Historical Fiction

Try these books if you're looking for:

• Historical fiction
• Emphasis on characters and relationships

The Ladies Auxiliary
By Tova Mirvis
F MIRVIS
The novel follows the uneasy movement of Batsheva--a newly widowed convert to the Jewish faith--as she and her five-year-old daughter, Ayala, unwittingly stir up trouble in the community.

The Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver
F KINGSOLV
The family of a fierce evangelical Baptist missionary--Nathan Price, his wife, and his four daughters--begins to unravel after they embark on a 1959 mission to the Belgian Congo, where they find their lives transformed over the course of three decades.

The Pillars of the Earth
By Ken Follett
F FOLLETT
A prior, a master builder, and their community try to build a cathedral to protect themselves while Stephen and the Empress Maud fight for the crown of England.

The Constant Princess
By Phillipa Gregory
F GREGORY
A richly detailed fictional portrait of Henry VIII's first wife, Katherine of Aragon, the daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, follows her from her passionate youthful marriage to Henry's older brother, Arthur, her widowhood, her marriage to Henry and her denial of her true love for Arthur, and the divorce that led to Henry's second marriage to Anne Boleyn.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
By Lisa See
F See
Lily, at 80, is reflecting back on her life starting with her daughter days in 19th-century rural China. Society was ruled by rigid codes of conduct, especially for women. Women were to have their feet bound, marry men through arranged marriages, and reside in upstairs women’s chambers. Their lives were isolated and their only value was in having sons. Through all of this isolation and hardship, Lily and Snow Flower are matched as laotongs, an emotional match that would last a lifetime. They use the secret women’s writing of nu shu to share their joys and heartaches on a fan that they pass back and forth over the years.

I, Elizabeth
By Rosalind Miles
F MILES
Elizabeth writes a diary near the end of her life in which she records court intrigues and the burdens of political power.

In the Shadow of the Crown
By Jean Plaidy
F PLAIDY
Writing as Jean Plaidy, Eleanor Hibbert was the most popular author of historical fiction in the 50s and 60s. She was very prolific and this is but one of dozens of her novels. Here is the story of Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon. Her path to the crown was paved with sorrow. Once in power she made examples of all who failed to embrace the Catholic Church for which she became known as “Bloody Mary”.

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace
By Kate Emerson
F EMERSON
A tale inspired by the life of a Tudor-era courtier finds Jane Popyncourt tutoring the princess daughters of Henry VIII and catching the eye of the Duke of Longueville, an association that leads the king to enlist her as a spy.

The Bastard
By John Jakes
F JAKES
The illiterate son of a French nobleman flees Europe to join in the turbulent events that began the American Revolution.