Historical Fiction

New and recommended historical fiction titles.

Updated September 16, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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Historical Fiction

New and recommended historical fiction titles.

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The wind knows my name : a novel
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
THE POWERFUL AND MOVING NEW NOVEL FROM LITERARY LEGEND ISABEL ALLENDE PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR 'A grand storyteller' - KHALED HOSSEINI 'A new novel by Isabel Allende is always a treat' - DAILY MAIL 'What a joy it must be to...
A passage north : a novel
Arudpragasam, Anuk
Paper Book
From a prize-winning Sri Lankan author, a story of age and youth, loss and survival that builds into a magisterial reckoning with mortality.
The heart in winter : a novel
Barry, Kevin
Paper Book
THE SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL NOVEL OF THE YEARTHE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLERPICKED AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, NEW STATESMAN, OBSERVER, IRISH TIMES, INDEPENDENT, IRISH INDEPENDENT, IRISH EXAMINER, TLS, SCOTSMAN, THE TIMES AND ECONOMISTWhat if we ride out tonight?What if we ride out and...
The ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye : a novel
Cameron, Briony
Paper Book
'Packed full of action, excitement, peril and romance on the high seas, this is the sapphic pirate book of my dreams' SARAH UNDERWOOD, author of Lies We Sing to the Sea 'Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure meets thoughtful feminist history . . . a rare and special...
The storm we made : a novel
Chan, Vanessa
Paper Book
READERS ARE LOVING THE STORM WE MADE: Difficult to put down once started. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is not a book to be missed. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An absolutely exceptional book that will never leave me.⭐⭐&...
The fox wife : a novel
Choo, Yangsze
Paper Book
Longlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Gold Crown Award 'Vivid, enigmatic, enchanting' M. L. Rio 'Irresistible' Sunday Times Some people think foxes go around collecting qi, or life force, but nothing could be...
The golden gate
Chua, Amy
Paper Book
Edgar-nominated debut novel from a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author, set in California at the time of WW2 . Chinatown meets The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Clear : a novel
Davies, Carys
Paper Book
A wondrous tale of bonds forged when two men are pitted against each other on a remote island during the Highland Clearances, from the prize-winning author of West.
Learned by heart
Donoghue, Emma
Paper Book
The enchanters : a novel
Ellroy, James
Paper Book
'Nobody does crime like James Ellroy . . . One of Ellroy's best works in years' Sunday Times 'This is the master of darkness at his incomparable best -- simply impossible to put down' Daily Mail Los Angeles. August 4, 1962. The city broils...
You dreamed of empires
Enrigue, Alvaro
Paper Book
'An Aztec West Wing' GUARDIAN 'A triumph' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Glorious' i-D A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF 2024 A GUARDIAN TOP FIVE TRANSLATED FICTION OF 2024 In 1519, Conquistador Hernán Cortés...
James : a novel
Everett, Percival
Paper Book
'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' - Roddy Doyle James is a profound and ferociously funny novel from one of our greatest living writers, Percival Everett. The Sunday Times Bestseller Winner of the...
Booth : a novel
Fowler, Karen Joy
Paper Book
A major new novel from million-copy bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Crossroads
Franzen, Jonathan
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A GUARDIAN BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2021 AN INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR A WHITE REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR A LIT HUB BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 'His best novel yet ... A Middlemarch-like triumph' Telegraph
Peach blossom spring
Fu, Melissa
Paper Book
The bullet swallower : a novel
Gonzalez James, Elizabeth
Paper Book
A Most Anticipated Book of 2024 by Goodreads, CrimeReads, The Millions, StyleCaster, The EveryGirl, Sunset, Book Riot, and HipLatina January Recommended Reading by The Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot, Nerd Daily, The Mary Sue, and Reading Between the Spines "Mesmerizing.....
Diva
Goodwin, Daisy
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Daisy Goodwin returns with a story of the scandalous love affair between the most celebrated opera singer of all time and one of the richest men in the world. 'An extraordinary, vivid, and skilful re-imagining of a modern Greek legend' -...
The women
Hannah, Kristin
Paper Book
The instant Number One Sunday Times bestselling novel, soon to be a major motion picture. The Women is the essential story of the women who answered the call of the Vietnam War and paid a price that was heartbreakingly unique. This is a novel of epic...
The Paris daughter
Harmel, Kristin
Paper Book
'An unmissable reading treat' Lancashire Evening Post 'Beautifully written and emotionally charged . . . impossible to put down' HAZEL GAYNOR A heartwrenching and evocative wartime novel, perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Rachel Hore and...
Precipice : a novel
Harris, Robert
Paper Book
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR Summer 1914. A world on the brink of catastrophe. In London, 26-year-old Venetia Stanley - aristocratic, clever, bored, reckless - is having a love affair with the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, a man more than...
The flames
Haydock, Sophie
Paper Book
'Fascinating & compelling. I loved all four women' ELODIE HARPER, author of THE WOLF DEN 'MAGNIFICENT...It's simply too good' KATIE LOWE, author of THE FURIES 'Utterly compelling' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE, author of THE MERCIES _______...
The world and all that it holds
Hemon, Aleksandar
Paper Book
'This life-stuffed novel is Aleksandar Hemon's masterpiece' - David Mitchell, author of Cloud AtlasThe World and All That It Holds is the epic, cross-continental tale of a love so strong it conquers the Great War, revolution, and even death itself.As the Archduke Franz Ferdinand arrives in Sarajevo...
The great divide : a novel
Henríquez, Cristina
Paper Book
'A gorgeous, sweeping epic' ANN NAPOLITANO 'A master of prose' WASHINGTON POST 'One of my favourite writers' ROXANE GAY 'Spectacular' JOANNE SEFTON 'I didn't want it to end' SARA SHERIDAN A breathtaking historical novel following...
The lion women of Tehran
Kamali, Marjan
Paper Book
A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK 'As heart-wrenching as it is achingly beautiful' Sadeqa Johnson, author of The House of Eve 'Heartbreaking and life affirming' Adrienne Brodeur, author of Little Monsters 'Courage, friendship,...
Beasts of a little land : a novel
Kim, Juhea
Paper Book
Winner of the Yasnaya Polyana Award * Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize 'Unforgettable' Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, author of The Mountains Sing As the Korean independence movement gathers pace, two children meet on the streets of Seoul. Fate will bind them...
Bright young women
Knoll, Jessica
Paper Book
'A compelling, almost hypnotic read' - Lisa Jewell, bestselling author of None of This is True Bright Young Women is a compulsive, extraordinary novel inspired by the real-life sorority targeted by America's first celebrity serial killer in his final murderous...
The maniac
Labatut, Benjami?n
Paper Book
The author of When We Cease to Understand the World: a dazzling, kaleidoscopic book about the destructive chaos lurking in the history of computing and AI.
Glorious exploits : a novel
Lennon, Ferdia
Paper Book
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024 WINNER OF THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE FOR COMIC FICTION 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION 2024 LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD...
Mercury Pictures presents : a novel
Marra, Anthony
Paper Book
Chosen as a BOOK OF THE YEAR in the Sunday Times, Stylist and Observer 'A multifaceted novel that is funny, verbally inventive and moving' Sunday Times, Book of the Year 'In Mercury Pictures Presents<...
This strange eventful history : a novel
Messud, Claire
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024 '[A] wise and insightful novel about identity and family' The Times, Book of the Day 'An epic family odyssey... Ambitious and compelling' Guardian, Book of the Day 'A rich,...
Held
Michaels, Anne
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE GILLER PRIZE 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024 **The international bestseller** **A Guardian Book of the Year** **Chosen as a book of the year by the independent.co.uk** 'Her prose is a...
One blood
Millner, Denene
Paper Book
Behind every strong woman are the women who raised her. 'A powerful family saga' OBSERVER 'Heartbreaking, hopeful, and resilient... a masterpiece' TARA M. STRINGFELLOW, author of Memphis Some are bound by the blood in their veins,...
The fortune men
Mohamed, Nadifa
Paper Book
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2021 SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA NOVEL AWARD 2021 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2022 'Chilling and utterly compelling, The Fortune Men shines an essential light on a much...
The god of the woods
Moore, Liz
Paper Book
AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2024 WINNER OF GOODREADS MYSTERY & THRILLER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 'I was totally gripped' DOUGLAS STUART 'Immersive and enthralling' PAULA HAWKINS 'At first hard to put down. By page 200, impossible' STEPHEN...
The seventh veil of Salome
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book
'Absolutely not to be missed' - Kate Quinn on this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic. Golden Age Hollywood - a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue. Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie...
Dust child : a novel
Nguye??n, Phan Que?? Mai
Paper Book
*Winner of the She Reads Award for Best Historical Fiction* 'LYRICAL AND DEEPLY EMPATHETIC.' Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow  'DAZZLING.' Elif Shafak, author of The Island of Missing Trees  Four...
Whale fall
O'Connor, Elizabeth
Paper Book
A BBC 'BETWEEN THE COVERS' BOOK CLUB PICK 'I didn't want it to end' - Maggie O'Farrell 'Powerful . . . written with a calm, luminous precision' - Colm Tóibín An Observer Best Debut of the Year 2024 It is 1938 and for Manod, a young woman living...
The marriage portrait
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023 A Reese's Bookclub December Pick (2022) An Instant Sunday Times, New York Times and Irish Times Bestseller (August 2022) A Guardian and LitHub Book of the Year (December 2022)<...
Wandering stars
Orange, Tommy
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024 THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER & NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR PICK 2024 A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 AN OBSERVER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 'Wandering Stars is the kind of book that...
A history of burning
Oza, Janika
Paper Book
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER A SARAH JESSICA PARKER BOOK OF THE YEAR Four generations. Three sisters. One impossible choice. Tricked aboard a boat to East Africa, Pirbhai is only thirteen when he is forced by the British into labouring on the railway. Under...
Enlightenment : a novel
Perry, Sarah
Paper Book
**LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024** A story of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends 'Gorgeous... Ethereal' GUARDIAN 'A book with cosmic reach' FINANCIAL TIMES 'A...
By any other name : a novel
Picoult, Jodi
Paper Book
The Number 1 New York Times bestseller from the author of My Sister's Keeper and Mad Honey 'Her best one yet' JOJO MOYES 'A timeless classic' CHRIS WHITAKER -- Student playwright Melina Green finds that even in New...
The Briar Club : a novel
Quinn, Kate
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. Washington, D.C., 1950 Everyone keeps to themselves at...
The queen of Dirt Island
Ryan, Donal
Paper Book
Discover the emotional, bestselling novel about four generations of women and the stories that bind them, from the Booker longlisted author Of Strange Flowers. 'One of the finest novelists writing today... a haunting, exquisite masterpiece.' RACHEL...
The underground library : a novel
Ryan, Jennifer
Paper Book
Inspired by the true story of Bethnall Green Library. When the Blitz threatens the heart of a London neighbourhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to keep their community together in this heartwarming novel from the author of The Kitchen Front and The...
After Sappho : a novel
Schwartz, Selby Wynn
Ebook
It's 1895. Amid laundry and bruises, Rina Pierangeli Faccio gives birth to the child of the man who raped her - and who she has also been forced to marry. Unbroken, she determines to change her name; and her life, alongside it. 1902. Romaine Brooks sails for Capri. She has barely enough money for...
Cahokia jazz : a novel
Spufford, Francis
Paper Book
A thrilling tale of murder and mystery in a city where history has run a little differently -- from the bestselling author of Golden Hill.
The house of doors : a novel
Tan, Twan Eng
Paper Book
The anticipated novel from the Booker-shortlisted author exploring love, betrayal and morality in 1920s Penang
The brightest star : a novel
Tsukiyama, Gail
Paper Book
A LIBRARYREADS PICK AND BEST BOOK CLUB PICK OF 2023 "A writer of astonishing grace, delicacy, and feeling."--Michael Chabon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay "A beautiful, haunting book."--Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times...
The covenant of water : a novel
Verghese, Abraham
Paper Book
From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cutting for Stone comes a stunning and magisterial new epic of love, faith and medicine, set in Kerala, South India.
Black cake : a novel
Wilkerson, Charmaine
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NO. 2 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER **Featured on Barack Obama's Summer Reading List 2022** **A Grazia Instagram 'IT' book to watch out for****Soon to be a major Hulu series by Oprah Winfrey, Aaron Kaplan and Marissa Jo Cerar**...
The safekeep : a novel
Wouden, Yael van der
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2024 SHORTLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2025 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE 2025 LONGLISTED FOR THE WINGATE PRIZE 2025 An exhilarating tale of twisted desire, histories and...
Find this list online: https://librarian.syndetics.com/syndeticsunbound/lp/786.1149/list/1867

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