Fictional Work About a Real Person

Updated June 13, 2024
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The white queen
Gregory, Philippa.
Paper Book
The inspiration for the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen, #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings to life the extraordinary story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman who rises from obscurity to become Queen of England, and changes the course of...
Hamnet : a novel of the plague
O'Farrell, Maggie
Paper Book
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER * NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The bestselling author of The Marriage Portrait delivers a luminous portrait of a marriage, a family ravaged by grief, and a boy whose name was given to one of the most celebrated plays of all time. *...
The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo : a novel
Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Paper Book
"Riveting, heart-wrenching, and full of Old Hollywood glamour." --BuzzFeed "This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama." --PopSugar In...
The other Einstein : a novel
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
From beloved New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Benedict comes the story of a not-so-famous scientist who not only loved Albert Einstein, but also shaped the theories that brought him lasting renown. In the tradition of Beatriz Williams and Paula McClain, Marie Benedict...
Her hidden genius : a novel
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
"Brings to life Franklin's grit and spirit...an important contribution to the historical record." --The Washington Post The new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie! She changed the world with her discovery. Three men took the credit. ...
Circling the sun : a novel
McLain, Paula.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR, BOOKPAGE, AND SHELF AWARENESS * "Paula McLain is considered the new star of historical fiction, and for good reason. Fans of The Paris Wife will be...
The invention of wings
Kidd, Sue Monk
Paper Book
From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees comes a novel about two unforgettable American women. Hetty "Handful" Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy...
The mystery of Mrs. Christie : a novel
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER! "A stunning story... The ending is ingenious, and it's possible that Benedict has brought to life the most plausible explanation for why Christie disappeared for 11 days in 1926."--The Washington Post The New York Times and USA...
The marriage of opposites : a novel
Hoffman, Alice.
Paper Book
"[A] luminous, Marquez-esque tale." -O, The Oprah Magazine From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dovekeepers and The Museum of Extraordinary Things: a forbidden love story set on the tropical island of St. Thomas about the extraordinary woman who...
Wolf Hall : a novel
Mantel, Hilary
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR FICTION In inimitable style, Hilary Mantel's New York Times bestselling Wolf Hall is "a darkly brilliant reimagining of life under Henry VIII. . . ....
Code name He?le?ne : a novel
Lawhon, Ariel
Paper Book
"This fully animated portrait of Nancy Wake . . . will fascinate readers of World War II history and thrill fans of fierce, brash, independent women, alike." --LISA WINGATE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours BASED ON THE THRILLING REAL...
See what I have done
Schmidt, Sarah
Paper Book
Lizzie Borden took an ax And gave her mother forty whacks When she saw what she had done, She gave her father forty-one. Or did she? In this riveting debut novel, See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt recasts one of the most...
Loving Frank : a novel
Horan, Nancy.
Paper Book
I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current. So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903,...
Heartburn
Ephron, Nora.
Paper Book
A 40th anniversary reissue of the national bestselling author's hilarious first novel that memorably mixed food, heartbreak, and revenge into a comic masterpiece--now with a new foreword by Stanley Tucci. * "Touching and funny.... Proof that writing well is the best revenge." --Chicago Tribune...
Girl with a pearl earring
Chevalier, Tracy.
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling novel by the author of A Single Thread and At the Edge of the Orchard Translated into thirty-nine languages and made into an Oscar-nominated film, starring Scarlett Johanson and Colin Firth Tracy Chevalier transports...
Vanessa and her sister : a novel
Parmar, Priya
Paper Book
For fans of The Paris Wife and Loving Frank comes a captivating novel that offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Vanessa Bell, her sister Virginia Woolf, and the controversial and popular circle of intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury Group.   London,...
Stolen beauty : a novel
Lico Albanese, Laurie
Paper Book
"A powerful and important tale of love and war, art and family...I was transported." --Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author "Albanese artfully weaves Adele's story with Maria's harrowing life under the Nazis, but it's hard to read Stolen Beauty...
White houses : a novel
Bloom, Amy
Paper Book
For readers of The Paris Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue comes a "sensuous, captivating account of a forbidden affair between two women" (People)--Eleanor Roosevelt and "first friend" Lorena Hickok. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS...
Mademoiselle Chanel
Gortner, C. W.
Paper Book
For readers of The Paris Wife and Z comes this vivid novel full of drama, passion, tragedy, and beauty that stunningly imagines the life of iconic fashion designer Coco Chanel--the ambitious, gifted laundrywoman's daughter who revolutionized fashion, built an international empire, and become one...
A piece of the world : a novel
Kline, Christina Baker
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Exquisite. A must-read." --Kristin Hannah From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth's mysterious and iconic...
Lilac Girls: A Novel
Kelly, Martha Hall
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * One million copies sold! Inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine, this remarkable debut novel reveals the power of unsung women to change history in their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. "Extremely moving...
The personal librarian
Benedict, Marie
Paper Book
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world as she helps build a world-class collection. But...
A long petal of the sea : a novel
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of The House of the Spirits, this epic novel spanning decades and crossing continents follows two young people as they flee the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War in search of a place to call home. "One of the most...
Finding Margaret Fuller : a novel
Pataki, Allison
Paper Book
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 "Soul-stirring . . . brings to life the epic...
Harlem rhapsody
Murray, Victoria Christopher
Paper Book
In 1919, as civil unrest grips the county, in a flourishing part of New York City called Harlem, something special is stirring. Here, the New Negro is rising and Black pride is evident everywhere... in music, theatre, fashion and the arts. And there on stage in the center of this renaissance is...
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. In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas was...
The Wildes : a novel in five acts
Bayard, Louis
Paper Book
In this singularly powerful novel, bestselling author Louis Bayard brings Oscar Wilde's wife Constance and two sons out from the shadows of history and creates a vivid and poignant story of secrets, loss, and love.   In September of 1892, Oscar Wilde and his...
The instrumentalist
Constable, Harriet
Paper Book
Music, intoxication, and betrayal combine in this "immersive, impassioned" (The Guardian) debut novel inspired by the true story of Anna Maria della Pietà, a Venetian orphan and violin prodigy who studied under Antonio Vivaldi and ultimately became his star musician--and his biggest muse.<...
Becoming Madam Secretary
Dray, Stephanie
Paper Book
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...

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