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Best Historical Fiction

The best historical fiction books as voted on by Goodreads readers and then some. Historical fiction are novels that re-create a period or event in history and often use historical figures as some of its characters. To be deemed historical, a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described. Series have been combined.
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Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
Memoirs of a Geisha
1
Arthur Golden
Gone With the Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
Gone With the Wind
2
Margaret Mitchell
The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
The Pillars of the Earth
3
Ken Follett
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief
4
Markus Zusak
The Other Boelyn Girl
The Other Boelyn Girl
5
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
The Red Tent
6
Anita Diamant
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
A Tale of Two Cities
7
Charles Dickens
Girl With a Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier)
Girl With a Pearl Earring
8
Tracy Chevalier
The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
The Good Earth
9
Pearl S. Buck
Shogun (James Clavell)
Shogun
10
James Clavell
The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova)
The Historian
11
Elizabeth Kostova
The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
The Thorn Birds
12
Colleen McCullough
The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean Auel)
The Clan of the Cave Bear
13
Jean Auel
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
14
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
15
Lisa See
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)
The Name of the Rose
16
Umberto Eco
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
Outlander
17
Diana Gabaldon
The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
The Scarlet Letter
18
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry)
Lonesome Dove
19
Larry McMurtry
The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafón)
The Shadow of the Wind
20
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Color Purple (Alice Walker)
The Color Purple
21
Alice Walker
Roots (Alex Haley)
Roots
22
Alex Haley
Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier)
Cold Mountain
23
Charles Frazier
War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy)
War and Peace
24
Leo Tolstoy
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
25
Mary Ann Shaffer
Year of Wonders
Year of Wonders
26
I, Claudius (Robert Graves)
I, Claudius
27
Robert Graves
The Three Musketeers (Alexandre Dumas)
The Three Musketeers
28
Alexandre Dumas
East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
East of Eden
29
John Steinbeck
The Killer Angels (Michael Shaara)
The Killer Angels
30
Michael Shaara
The Crucible (Arthur Miller)
The Crucible
31
Arthur Miller
The Alienist (Caleb Carr)
The Alienist
32
Caleb Carr
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
33
Ian McEwan
Katherine (Anya Seton)
Katherine
34
Anya Seton
Sarah's Key (Tatiana De Rosnay)
Sarah's Key
35
Tatiana De Rosnay
Like Water for Chocolate (Laura Esquivel)
Like Water for Chocolate
36
Laura Esquivel
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
37
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Doctor Zhivago (Boris Pasternak)
Doctor Zhivago
38
Boris Pasternak
The English Patient
The English Patient
39
Exodus (Leon Uris)
Exodus
40
Leon Uris
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