The Reformatory is one of those books you can't put down. Tananarive Due hit it out of the park." --Stephen King A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow...
The Girls We Sent Away: A Novel
Meagan Church
"An important and vital story"-- Donna Everhart, USA Today bestselling author of The Saints of Swallow Hill A searing book club read for fans of Ellen Marie Wiseman and The Girls with No Names set in the Baby Scoop Era of 1960s and the women of a certain condition swept...
The Spectacular
Fiona Davis
New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall's glamorous precision dancing troupe. It's an honour to perform in the world's most spectacular theatre, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well...
The Berlin Letters: A Cold War Novel
Katherine Reay
Bestselling author Katherine Reay returns with an unforgettable tale of the Cold War and a CIA code breaker who risks everything to free her father from an East German prison. From the time she was a young girl, Luisa Voekler has loved solving puzzles and cracking codes....
The Book of Thorns: A Novel
Hester Fox
"Betrayal, loss, love, redemption, and justice collide in this masterpiece of a novel. You won't want to miss The Book of Thorns." --Paulette Kennedy, author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport A spellbinding tale of secrets, betrayal, and magic from the author...
The Divorcées
Rowan Beaird
"A rollicking thriller and poignant coming-of-age story." ―People "Timelier than ever." ―The Cut A "delicious" (Rebecca Makkai) and "deeply compelling" (Lauren Groff) debut novel set at a 1950s Reno divorce ranch, about the complex...
Crook Manifesto
Colson Whitehead
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning Colson Whitehead continues his Harlem saga in a powerful and hugely-entertaining novel that summons 1970s New York in all its seedy glory. It's 1971. Trash piles up on the streets, crime is at an all-time high, the city is careening towards...
These Tangled Threads
Sarah Loudin Thomas
Set in the shadow of Biltmore Estate, a poignant tale of friendship, restoration, and second chances.Seven years ago, a hidden betrayal scattered three young friends living in the shadow of the great Vanderbilt mansion. Now, when Biltmore Industries master weaver Lorna Blankenship is...
The Silver Bone
Andreï Kourkov
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE "With its earthy prose and stunning attention to detail, this stands apart." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Very intriguing and atmospheric ... a fascinating read in the light of contemporary events." -Alexander McCall Smith,...
All the World Beside: A Novel
Garrard Conley
From the New York Times bestselling author of Boy Erased, an electrifying, deeply moving novel about the love story between two men in Puritan New England. Cana, Massachusetts: a utopian vision of 18th-century Puritan New England. To the outside world, Reverend...
The Royal Librarian
Daisy Wood
A royal palace. A closed book. A betrayal that will echo through generations... Windsor, 1940: Secretly tasked with foiling a suspected plot, Sophie Klein is placed in the Royal Library at Windsor castle, where the princesses reside. But when she learns that Windsor is compromised,...
The Queen of Sugar Hill
ReShonda Tate
Bestselling author ReShonda Tate presents a fascinating fictional portrait of Hattie McDaniel, one of Hollywood's most prolific but woefully underappreciated stars--and the first Black person ever to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in the critically acclaimed film classic Gone...
Sisters of Fortune: A Novel of the Titanic
Anna Lee Huber
Readers of The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abé will be captivated as the USA Today bestselling author expertly weaves real historical figures and events into this vivid, surprising, emotionally powerful novel about longing for independence and love--and the moments that irrevocably...
A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself
Katherine Howe
From New York Times bestselling author Katherine Howe comes a daring first-hand account of one young woman's unbelievable adventure as one of the most terrifying sea rovers of all time. In Boston, as the Golden Age of Piracy comes to a bloody close, Hannah Masury -...
The Romanov Brides: A Novel of the Last Tsarina and Her Sisters
Clare McHugh
From the author of A Most English Princess comes a rich novel about young Princess Alix of Hesse--the future Alexandra, last Empress of Imperial Russia--and her sister, Princess Ella. Their decision to marry into the Romanov royal family changed history. They were granddaughters of Queen...
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