My Favourite Historical Fiction
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- I love how historical fiction lets us imaginatively connect with the past and reimagine the lives of the voiceless so I discuss some of my favourite historical novels from the past several years. Click ‘Show More’ for info.
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Books discussed & purchase links:
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
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The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
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The Lonely Sea and Sky by Dermot Bolger
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Palmares by Gayl Jones
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Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
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The Revolution of the Moon by Andrea Camilleri
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The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst
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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
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Cathedral by Ben Hopkins
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Half a Yellow Sun by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
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My full reviews of some of these books:
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
lonesomereader.com/blog/2022/...
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
lonesomereader.com/blog/2013/...
The Lonely Sea and Sky by Dermot Bolger
lonesomereader.com/blog/2016/...
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry
lonesomereader.com/blog/2017/...
The Revolution of the Moon by Andrea Camilleri
lonesomereader.com/blog/2017/...
The Illumination of Ursula Flight by Anna-Marie Crowhurst
lonesomereader.com/blog/2018/...
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
lonesomereader.com/blog/2020/...
Cathedral by Ben Hopkins
lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/...
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There are so many fantastic, older historical fiction novels. They are typically much longer, better reseached, and more immersive than novels published more recently.
I don’t understand people who object to reading historical fiction by arguing one could just read historical accounts. Do these same people eschew exploring themes in literary or contemporary fiction and read non-fiction exclusively? It seems very "just give me the facts, ma'am" and narrow-minded. Who are these people, Eric? They sound like no fun at all. 😉
"Burial Rites" by a young author, Hannah Kent, was probably one of my favorite historical fiction books of late. It was shortlisted for many major awards and I believe it won some. The setting and writing is beautiful. It tells a story of Agnes, the last person in Iceland to be punished by death.
Although I read them a long time ago, I could also add "Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks and "Music and Silence" by Rose Tremain.
Happy reading!
yes+
Ken Follett's Pillars Of The Earth is the novel that got me back in to reading in 1995, and I've not stopped since. historical fiction is a great genre.
Read a lot of real history too, bit of a modern history fan for sure.
Watching your videos is brilliant, but my reading list gets so long!! Love your enthusiasm for the subject. Thank you so much for posting. 🙂
Luminaries is probably my favourite historical novel. I have just started Booth and after only a few pages am settling in for a great read. Thanks Eric
My Goodness!!! WHAT AN EXCEPTIONAL explanation of why historical fiction is such an important genre!!! I haven't even watched your summary of favorites, just HAD to stop the video and clap my hands at such a wonderful introduction! I spent some time as a volunteer in re-enactments of the French and Indian conflicts at Fort William Henry in Maine, and as a same time period re-enactor at Fort Ticondera.... (and the now retired Ft #4 in NH) It is in similar fashion...acting stories out for people to understand the emotion of the events. (But, for the general population, reading about it in comfort, when you feel like it, and with no schedule is so much easier!) Thank you for such a wonderful explanation of why historical fiction is important. So many voices and points of view that are lost to the past....that historians bring to life through a fictional account. THANK YOU!!
Thank you!
I really agree with being able to enter into people's lives and allows us to connect with history in a way that pushes us to learn more
What a bizarre notion that Historical Fiction is superfluous; absolutely mind-boggling. 🤯
Such a dangerous video to watch since I'm adding all of these books to my TBR LOL. I thought I read fair amount of historical fiction but somehow didn't read any of your faves 🥲 But they all sound so fascinating! I will get to them, one day lol Thanks for the recs Eric!
Wow, so many incredible recommendations! Thank you! I'll keep an eye out for them when book shopping.
These all sound so good! Looks like I need to dip my toes into historical fiction. I really liked what you said in the beginning about it being a format of telling the stories of people who were left out of history books
Thanks for these suggestions! Years ago I read a couple of historical fiction novels by Geraldine Brooks. Caleb’s Crossing about the first Native American to go to Harvard. And Wonder Years which was about a plague, but that topic might hit too close to home 😃 anyway, I really enjoyed her writing.
Yes, I've almost read all of hers, her non-fiction was interesting back in the day too.
I wanted to read Caleb’s Crossing, but knowing what happened to the real life person is so depressing 😢
I loved Year of Wonders though
I love Hilary Mantel’s novels. Recently finished “JOAN” by Katherine Chen, based on the life of Joan of Arc, and thought it was really well done as an historical novel.
I love the Luminaries! These are all great recommendations - thank you! Some that I've loved recently and not so recently are: Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss; The Adventures of China Iron by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara; Costalegre by Courtney Maum; Conjure Women by Afia Atakora; and The Corner that Held Them by Sylvia Townsend Warner. Actually now I'm realizing that all of those in some way fit into the theme of telling the stories or reclaiming stories of women who were left out of the history books. Love it!
What a brilliant list! Thank you for putting some new historical fiction on my radar. It’s my favorite genre and I’m always looking for something new.
Thanks! Hope you find some new favourite reads. 📚
Thanks for the recommendations, I love historical fiction. I was delighted to see you mention Ursula Flight, it's such a good book but I rarely see it mentioned here or on social media. She my favourite literary character ever!
Brilliant list! Thanks so much...
I enjoyed reading Umberto Eco’s
The Name of the Rose and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys. Also, Sebastian Barry’s perfect The Secret Scripture. And finally, Matthew Kneale’s English Passengers.
I completely agree with you as a writer finishing my first novel, which is historical fiction. We can learn about the past through textbooks but it's been scientifically proven that when we learn about it through story we remember more. We must remember so as not to repeat the past. Not to mention that with story we feel empathy deeper for the people who really suffered the things we write about.
Great recommendations!
Oh yes! Mantel, Catton and Adichie, love those 3.
Days without end is sitting by my bed, I picked up my own copy earlier in the year (for a $1) I need to start it after I read this years Booker list, including Booth. I've read Barry's The Secret Scriptures, which still stays with me after reading it about a decade ago.
I wonder if Cathedral is something like Pillars of the Earth? I remember being swept away by Pillars of the Earth.
I need to look up the others, the only one I know is Crowhursts but haven't got around to reading it yet.
Two Australian favourite authors that come to mind are Richard Flanagan - Gould's Book of Fish, Narrow Road to the Deep North, Wanting, The Sound of One Hand Clapping. Also, Kate Grenville's Secret River is a favourite, as is A House of Leaves.
I think my favorite historical fiction novel is Beneath a Scarlet Sky. I have Adiche’s book on my TBR. Great video ❤️
'Booth' also made me rediscover my love for historical fiction, so this is such a timely video! My recommendation would be 'Civilizations' by Binet (you have it :)). Last year you did a great video about a history prize (cundill or wolfson?), hope you do it again this year.
Booth was so fantastic. I knew nothing about the assassination so this was really informative and interesting.
I would love to see a university curriculum that combines historical fiction with scholarship on the period. They would really enhance each other.
That would be great!
I’ve never heard of The Lonely Sea and Sky and that is 100% up my street, thanks so much for the recommendation! I never read a book set during the Emergency and would love to.
So glad I could tip you off to it. It's one from a few years ago I've not heard many people discussing so hope it gets more of a readership.
Thanks as always for your excellent recommendations, Eric. I also loved the Wolf Hall Trilogy and have The Luminaries but have - strangely - been a little put off getting stuck in because of the length!
It’s totally understandable to be put off by length. It makes it such a reading commitment but if it’s done well it’s really worth it!
Liked your choice of books to share. I have read Sebastian Barry's books and really enjoyed the relationship within them as well as the fictionalised histories. From your list I have several on my TBR list.
If you are into Henry Tudor's reign there's an abundance of novels about the era which I read.
HoaYS just broke me! I had to put the book down for a week before returning to it and finishing it. I like the sound of Cathedral!
Thanks for the recs
Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall Trilogy is fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Her novel, A Place of Greater Safety about the French Revolution is on my TBR list. The Luminaries is also on my TBR pile and I just picked up Booth from the library based on your reveiw from the other day and I am looking forward to it. You picked some very interesting books indeed. Cheers!
Australian historical fiction - Peter Carey has written a number but my favourite would be Oscar and Lucinda. Richard Flanagan's The Narrow Road to the Deep North is also excellent. A recent historical 'fiction' is Anita Heiss's book Yarrudhanggalangdhuray (River of Dreams) following settlement of Australia from an indigenous perspective. I guess Hannah Kent's novels also fit this genre.
I plan to read Wolf Hall soon, but fortunately I couldn't get into Booth. My favorite historical fictions are: The Traitor's Wife, The Thirteenth Tale, anything by Kate Morton, The Other Bennet Sister, Gates of Rome, The Paris Wife, The Paying Guests, and Once Upon a River. Here are some historical fantasy that I like; The Temaraire Series, Tooth & Claw, and the Night Circus. I enjoyed this historical trilogy that explores God vs. Science but leans towards God (I don't think it would be everybody's cup of tea) called The Lady Seraphina Trent Mysteries by Gilbert Morris.
Historical fiction is probably one of my favourite genres. I loved the Hilary Mantel novels, and also the Sebastian Barry. Other authors include Sarah Dunant, David Leavitt - I’ve just read The Indian Clerk and it was fascinating. There are so many more but those have been recent reads.
I recently read Sebastian Barry's _Days Without End_ and loved it. _The Luminaries_ has been my favorite read so far this year. _Palmares_ is on my list to get to at some point. Of course, _Wolf Hall_ was amazing.
what a great discussion! i dunno if it counts coz of how it moves thru time but I thought Celestial Bodies by Jokha Alharthi was amazing in how it used fiction to recreate the recent history of Oman, something i had no interest in at all but became fascinated by thanks to Alharthi's storytelling powers ~
I have a copy of Cathedral on my shelf which I bought after you mentioned it last year - I really do need to get around to reading it soon!
I was trying to think of some more historical novels I've loved that I could recommend, and I'd definitely say you should (if you haven't already) pick up a copy of In the Absence of Men by Philippe Besson (translated by Frank Wynne)
Good, I hope you find time to read Cathedral at some point. I’ve not read that book by Besson so I’ll look it up. Thanks, Jen!
Thanks for your video, Eric! I love historical fiction as well, and it's always nice to get some recommendations or reminders. I would be very interested in reading The Revolution of the Moon, and I have had The Illumination of Ursula Flight in my TBR lists for a while - this autumn might be the time to finally get it!
I got very lucky this year and read three historical novels that I found great: A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago, The Silent Duchess by Dacia Maraini (translated from the Italian, and also set in Sicily :)) and the last David Diop novel, which should come out in English next year and might be my favourite book of 2022. One of my all-time favourite novels is A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien Japrisot. It's not exactly new, but I think it aged quite well. It's gripping.
I loved A Very Long Engagement! Much better than the movie (which is usually the case).
My favourite historical finction is also the best book I´ve ever read and it it The cook of Castamar. I went through all emotions, it left me weeping because it was so beautiful and it made me want to visit the places in Spain that are mentioned and I needed a week to get over the book. I have never ever had that before. Not sure if it is translated in English yet.
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell would be one of my top picks for favorite historical fiction. Especially the first section of the book and the final scenes. Another of my favorite reads over the last few years is Blood & Sugar by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. It's a murder mystery set in London in the late 18th century and involves the slave trade. I have a copy of her new book, Daughters of the Night, set in the same world, which I'm planning to read soon.
MM Kay Far Pavilions great. Herman Wouk Winds of War and War & Rembrance. All of Michener, especially The Source, Hawaii & Centennial. Follett. Solzhenitsyn. Tolstoy, War and Peace. Follett. I hope to get to your more modern list.
Read Luminaries (great), and Booth, and Half a Yellow Sun. One of my favourite historical novels is The Secret River by Kate Grenville, which won the Commonwealth Writer prize in 2006. Just excellent - it also has a companion piece Searching for the Secret River, which is Grenville's story of how she wrote the novel - in trying to find out about one of her ancestors.
Ken folletts Kingsbridge trilogy is my all time favourite. Ive found it hard to get into other authors since i read his books
I may have mentioned this before but my favorite book of last year Miss Jane by the late Brad Watson is great historical fiction and was long listed for the National Book award. It's about a girl born with a rare condition ( operable today) that affects her life through adulthood and the limits of her life as a result and her relationship with her doctor in the early 1900s. It is so we'll done, and he writes a female role so we'll ..it is based on his great aunt.
One of my favorite genres 💚
On another channel someone was asking about modern classics and I realize now I forgot to add Clockwork Orange. That author, Anthony Burgess, wrote a historical fiction I enjoyed reading. Napoleon Symphony includes a delightful visit to the troops the emperor undertakes incognito. There must be others, of course, but for some reason all I can think of at the moment is Notre Dame de Paris.
Recommendations
Tresspasses by Louise Kennedy
Take My Hand
Lessons In Chemistry
Foster by Claire Keegan
After The Parade by Lori Ostlund
Devotion by Hannah Kent
The Garden of Evening Mists
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell
Hidden Valley Road
Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts
The Prettiest Star
Swimming in the Dark
The Power of the Dog by Thomas Savage
A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ni Ghriofa
☘️👋🍀☕️📚📖📕
To your point of historical fiction leading to further research of the time period, I recently completed the mammoth A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (loved it ) and then immediately went into a biography of Nehru who appears briefly in the novel. I also loved M: Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati about the rise of Mussolini in the 1920s the first of a quartet and scarily relevant to current events.
i Haven’t read The Cathedral that you mentioned here, but there’s a book in a similar vein that i think you would love called The Spire by William Golding. The dean of Salisbury ( i think) cathedral wants to add a soaring spire to his cathedral but he’s starting to lose his faith…it’s a moving and dramatic tale that really drew me in when i read it many years ago.
Thank you! I’ve got a copy of The Spire and that does sound good.
Dark Eagle by John Haar is an exceptional historical novel about Benedict Arnold. A must read.
I'm thinking of The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco as recent historical fiction that I really enjoyed.
What a gorgeous copy of'Half A Yellow Sun'! (Which I read in paperback and thought was excellent but wasn't anywhere near as pretty!)
Is 'Cathedral' anything like 'Pillars of the Earth' (Ken Follett)? It seems similar is some respects.
Thank you! And I’m not sure. Other people have asked this too but I’ve never read anything by Follett.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre. A few of my favorites are In a dark wood wandering by Hella Haasse about Charles d’Orleans. The red tent by Anita Diamant and the Niccolo series by Dorothy Dunnett 🙂
I loved the Wolf Hall series, too.
I will be giving The Luminaries a try based on this, thanks! I would recommend the following three off the top of my head:
Little by Edward Carey
The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers
Mercia’s Take by Daniel Wiles
Olga Tokarczuk's The Books of Jacob, Sebastian Barry's A Long Long Way and The Secret Scripture, A S Byatt's The Children's Book, Paul Kingsnorth's The Wake, Nicola Barker's The Cauliflower, David Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet, Barbara Kingsolver The Lacuna, Thomas Pynchon's Mason & Dixon are some of my favourite historical fiction.
Great list of books. I would add Peter Carey's JACK MAGGS, Karen Joy Fowler's SARAH CANARY, Carlos Ruiz Zafón's THE SHADOW OF THE WIND.
Thanks, all 3 of those are books I've been meaning to read so glad you're so enthusiastic about them.
Shadow Of The Wind is definitely a 5 star book for me
I also enjoyed The shadow of the wind. It is probably the best book I could recommend to book lovers.
The Shadow of the Wind is a favourite of mine too. It borders on fantasy, which I don’t like, but is so readable and atmospheric.
@@rafd3593 I don’t like fantasy either but it depends how good the book is. That book is excellent and will be remembered for a long time.
i regularly watch your videos and loved them, but you only discuss about books of US and UK. I request you to read some Indian Historical Novels too, As India has a History of 5000 years and some of the greatest writes are born in India. here's some recomendation for you. 01: Those Dasy: Sunil Gangopadhyay 02: First Light : Sunil Gangopadhyay 03: The Last Queen: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni 04: The Twentieth wife: (Taj Mahal Triology) Indu Sundaresan 05: Khwabhanama: Akhtarujjaman Illias ( Translation Arunava Sinha) and many more. i am sure you will Love these books. I bought and read lots of books from your reccomendation. thank you so much. 🙂
Thanks very much! Those are some really interesting suggestions and I’ll try to track some of them down. 📚 Part of the issue is some aren’t widely available in the UK. Also, I don’t think it’s fair to say I only discuss US and UK books since I talk about international literature and have discussed a number of Indian authors on this channel including Neel Mukherjee, Prayaag Akbar, Arundhati Roy, Anosh Irani, Shobha Rao and, most recently, Geetanjali Shree. But since I was raised in the US and have lived in the UK so long I end up reading a lot of books from these countries. I’m hoping to read All About H. Hatterr this autumn.
@@EricKarlAnderson Thank you so much for your reply.
Hi Eric, I'd love to send you my novel The Pleasures of Queueing, a historical novel set in the 1970s in Ireland? Would that interest you? I think it's got an unusual approach. All the best, Erik
I haven't encountered the authors listed here. I don't see Rafael Sabatini mentioned even in the comments, and I wonder if any of these are in his league?
I recommend any of the historical novels by Elizabeth Chadwick. Amazing author!
Amaricanuh is a favourite for me by Adichie.
Listening to you speaking about the "Cathedral", I think you may like the Portuguese "Memorial do convento" (which is misleadingly translated as "Baltasar and Blimunda" in English), by Nobel winner José Saramago.
It's one of those books that are worth learning Portuguese to read (there's only a handful that merit that distinction for me!).
I’ve loved all Saramago’s novels that I’ve read but I’ve not read that one so thanks for the suggestion.
Colleen McCullough Masters of Rome series is worth while, Hilary Mantel Thomas Cromwell trilogy, glorious.
I've read some truly wonderful HF this year including... That Bonesetter Woman by Frances Quinn, The Candlelit Menagerie by Caraline Brown, The Trial of Lotta Rae by Siobhan McGowan, Horse by Geraldine Brooks, The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks, I, Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons, Featherweight by Mick Kitson, Hear No Evil by Sarah Smith, Lily by Rose Tremain and a re read of perhaps the best of the genre......Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. All five star reads and thoroughly recommended.
Thanks, I’ve enjoyed other fiction by Ross Tremain and I keep meaning to read Lily.
A great list, thanks! I also loved 'Horse'
Also from Mantel - A Place of Greater Safety.
I thought The Luminaries was an extraordinary novel. Same for the Wolf Hall trilogy (each book was quite something). Does Hamnet count as historical fiction? If so, that would definitely be on my list of favorites.
The yellow wife written by Sadeqa Johnson Is an excellent emotional questioning life book
I just love your channel!
Thanks so much! 😊📚
Oh I love Rafik Schami's The dark side of love which reimagines Syrian history through the lense of three generations of rivalling families. I think you would enjoy it.
A dead man hangs from the portal of St Paul's Chapel in Damascus. He was a Muslim officer - and he was murdered. But when Detective Barudi sets out to interrogate the man's mysterious widow, the Secret Service takes the case away from him. Barudi continues to investigate clandestinely and discovers the murderer's motive: it is a blood feud between the Mushtak and Shahin clans, reaching back to the beginnings of the 20th century. And, linked to it, a love story that can have no happy ending, for reconciliation has no place within the old tribal structures. Rafik Schami's dazzling novel spans a century of Syrian history in which politics and religions continue to torment an entire people. Simultaneously, his poetic stories from three generations tell of the courage of lovers who risk death sooner than deny their passions. He has also written a heartfelt tribute to his hometown Damascus and a great and moving hymn to the power of love.
That sounds so interesting. I'll look it up. Thank you!
Do Huckleberry Finn and Don Quixote count? Sorry, i haven't read much at all.
I was wondering if The Three Musketeers might count l.🤔
I haven’t read all the comments, but if you haven’t read Cold Mountain and The English Patient, I highly recommend them both.
The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson.
I have read Luminaries and really enjoyed it. I was interested in Palmares but have heard that it’s really not that historically accurate. I understand it’s fiction but if it’s based on a real place then maybe you’re better off to have it set in a fictional place. Have you ever read A Dance To The Music Of Time by Anthony Powell. Sounds fascinating but I usually don’t read a series.
Try James Conroyd Martin books.
The only read one book that is based on a real person is the assassination of Jesse Jame by the coward Robert Ford it’s a really good book I couldn’t stop reading it
Patrick White- Voss.
Cormac Mccarthy- Blood Meridian.
I truly enjoyed the love songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers
Yes! Love Jeffers’ novel so much. ❤️
Like you loved Hilary Mantel 's trilogy. However Palmares went over my head a lot of the time. Some other good books that could be described as 'historical fiction' include Nadeem Aslam: The Wasted Vigil. Jose Saramago: Raised from the Ground. C Pam Zhang: How much of These Hills is Gold and last but not least Joseph O'connor: Shadow Play
I keep meaning to read Shadow Play. I'm sure I'll love it. And I've read a few books by Saramago but not that one so I'll have to get a copy. Thanks! 📚
Hills is gold was so good
Half of the yellow sun
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
I have in lithuanian,
If you want something to soothe your soul, I will read to you.
The Twilight World by Werner Herzog
I am so curious about that as I enjoy his films.
I love Sebastian Barry, but Days Without End was a very disappointing novel for me, while being, in parts, so well-written. I feel it would have benefitted by another draft.
Philippa Gregory has two,lesser known works called Virgin Earth and Earthly Joys which trace the lives of JOhn Tradescant and Son, plantfinders to King Charles 1 and 11. They are brilliantly imagined lives of the time and of the depth of affection for monarchs that we find hard to understand today. Brilliant reads
I have read both of those and enjoyed them both very much. I think my favourite of hers is Lady of the Rivers. OTOH I couldn't finish The Luminaries.
Only 5 words you need to know. The Pillars of the Earth. You're welcome.
Recommending favourite historical fiction
- 📚 Historical fiction can emotionally enter into the past and add voices of those who weren't recorded in history
- 🌿 "The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton is a thrilling novel set in mid-1800s New Zealand
- 🛳 "The Lonely Sea and Sky" by Dermot Bolger follows the story of sailors in Ireland during WWII
- 🇧🇷 "Palmares" by Gail Jones is set in 17th century Brazil and follows the story of an enslaved African girl
- 💡 Reading historical fiction can lead to further research on events and figures from the past