9 of My Favorite Historical Novels
Nothing makes me happier than a book list, partially because I love lists and partially because I love the debate that inevitably arises. What? How could you leave this off the list?
Lists are highly subjective, so here’s the deal. Here are six of my favorite historical women’s fiction books (in no particular order) and why. After you’re done reading this list, let me know what you think, which of your favorites I left off, and what I should read next!
1. The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy
Before you ask, no. This is not the book that the Will Smith movie is based on.
I have a well-documented love of coming of age books set in New York between 1920 and 1960. There’s just something so universal about the experience of struggling and finding yourself in New York, which just so happens to be where I spent almost all of my twenties.
This book follows Sarah Smythe throughout many stages of her life. She struggles. She’s triumphant. And like any former New Yorker, she makes me wish I could have bought property in Manhattan in the ‘50s.
2. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
I’ve loved all of the Rosamunde Pilcher books I’ve read, but this is the book that got me started as a historical women’s fiction author. The Shell Seekers is an epic, incredibly detailed book about a woman’s journey from her girlhood before World War II, through the war, and throughout the rest of her life. It is quintessential Pilcher from the beautiful descriptions of gardens to sharp but kind readings of some of the more difficult characters in story.
3. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale is both beautiful and tragic. It tells the story of two sisters in France during World War II. One is a member of the French Resistance, the other is just trying to create some level of normalcy for her young daughter after Nazi soldiers take over her town and an officer moves into her home. Both are tested, forced to make terrible decisions with tragic consequences.
I love this book because it takes the dual timeline model that is so familiar us historical women’s fiction readers and turns it on its head just enough. Rather than being split between the past and present, this book takes place in World War I and just after World War II, and weaves espionage, danger, mystery, and heartbreak into one breathtaking book.
5. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
The second New York City coming of age story on this list, this book knocked me back when I read it. It’s beautiful and one of those books that surprises me in how well a male author captured the feeling of being in your early twenties and living in New York. (Even this cover of a woman laying out on a rooftop with the skyscrapers around her is something I did when I was living on the Upper East Side.) The book is set in the 1930s and follows the ways that several friends’ lives intersect through tragedy, temptation, and decadence.
6. The Lake House by Kate Morton
This book appearing on the list will surprise no one who listens to the book recommendation podcast I record with my sister Justine, You’re Never Going to Read This. This was one of my first recommendations on the show because I love Kate Morton’s ability to weave intricate mysteries across multiple timelines. This one spans the World War I until present day, and is a wonderful way to be swept up for a few long afternoons of reading.
I love it when a book delves into an area of history I don’t know as much about, and I definitely found that with this gem of a book about the role that the winemakers of Champagne played in the French resistance during WWII. Kristin Harmel is a talented author who weaves suspense throughout stories that deal with complicated characters who must make seemingly impossible decisions.
8. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
I love a good Gothic novel, especially during the autumn months when the chilly air makes for a perfect excuse to bundle up with a book. This eerie post-war novel follows a self-made doctor who becomes obsessed with the manor house where his mother was once a maid. Full of twists and turns and things that go bump in the night, this is the perfect read if you’re looking for a spooky book.
9. Sweet Caress by William Boyd
William Boyd is one of my favorite novelists currently writing, and there is little I love more than one of his historical novels. Sweet Caress follows the life of a Amory, who will leave boarding school to become a photographer in interwar London. This book has all of the elements I love most from Boyd’s historical novels: sweeping scope that follows the life of the protagonist, complicated relationships, meticulous research, and lush prose.