The best historical fiction takes you back in time to learn about locations, events, and ways of life you may not know about. The stories also introduce you to memorable characters who represent both the good and the bad sides of society during a given time period.

The historical fiction genre is one of my favorites, perhaps because the novels are a good reminder of where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. Or maybe I like them for the nostalgia.

If you also enjoy a good historical fiction book, perhaps your next favorite novel is on this list. I’ve only included books that received at least a 4.2-star rating from Amazon customers, but most of them are rated much higher.

I hope you enjoy perusing this list of top historical fiction books as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Let’s get started.

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1. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

The Pillars of the Earth is Ken Follett’s epic historical fiction novel set in medieval England. Prior Philip, a monk with perseverance and a vision, wants to build the world’s most glorious, Gothic cathedral. He enlists Tom Builder, a stone mason, to make his vision a reality. Building a magnificent cathedral is a complex undertaking made even more complicated by politics and power struggles. Pillars of the Earth spans multiple decades, introduces characters who also have a stake in the cathedral, and immerses readers into life in the middle ages.

2. West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

One of my favorite historical fiction books! West with Giraffes is a wonderful novel based on the true story of the cross-country road trip America’s first giraffes took in 1938. It’s also a coming of age story that demonstrates the positive influence caring friends and gentle animals can have on a young man’s life.

Check out my review of West with Giraffes.

3. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

It’s 1945, and Barcelona is still recovering from the war, while young Daniel, a bookseller’s son, mourns the loss of his mother. He finds consolation in a book called The Shadow of the Wind written by a little-known author named Julián Carax. When Daniel tries to find out more about the author and his books, he is followed by a shadowy figure and discovers that someone has been systematically destroying Carax’s books. In addition to providing mystery and suspense, The Shadow of the Wind is a tribute to literature and the impact it has on humanity.

4. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Other Boleyn Girl imagines the life of Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn and eventual sister-in-law of Henry VIII. Mary arrived in the court of Henry VIII when she was only fourteen. She was soon caught up in the opulence of the court and a mutual attraction with the king. However, political machinations by her own family pit the two sisters against each other. Will Mary escape the situation unscathed?

5. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

A classic and Pulitzer Prize winner. At a very simplistic level, Lonesome Dove is the story of four former, ageing Texas Rangers who undergo a cattle drive from southern Texas to unsettled Montana in the latter half of the 1800s. But this top-rated historical fiction is more complex than that. Inspired by Dante’s Inferno, author Larry McMurtry weaves a tale filled with flawed characters, violence, and betrayal set in the American frontier.

Read my review of Lonesome Dove to find out more.

6. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Red Tent reimagines the biblical story of Dinah, who was the daughter of Jacob and appears in the book of Genesis. She was abducted and raped by a Hivite prince, and eventually rescued by her brothers. The Red Tent explores the lives of women in ancient times, focusing on their experiences, relationships, and rituals within the red tent—a place where women gathered during menstruation and childbirth. If you like your historical fiction biblical, The Red Tent might be for you.

7. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Set in South Carolina in the early 1800s, The Invention of Wings follows the lives of Sarah, daughter of a slave owner, and “Handful”, the young slave girl who’s given to Sarah to be her handmaid. Sarah believes she is meant to do something meaningful in the world, while Handful yearns for a life outside of slavery. Without their courage and persistence, both girls’ dreams would be impossible to realize in that place and time. Inspired by abolitionist Sarah Grimke, The Invention of Wings chronicles the intertwined lives of Sarah and Handful for over three decades.

8. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Such superb writing, and easily made this list of highly rated historical fiction books! Rules of Civility is a beautifully written novel set in post-depression New York City. It tells the story of Kate, a wise and well-read working girl, who suddenly finds herself maneuvering through the sparkling upper echelons of high society. This is a coming-of-age tale for people in their twenties, as it explores aspirations, relationships and finding a place in life that makes you mentally and morally ok with yourself.

Read my Rules of Civility book review to learn more.

9. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

During the Great Depression, jobs were hard to come by, especially for a veterinary student just shy of earning his degree. When Jacob Janowski finds himself on the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth’s dilapidated train, he thinks his luck has changed. He’s charged with taking care of the circus animals and soon becomes part of a group that includes a beautiful equestrian star, her brutal animal trainer husband, and an untrainable elephant named Rosie.

10. The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh

The Glass Palace begins in colonial Burma in the late 1800s, but spans decades and generations. Author Amitav Ghosh tells the story of Rajkumar, a poor orphan who achieves wealth in the teak business, and Dolly, the love of his life who is cast out of the royal court when rebels take over the Glass Palace. With a backdrop of political upheaval and social change, The Glass Palace is a rich, memorable tale told by a gifted storyteller.

11. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land is an epic tale of four orphans who canoe along the Gilead, Minnesota, and Mississippi Rivers, escaping from a dark, abusive place and searching for a home in depression-era America. The author explores the human condition through a series of harrowing, unique, and very interesting situations.

Read my review to find out why This Tender Land made this historical fiction book list.

12. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

The Giver of Stars is set in Kentucky during the Great Depression and is based on a program established by Eleanor Roosevelt that brought books to underserved rural communities. The story focuses on five women who are part of a traveling library that served small towns across the state, sometimes traveling on horseback through treacherous mountain regions. These librarians are all strong, independent women. From Amazon: “What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion.” This historical fiction book is going on my reading list!

13. Atonement by Ian McEwan

Atonement centers on a British upper-class family in the days leading up to World War II and continuing through its tragic aftermath. Thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses something she doesn’t completely understand – a flirtation between her older sister and a servant’s son. Her interpretation of the incident leads to an inaccurate accusation and a terrible crime that has long-term repercussions and changes all their lives.

14. News of the World by Paulette Jiles

News of the World is a well spun tale that takes place in Texas in the 1870s. It’s the story of Captain Jefferson Kidd, who is hired to return 10-year-old Johanna to her relatives upon her liberation from the Kiowa. Johanna has lived with the Kiowa people for four years and has completely adopted their ways and their language, creating several challenges for CPT Kidd as he tries to safely escort her several hundred miles across the still very wild Texas countryside.

Check out my review of News of the World.

15. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

The Bronze Horseman tells the story of a seemingly impossible love story set against the harsh backdrop of World War II. Life seems hopeful and simple to Tatiana and her sister, but then they’re caught up in the brutal siege of Leningrad. Despite starvation and terrible conditions, Tatiana soon finds herself swept up in a romance with a Russian soldier named Alexander. But Alexander is harboring a secret that might rip the two apart.

16. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

The next entry on this historical fiction list takes us to 18th century Japan and focuses on the life of Jacob de Zoet, an employee of the Dutch East India Company. Jacob is assigned to work on a tiny island in Nagasaki Harbor, a corrupt virtual prison. He knows that if he sticks to his clerical job for five years, he’ll earn enough money to become engaged to his sweetheart back in Holland. However, a chance encounter with a midwife throws a wrench into Jacob’s plans and he finds himself making and then breaking a promise, an act that has far-reaching consequences.

17. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Cutting for Stone is an elegantly written novel that is both a family epic and a tribute to the art of medicine and surgery. The novel follows Marion and Shiva – virtually orphaned twin brothers – as they grow up in unstable Ethiopia and follow different paths to practice medicine. This book has all the characteristics of the best historical fiction novels – compelling characters, remarkable settings, and an engaging story.

Read my review of Cutting for Stone to learn why it made my list of must-read historical fiction books.

18. The Alienist by Caleb Carr

The Alienist is riveting historical suspense fiction set in New York in the late 1800s, a time when the concept of “serial killer” was just emerging. Newspaper reporter John Schuyler Moore and psychologist (aka “alienist”) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler team up to find a killer, using the novel approach of developing a psychological profile of the murderer. Before they can find him, he strikes again, and New York City has a serial killer on its hands. Praised for its immersive setting, The Alienist will appeal to mystery lovers who love period pieces.

19. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

In The Winter Sea, author Carrie McClelland is in Scotland to research the 1709 Jacobite uprising for her next novel. Her research reveals that one of her ancestors was a witness to the event, and then she finds herself writing as if she had been there herself. While channeling her ancestor’s memories, she uncovers a secret about the uprising that simply must be told.

20. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

I Must Betray You is a gripping, historical young adult novel about a teenage boy’s struggle for freedom in the final days of Romania’s oppressive communist regime. It shines a bright light on a topic that isn’t well-known to young people, and I highly recommend it as an account of what true oppression looks like.

Want to know more? Check out my review of I Must Betray You.

21. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

After fighting for four years during World War I, Tom Sherbourne takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island. He and his wife want to start a family, but are instead devastated by two miscarriages and a stillborn birth. When they discover a boat has washed ashore with a dead man and a living baby, Tom wants to report it but his wife convinces him to raise the baby as their own, a decision that has devastating consequences for someone they have yet to meet.

22. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

The House at Riverton shifts between the present and the past, a structure author Kate Morton is very adept at handling. Grace Bradley is living out her days in a nursing home when she’s approach by a woman who wants to write a story about a tragic event that took place in the house where Grace was employed as a maid. When Grace revisits the scene, she relives the memories of those times and the secrets surrounding the death of a young poet. The House at Riverton immerses you in a time when the English aristocracy was fading and should appeal to historical novel fans who like stories with plenty of secrets.

23. The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate

The Book of Lost Friends is a beautifully told story that follows Hannie Gossett, a former slave, as she tries to find her family after the Civil War, and Benny Silva, an idealistic high school teacher, who tries to inspire her students at a poor, rural southern school in the late 1980s. The two story lines eventually converge in a powerful lesson about family, perseverance, and coming to terms with history by looking at it straight on.

Check out my The Book of Lost Friends book review.

24. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

The Name of the Rose is Umberto Eco’s well-known historical mystery novel set in a 14th century Italian monastery. Brother William of Baskerville is sent to the medieval monastery to investigate accusations of heresy, but that is not the worst thing happening there – the monastery is also plagued by a series of murders. The good brother, along with his apprentice, sets out to solve the murders using knowledge he has gained from thinkers such as Galileo and Thomas Aquinas. The killer doesn’t stand a chance!

25. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

If you enjoy historical fiction about ancient times, this might be the novel for you. Gates of Fire is an epic tale of the battle of Thermopylae, which took place in 480 BC. The battle is known for the courage and ferocity of the few hundred Spartans that held off thousands of Persian soldiers at a mountain pass, allowing the Greek army to regroup and prevail. Ultimately, the Spartans were overcome, and the one survivor, imprisoned by the Persians, recounts how the Spartans became such a fierce fighting force.

26. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

From one of my favorite authors! In Cloud Cuckoo Land, author Anthony Doerr weaves a complex and inventive tale about the enduring impact a good story can have throughout the centuries. Strong themes of resilience, hope, and compassion make this novel enjoyable and memorable.

Check out my review of Cloud Cuckoo Land.

27. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

The next entry on this book list is historical fiction based on real events. The Last Kingdom tells the story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, a time when the land was at risk of being completely conquered by Danish Vikings. The story is told from the perspective of Uhtred, who was kidnapped from his noble English family when he was a child. Raised by Vikings, he may just identify more with the Northmen than the English, and is surprised when England’s last stronghold defeats the pagan invaders. One reviewer described The Last Kingdom as, “like Game of Thrones, but real.”

28. All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

In All the Pretty Horses, sixteen-year-old John Grady Cole heads to Mexico in search of adventure. Grady and his two traveling companions experience a journey that is by turns idyllic, humorous, and dangerous. The writing is superb and author Cormac McCarthy immerses readers into the southwest and a cowboy way of life that no longer exists.

29. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Rounding out this list of historical fiction books is Kindred. First published in 1979, Kindred is a novel that has aged well, still feeling fresh and current. It’s both a time travelling novel and a slave narrative, as well as being a bona fide page turner. The story is told by Dana, a black woman living in the Twentieth Century who is repeatedly transported back in time to the antebellum south where she is forced to live as a slave. The journeys into the past become increasingly perilous and will have you on the edge of your seat.

Read my review of Kindred to learn why it made my list.

Putting these book lists together is always fun but also reminds me of how much reading I still want to do. Did I add anything to your reading list?

For another list of highly rated historical fiction books, check out 29 Top-rated World War II Novels for Fans of Historical Fiction.