Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. When done right, it can transport us to another time and teach us about eras that are often overlooked in history books. In the historical novels listed below, the authors bring us back in time to show fascinating events and time periods that, while significant in human history, are rarely seen in other stories. Here are some of my all-time favorites of the genre.
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
We've all heard of the California Gold Rush of 1849, but this gripping novel views the time period through the unique perspective of a Chilean immigrant. Eliza Sommers follows her lover to California and, as she finds her place in a society of gold fever, single men, and prostitutes, her journey becomes one of self-discovery.
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
From 1866 to 1969, those diagnosed with leprosy in Hawaii were quarantined to leper colonies on the island of Moloka'i. This deeply moving novel follows Rachel Kalama, a 7-year-old whose life is torn away from her when a rose-colored mark appears on her skin and she is sent to Moloka'i.
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
From 1933 to 1973, the Eugenics Board of North Carolina authorized the sterilization of "mentally defective or feeble-minded" women, often without their consent or through coercion. In this heart-wrenching novel, a new social worker is forced to make this painful decision for her clients, while a young tenant on a tobacco farm tries to hold her splintering family together.
Small Island by Andrea Levy
A stunning portrait of life in 1948 London told from the point of view of two Jamaican immigrants, their white landlady, and her husband, who has just returned from combat. Small Island is an immigrant story that shows race relations in mid-century London as it rebuilds from war.
Empress by Shan Sa
The spellbinding story of one of China's most controversial historical figures: the first and only female Emperor of China. Empress Wu emerged in the seventh century during the Tang dynasty and ushered in a golden age in China, rising from obscurity in the Forbidden City to her place of high power.
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Set in Kenya in the 1920s, this captivating novel illustrates the life of Beryl Markham, a record-setting aviator who becomes caught in a passionate love triangle with safari hunter Denys Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen, who wrote the classic memoir Out of Africa under the pen name Isak Dinesen.
Barkskins by Annie Proulx
Barkskins sweeps readers around the globe from America to Europe to New Zealand in an epic story about the decimation of the world's forests. Told from the perspective of two wood-cutters and their descendants over the course of 300 years, the characters face incredible challenges, including the revenge of rivals, accidents, pestilence, Indian attacks, and cultural annihilation.
See the full list at Off the Shelf, a daily blog that connects great readers with great books.
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