The Guardian's Top 10 books about tumultuous times by Matthew Kneale

1.
English Passengers
English Passengers 4.07 avg rating — 7,474 ratings
2.
Troubles (Empire Trilogy, #1)
Troubles (Empire Trilogy, #1) 3.83 avg rating — 5,788 ratings
3.
Life and Fate
Life and Fate 4.45 avg rating — 14,758 ratings
4.
Rome: A History in Seven Sackings
Rome: A History in Seven Sackings 3.86 avg rating — 1,648 ratings
5.
Pilgrims
Pilgrims 3.80 avg rating — 854 ratings
6.
The Humiliation of Sinners: Public Penance in Thirteenth-Century France
The Humiliation of Sinners: Public Penance in Thirteenth-Century France 4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings
7.
The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England
The Ties That Bound: Peasant Families in Medieval England 4.06 avg rating — 461 ratings
8.
Five Days in London: May 1940
Five Days in London: May 1940 3.81 avg rating — 1,688 ratings
9.
Our Man in Rome: Henry VIII and His Italian Ambassador
Our Man in Rome: Henry VIII and His Italian Ambassador 3.78 avg rating — 224 ratings
10.
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini 3.98 avg rating — 3,496 ratings
11.
Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism
Benevolence and Betrayal: Five Italian Jewish Families Under Fascism 4.34 avg rating — 163 ratings
12.
The Twelve Caesars
The Twelve Caesars
by: Suetonius
4.02 avg rating — 22,150 ratings
13.
The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians 4.15 avg rating — 4,269 ratings
14.
I, Claudius (Claudius, #1)
I, Claudius (Claudius, #1) 4.25 avg rating — 71,603 ratings