Best Literary Historical Fiction

1.
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1)
Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, #1) 3.91 avg rating β€” 227,546 ratings
2.
Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha 4.16 avg rating β€” 2,082,657 ratings
3.
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose 4.14 avg rating β€” 387,289 ratings
4.
All the Light We Cannot See
All the Light We Cannot See 4.31 avg rating β€” 1,904,816 ratings
5.
The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1) 4.35 avg rating β€” 809,519 ratings
6.
War and Peace
War and Peace 4.17 avg rating β€” 357,006 ratings
7.
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1)
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) 3.97 avg rating β€” 476,997 ratings
8.
The Historian
The Historian 3.80 avg rating β€” 273,590 ratings
9.
Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain 3.89 avg rating β€” 248,122 ratings
10.
The Sunne in Splendour
The Sunne in Splendour 4.41 avg rating β€” 22,485 ratings
11.
Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2)
Bring Up the Bodies (Thomas Cromwell, #2) 4.30 avg rating β€” 102,613 ratings
12.
People of the Book
People of the Book 4.04 avg rating β€” 153,740 ratings
13.
The Red Tent
The Red Tent 4.20 avg rating β€” 624,020 ratings
14.
The Alienist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, #1)
The Alienist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, #1) 4.06 avg rating β€” 179,483 ratings
15.
Here Be Dragons (Welsh Princes, #1)
Here Be Dragons (Welsh Princes, #1) 4.29 avg rating β€” 24,741 ratings
16.
The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1)
The Crystal Cave (Arthurian Saga, #1) 4.13 avg rating β€” 47,937 ratings
17.
Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1)
Shōgun (Asian Saga, #1) 4.41 avg rating β€” 206,499 ratings
18.
I, Claudius (Claudius, #1)
I, Claudius (Claudius, #1) 4.24 avg rating β€” 71,609 ratings
19.
The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Agony and the Ecstasy 4.09 avg rating β€” 93,734 ratings
20.
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind 4.31 avg rating β€” 1,258,056 ratings
21.
The Thorn Birds
The Thorn Birds 4.25 avg rating β€” 361,081 ratings
22.
The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1)
The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) 4.01 avg rating β€” 257,780 ratings
23.
Year of Wonders
Year of Wonders 4.01 avg rating β€” 171,894 ratings
24.
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet 4.03 avg rating β€” 66,782 ratings
25.
Alias Grace
Alias Grace 4.04 avg rating β€” 153,270 ratings
26.
Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1)
Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1) 4.06 avg rating β€” 60,130 ratings
27.
The Shadow of the Wind
The Shadow of the Wind 4.30 avg rating β€” 696,775 ratings
28.
Life After Life (Todd Family, #1)
Life After Life (Todd Family, #1) 3.78 avg rating β€” 237,995 ratings
29.
The Nightingale
The Nightingale 4.64 avg rating β€” 1,895,207 ratings
30.
Flow Down Like Silver
Flow Down Like Silver 4.01 avg rating β€” 4,508 ratings
31.
The English Patient
The English Patient 3.86 avg rating β€” 137,389 ratings
32.
Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake, #5)
Heartstone (Matthew Shardlake, #5) 4.36 avg rating β€” 22,228 ratings
33.
The Light Between Oceans
The Light Between Oceans 4.04 avg rating β€” 473,479 ratings
34.
The Crimson Petal and the White
The Crimson Petal and the White 3.89 avg rating β€” 44,669 ratings
35.
Remarkable Creatures
Remarkable Creatures 3.89 avg rating β€” 54,491 ratings
36.
Lamentation (Matthew Shardlake, #6)
Lamentation (Matthew Shardlake, #6) 4.43 avg rating β€” 19,161 ratings
37.
Sovereign (Matthew Shardlake, #3)
Sovereign (Matthew Shardlake, #3) 4.26 avg rating β€” 32,090 ratings
38.
An Instance of the Fingerpost
An Instance of the Fingerpost 3.94 avg rating β€” 26,661 ratings
39.
A Gentleman in Moscow
A Gentleman in Moscow 4.32 avg rating β€” 637,008 ratings
40.
Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, #1)
Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, #1) 3.93 avg rating β€” 40,604 ratings
41.
All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front 4.10 avg rating β€” 505,086 ratings
42.
March
March 3.81 avg rating β€” 76,171 ratings
43.
The Kitchen House
The Kitchen House 4.23 avg rating β€” 295,500 ratings
44.
The Sandcastle Girls
The Sandcastle Girls 3.89 avg rating β€” 42,269 ratings
45.
Revelation (Matthew Shardlake, #4)
Revelation (Matthew Shardlake, #4) 4.37 avg rating β€” 26,669 ratings
46.
Jamaica Inn
Jamaica Inn 3.90 avg rating β€” 57,126 ratings
47.
The Blind Assassin
The Blind Assassin 3.96 avg rating β€” 161,169 ratings
48.
The Secret Magdalene
The Secret Magdalene 4.14 avg rating β€” 4,707 ratings
49.
When Christ and His Saints Slept (Plantagenets #1; Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, #1)
When Christ and His Saints Slept (Plantagenets #1; Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, #1) 4.26 avg rating β€” 17,213 ratings
50.
The Quincunx
The Quincunx 4.02 avg rating β€” 8,106 ratings
51.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Girl with a Pearl Earring 3.93 avg rating β€” 768,735 ratings
52.
World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2)
World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2) 4.32 avg rating β€” 269,025 ratings
53.
The Birth of Venus
The Birth of Venus 3.81 avg rating β€” 99,473 ratings
54.
The Prague Cemetery
The Prague Cemetery 3.51 avg rating β€” 29,536 ratings
55.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell 3.87 avg rating β€” 249,861 ratings
56.
The Memoirs of Cleopatra
The Memoirs of Cleopatra 4.19 avg rating β€” 21,337 ratings
57.
Captain Blood
Captain Blood 4.18 avg rating β€” 17,390 ratings
58.
Dominion
Dominion 3.86 avg rating β€” 13,813 ratings
58.
Circe
Circe 4.22 avg rating β€” 1,276,618 ratings
60.
The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers
The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers 4.26 avg rating β€” 28,700 ratings
61.
Dark Fire (Matthew Shardlake, #2)
Dark Fire (Matthew Shardlake, #2) 4.30 avg rating β€” 31,751 ratings
62.
Fingersmith
Fingersmith 4.02 avg rating β€” 115,241 ratings
63.
Forty-Ninth
Forty-Ninth 4.13 avg rating β€” 127 ratings
64.
The African Queen
The African Queen really liked it 4.00 avg rating β€” 9,132 ratings
65.
The Known World
The Known World 3.84 avg rating β€” 44,325 ratings
66.
Oscar and Lucinda
Oscar and Lucinda 3.73 avg rating β€” 21,641 ratings
67.
Black Robe
Black Robe 3.78 avg rating β€” 1,474 ratings
68.
The Heaven Tree Trilogy: The Heaven Tree / The Green Branch / The Scarlet Seed
The Heaven Tree Trilogy: The Heaven Tree / The Green Branch / The Scarlet Seed 4.31 avg rating β€” 1,117 ratings
69.
Silence
Silence 4.09 avg rating β€” 37,725 ratings
70.
Angels and Insects
Angels and Insects 3.64 avg rating β€” 6,056 ratings
71.
The Secret River
The Secret River 3.81 avg rating β€” 24,635 ratings
72.
My Name Is Red
My Name Is Red 3.87 avg rating β€” 60,041 ratings
73.
Winter in Madrid
Winter in Madrid 3.87 avg rating β€” 18,765 ratings
74.
My Cousin Rachel
My Cousin Rachel really liked it 4.00 avg rating β€” 66,224 ratings
75.
The Book Thief
The Book Thief 4.39 avg rating β€” 2,802,449 ratings
76.
Lionheart (Plantagenets, #4; Richard the Lionheart #1)
Lionheart (Plantagenets, #4; Richard the Lionheart #1) 4.11 avg rating β€” 7,729 ratings
77.
The Siege of Krishnapur
The Siege of Krishnapur 3.93 avg rating β€” 8,354 ratings
78.
Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek 3.99 avg rating β€” 23,068 ratings
79.
Eaters of the Dead
Eaters of the Dead 3.71 avg rating β€” 45,615 ratings
80.
Possession: A Romance
Possession: A Romance 3.90 avg rating β€” 83,125 ratings
81.
Pompeii
Pompeii 3.88 avg rating β€” 51,580 ratings
82.
Raintree County
Raintree County 3.99 avg rating β€” 1,094 ratings
82.
The French Lieutenant's Woman
The French Lieutenant's Woman 3.88 avg rating β€” 54,872 ratings
84.
In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages
In a Dark Wood Wandering: A Novel of the Middle Ages 4.09 avg rating β€” 2,595 ratings
84.
Hawaii
Hawaii 4.22 avg rating β€” 80,875 ratings
86.
Mason & Dixon
Mason & Dixon 4.13 avg rating β€” 12,152 ratings
87.
The Eagle of the Ninth
The Eagle of the Ninth 3.94 avg rating β€” 11,804 ratings
88.
Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius, #2)
Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius, #2) 4.20 avg rating β€” 16,357 ratings
88.
The Persian Boy (Alexander the Great, #2)
The Persian Boy (Alexander the Great, #2) 4.18 avg rating β€” 10,899 ratings
90.
To Serve Them All My Days
To Serve Them All My Days 4.33 avg rating β€” 3,119 ratings
91.
English Passengers
English Passengers 4.07 avg rating β€” 7,475 ratings
92.
Morality Play
Morality Play 3.78 avg rating β€” 4,438 ratings
93.
Cry, the Beloved Country
Cry, the Beloved Country 3.92 avg rating β€” 78,541 ratings
94.
The Ides of March
The Ides of March 3.97 avg rating β€” 2,156 ratings
94.
Company of Liars
Company of Liars 3.86 avg rating β€” 16,325 ratings
96.
Agincourt
Agincourt 4.16 avg rating β€” 31,315 ratings
97.
The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2)
The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2) 4.31 avg rating β€” 60,124 ratings
98.
Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey
Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey 3.98 avg rating β€” 34,677 ratings
98.
To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)
To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2) 4.11 avg rating β€” 43,401 ratings
100.
The Night Watch
The Night Watch 3.71 avg rating β€” 32,762 ratings
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