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Book Riot's 50 Must-Read Historical Fiction Books

"Whittling all historical fiction books into one manageable list is impossible, truly. Instead of putting together a list of the 223,546 best historical fiction books, I opted instead for adult historical fiction showstoppers that present a wide array of time periods, places, characters, and more. We read historical fiction because we want to travel through time and space. This list, I believe, gives you the broadest view of our world's shared past."
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A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles)
A Gentleman in Moscow
1
Amor Towles
A Rising Man (Abir Mukherjee)
A Rising Man
2
Abir Mukherjee
Alias Grace (Margaret Atwood)
Alias Grace
3
Margaret Atwood
As Meat Loves Salt (Maria McCann)
As Meat Loves Salt
4
Maria McCann
Beloved (Toni Morrison)
Beloved
5
Toni Morrison
The Book of Night Women (Marlon James)
The Book of Night Women
6
Marlon James
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
The Book Thief
7
Markus Zusak
The Bourbon Thief (Tiffany Reisz)
The Bourbon Thief
8
Tiffany Reisz
The Buddha in the Attic (Julie Otsuka)
The Buddha in the Attic
9
Julie Otsuka
Doc
Doc
10
The Dovekeepers (Alice Hoffman)
The Dovekeepers
11
Alice Hoffman
The Fair Fight (Anna Freeman)
The Fair Fight
12
Anna Freeman
Fingersmith (Sarah Waters)
Fingersmith
13
Sarah Waters
Fruit of the Drunken Tree (Ingrid Rojas Contreras)
Fruit of the Drunken Tree
14
Ingrid Rojas Contreras
The Game of Kings (Dorothy Dunnett)
The Game of Kings
15
Dorothy Dunnett
The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy)
The God of Small Things
16
Arundhati Roy
The Gods of Tango (Carolina De Robertis)
The Gods of Tango
17
Carolina De Robertis
The Golem and the Jinni (Helene Wecker)
The Golem and the Jinni
18
Helene Wecker
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Homegoing
19
Yaa Gyasi
The House of the Spirits (Isabel Allende)
The House of the Spirits
20
Isabel Allende
Human Acts (Han Kang)
Human Acts
21
Han Kang
If You Leave Me (Crystal Hana Kim)
If You Leave Me
22
Crystal Hana Kim
The King Must Die (Mary Renault)
The King Must Die
23
Mary Renault
Lavinia (Ursula K. Le Guin)
Lavinia
24
Ursula K. Le Guin
The Light Between Oceans (M.L. Stedman)
The Light Between Oceans
25
M.L. Stedman
Moloka'i (Alan Brennert)
Moloka'i
26
Alan Brennert
The Moor's Account (Laila Lalami)
The Moor's Account
27
Laila Lalami
My Brilliant Friend (Elena Ferrante)
My Brilliant Friend
28
Elena Ferrante
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Eco)
The Name of the Rose
29
Umberto Eco
Nefertiti (Michelle Moran)
Nefertiti
30
Michelle Moran
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcí­A Márquez)
One Hundred Years of Solitude
31
Gabriel Garcí­A Márquez
Pachinko (Min Jin Lee)
Pachinko
32
Min Jin Lee
The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
The Pillars of the Earth
33
Ken Follett
The Queen of the Night (Alexander Chee)
The Queen of the Night
34
Alexander Chee
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
The Red Tent
35
Anita Diamant
Sacred Wilderness (Susan Power)
Sacred Wilderness
36
Susan Power
The Samurai's Garden (Gail Tsukiyama)
The Samurai's Garden
37
Gail Tsukiyama
The Signature of All Things (Elizabeth Gilbert)
The Signature of All Things
38
Elizabeth Gilbert
The Silence of the Girls (Pat Barker)
The Silence of the Girls
39
Pat Barker
The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller)
The Song of Achilles
40
Madeline Miller
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