5 Star Historical Fiction Recommendations

[@a_bookish_gemini]

So glad I found you! Literary and historical fiction are my favorite genres too!

[@RaspberryReads]

Hello and welcome! 👋

[@edwardmeade]

So I started reading historical fiction in the early 60s with the Horatio Hornblower series. If I had to pick one it would be Vasily Grossman's Life and Fate. Its not a comfortable read by any means. If you've never heard of him you should check him out. Historical side note, he was the first reporter to visit and write an article about Auschwitz. Another older but still brilliant book is Georgio Bassini's The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks for the recommendations! My Dad was a big fan of the Horatio Hornblower series.

[@edwardmeade]

@@RaspberryReads Obviously a man of taste and erudition. 👍

[@oaktreeman4369]

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis is excellent. The 1970 movie by Vittorio De Sica is pretty good too.

[@judithleblanc8186]

My favourites include Sunne in Splendour by Sharon K Pennman, and The Conqueror series by Conn Iggulden for a refreshing perspective on Genghis Khan

[@RaspberryReads]

Oh, I remember my Dad and Brother reading the Genghis Khan series and enjoying it immensely!

[@barbarak2836]

@@RaspberryReads Sunne in Splendour is wonderful!

[@parkerbrown-nesbit1747]

Any of Sharon Kay Penman's bookks are marvelous. Her research was impeccable, and every detail was accurate. (I was gutted by her death)

[@loripeterson495]

I love historical fiction if the settings are authentic and the fabric of the plot is accurate, other than personalized rhetoric and supposed feelings.

[@Tristan-L-Space-Books]

I'll always be the biggest supporter of Sarah Winman's work. Tin Man is also a great book. While it's quintessentially Winman, meaning it has beautiful writing and deals with the intersection of life and art, it's significantly more somber. It's still warm and tender though!

[@RaspberryReads]

I will need to read Tin Man!

[@Uncommon_Reader]

Hi Katherine, what a great idea/video. Since, like you, I am a sucker for historic novels, I was checking with my library each title you mentioned. I should read Still Life since it's set in Italy.. but my library only have an eBook version (and I don't like to read eBooks at all) so I will probably get this book next time I visit USA. I watched the Netflix movie of 'All the light...' and loved it...

[@williamgwynne]

Thank you so much for sharing these recommendations. I'm particularly looking forward to picking up All the Light We Cannot See and The Underground Railroad.

[@Deelynn-woohoo]

I think one of the best books I've read, in the top 5 at least, is Green Darkness. So good. I'm ready to read it again. Just excellent historical novel.

[@janfranklin2114]

Historical fiction is easily my favorite genre. I would suggest anything by Paulette Jiles. Her research is impressive and I love how her characters pop up in all her books. The Mermaid And Mrs Hancock by Imogene Hermies Gower is technically fantasy, but there is so much interesting history I could put this into the historical fiction category. This is her debut novel, and I enjoyed her style of writing so much I can’t wait for her next book. This goes in to my top ten books.

[@RaspberryReads]

Fantastic! I'll check out Paulette Jiles 😊

[@YvesFey]

Some of my favorites are Robert Penn Warren's All The King's Men, Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, and Mary Renault's The Last of the Wine.

[@RaspberryReads]

Oh, I haven't read those, but I'll check them out!

[@kaygreig656]

Whole Hearted ❤ endorsement for both of Dorothy Dunnett’s series. In school we were taught history that was totally focused on “our” country. Any other country was studied only as it was impacted by us. These books were a revelation to me in that they intertwined the independent histories of multiple countries. Not a simple or cozy read but they are fully immersive.

[@douglashogg42]

Dorothy Dunnett is my favourite historical novelist. The Lymond Chronicles, the Niccolo series and King Hereafter are all brilliant. They deserve to be a far better kown

[@RaspberryReads]

@douglashogg42 I can't believe I had never heard of Dorothy Dunnett before now. Added to the TBR!

[@awebofstories]

Great recommendations! A couple of these are new to me, so I'll be checking them out!

[@David-ue6gk]

I think you are clever to use three descriptor words instead of dancing around the plot to avoid spoilers. The descriptor words really helps give me a feeling for the book. Thank you also for not editing out your pauses, or if you inhale and take a breath, as other booktubers do. It's more natural, it's less rushed.And I can think better about what you're saying.

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks! I try to approach my videos as just chatting with friends.

[@oaktreeman4369]

May I recommend By Night Under the Stone Bridge by Czech émigré writer Leo Perutz. It's a magical realist historical novel. Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II falls in love with the beautiful wife of the Jewish moneylender, to whom he owes quite a lot of money. With the help of The Great Rabbi, who has occult powers, they are able to meet up in dreams. Pretty wild stuff, beautifully done.

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks for your recommendation!

[@stacyarmstrong8275]

I liked All the Light We Cannot See but DNF'd the Underground Railroad. Just couldn't get into it for some reason. My favorite book of all time is the Pillars of the Earth- about the building of a cathedral in Middle Ages.

[@angelaroberts-757]

Great video. I will definitely check out House of Dreams. I don't know if your interested but I just read Boudica Dreaming the eagle by Manda Scott. It is an excellent read.

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@ellenmadebookclub]

I love this idea for a series, this was great. I feel so behind after not reading for so many years, so videos like this are great for me to sort of help me prioritize 😊 get a sense of what’s worth my time, I guess. And I really like how you gave each book three words, thats very helpful. I recently found Americanah second hand and I have Half of a yellow sun on my wishlist. Other than that I think these are all new to me, but they all sound great. And that card that your father had saved. Thank you for sharing that. I don’t know if I’ve said it already, but regardless, I’m sorry for your loss. On another note, I laughed out loud at your existential crisis and watched it again like three times. I can relate! As for my favorites, I haven’t read that many recently enough for me to remember, but The Burnings also gave me that sickening feeling of knowing things actually happened. I happened upon a picture of one of the devices mentioned and used in the book, and another one that they mercifully did not mention, but now they both haunt me. As awful as it is, it also gives strength in a way, to read about what other people and/or women have gone through. Puts things into perspective.

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks for your lovely comment! I remember you mentioning The Burnings in one of your videos, and it is definitely a book I'd like to get to soon.

[@ellenmadebookclub]

@@RaspberryReads I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on it :) And there's a historical fiction event in June, so you could participate in that if you want :) (Also, I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself, my mind is a bit all over the place at the moment so I feel like I can't keep track of anything... but I would hate to come across like I don't pay attention to previous conversations, as if I don't care. Because I do, it's just life recently. Maybe you don't notice or care 😂 and that would be fine! It's just something I'm self-conscious of and I really appreciate the connections with people like you on here.)

[@RaspberryReads]

@ellenmadebookclub oh super! I have lots of historical fiction I want to get to soon. And don't worry at all about comments - I enjoy messaging with you! 🙂

[@ellenmadebookclub]

@@RaspberryReads Ok good ^^ Thanks! The event is hosted by Shellyish, if you want to check out her annonuncement video! 😊

[@ellenmadebookclub]

@@RaspberryReads Wow this video really took off! Congrats and well done! 😄👏

[@tiinatar9682]

If you haven’t already read it, may I recommend The Egyptian by Mika Waltari. Originally published in Finnish in 1945 it is not only one of my favorite historical fiction books, but one of my all time favorite books in general.

[@RaspberryReads]

Nice! Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check it out!

[@robinschuett3383]

I love historical fiction ❤

[@laurawoodford1225]

Thanks I’ve listened to several you tubers books recs. And yours is best in style and choices so far. I got stuck in medieval stories of Celtic or English with my BBB other fav time period is WW2. All the Light … was excellent !

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks!

[@audreyapproved]

Americanah is definitely Adichie's most famous read, but Half of my Yellow Sun is by far my favorite!

[@RaspberryReads]

I still need to read Americanah!

[@jansullivan5222]

My favorite Adichie is Purple Hibiscus it was very poignant and thought provoking

[@deirdre108]

A couple more you might read: "The Year of the French by Thomas Flanagan". This novel received praise for not only being the best historical fiction of the year (1979) but also for being among the finest literary fiction works of the year. For me, this was the greatest historical fiction novel that has been written. "The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara. Pretty much the same amount of praise, awards and accolades that accompanied the first one on my list. The movie "Gettysburg" was based on this book and follows it quite accurately.

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks! I'll check these out.

[@MargaretPinard]

Year of the French has been on my shelf for so loooong! I want to read it but on my first attempt I was totally lost in the lingo used! 😭but that moment in history sounds so interesting! Writing about the aftermath now...

[@deirdre108]

@@MargaretPinardYou’re writing a novel of the years following TYotF? Does it take place in Ireland? I thought that the book had some of the most beautiful descriptive writing -especially in the passages where the author describes the traditional music of the area. It’s a book definitely worth a deep reading.

[@MargaretPinard]

@@deirdre108 the next generation, as they rebuild lives as emigrants in glasgow, is the first installment 😍 and i'm just waiting for the right moment to pick up again, or the right buddy reader! ☺

[@andyworkman8699]

I just reread The Killer Angels in February. I can't recommend that book enough. I just want to hug Longstreet.

[@NicolesBookishNook]

Great picks! ❤

[@almatoledo1608]

Fernando del Paso, "Noticias del Imperio" (Empress Marie Charlotte).

[@BandysBooks]

Fantastic recommendations! Like you, I love historical fiction and literary fiction. (LMK if you ever want to buddy read something) All The Light We Cannot See is one of my favorites. It’s just so well-written. Colson Whitehead is another fantastic author. Half Of A Yellow Sun has been added to the TBR.

[@RaspberryReads]

I would love to do a buddy read! Maybe we could do a literary fiction July pick?

[@BandysBooks]

@@RaspberryReads I would love that. Not sure what works best for you to chat, but my email, link to my IG, and my discord are in my video description. Let’s plan what book you read and how we want to work out the discussion. :)

[@RaspberryReads]

@@BandysBooks have sent you a DM on insta 🙂

[@Edidin]

If you like books set in ancient Egypt, I would recommend "Pharaoh" by Bolesław Prus. Two volumes, politics, betrayal, coming of age, social commentary. It's got all. :)

[@RaspberryReads]

Amazing, thank you!

[@MargaretPinard]

Wow, I wonder why this video blew up?! Love historical fiction and welcome to booktube--the histfic folks are quiet but mighty???

[@RaspberryReads]

I keep wondering the same thing, Margaret! 😅

[@BergenholtzChannel]

My first time here and I have subscribed.

[@RaspberryReads]

Thanks for joining!

[@jamielynne-magney2574]

I would love recommendations on a timeline

[@RaspberryReads]

Do you mean like a historical timeline? Starting with ancient recommendations and going forward?

[@carlabamford9154]

I was teaching Freshman English Lit when All the Light We Cannot See came out. I read it myself and loved it. But then someone in my department decided that all the freshmen should read it-of course it was a disaster because it was so “cerebral” as you pointed out. We successfully cured 80% of the freshmen from any reading habit they might have had. Historical fiction works best with people who are at least slightly interested in history and know in what century WWII happened.

[@RaspberryReads]

It is quite a complex book to tackle as a freshman!

[@carlabamford9154]

@@RaspberryReads I don’t think any of them caught on to the two story lines-they were just confused beginning to end. They loved Ender’s Game though 😂

[@biffstrong1079]

I really liked Rober Harris's Cicero trilogy and Colleen McCullough's fall of the roman republic books grass crown and stalking horse etc. Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall War and Peace Name of the Rose Umberto Eco Shogun One Hundred Years of Solitude I enjoy a lot of military historical fiction so the Sharpe's Rifles books that deal mostly with the peninsular war appeal to me. Horatio Hornblower as well. Pauline Gedge wrote some great books about ancient Egyptians. Wilbur Smith does the same kind of thing . Lords of the two lands Books? Eagle and the Raven was required reading in junior high in Canada. The Three Musketeers I liked Slaughter House Five and Up the Line which are science fiction stories that have historical elements because they are time travel books and they deal with history that Shakespeare hasn't already done to death. That said I love Julius Caesar and Anthony and Cleopatra. I enjoy Lindsay Davis's Falco, roman detective novels set during the reign of my favourite roman emperor Vespasian.

[@RaspberryReads]

Lots of great books! I'm a huge fan of Pauline Gedge

[@tarajones-legros3661]

Mila 28 - Leon Uris

[@americanbrunch3611]

What is your opinion on The Seven Dreams series by William T. Vollmann?

[@RaspberryReads]

@americanbrunch3611 oh, I haven't read that! I tend to read stand alone instead of series. Is it good?

[@americanbrunch3611]

@@RaspberryReads very good! It explores how Europeans came to North America and began to settle while sharing perspectives from both the European and Native American sides. Argall, my favorite of the series, is written in the Old English style while flipping back to a contemporary prose to give reflections of what modern day locations within the novel look and feel like. It’s about the story of John Rolfe and Pocahontas and how the two factions struggled to find peace amidst violence. Great read and if you do a bit of research on Vollmann the author and person, you’ll see that it comes from a unique mind. He also gives his full bibliography of sources used to write it. Definitely recommend!

[@psikeyhackr6914]

What about history colliding with science fiction? *1632* and *1636: Kremlin Games* by Eric Flint

[@RaspberryReads]

Great suggestions!

[@books_and_bocadillos]

My most recent 5 star HF read was The Women by Kristin Hannah.

[@RaspberryReads]

Oh, that is on my 2024 TBR. I can't believe I've not read any Kristin Hannah yet! 😱