Historical Books
From New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford comes the highly anticipated second book in the House of Falconer saga. James Lionel Falconer ...
At the age of thirty-three, Edward Deravenel, having survived harrowing years of betrayal, threats from ruthless enemies, countless lovers, and a war that ...
The number-one bestselling author delivers her most provocative, sizzling novel yet - a story of money, power, love, and betrayal that only Barbara Taylor ...
Would you hold on tighter if you knew you were saying goodbye forever? In 1959, factory girl Stella Hegarty finds herself falling unexpectedly for the ...
In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her ...
For readers of The Secrets We Kept and Jill Santopolo comes an epic love story about Greta and Henry, who by chance meet in 1982 East Berlin and find a love ...
The beloved international bestseller! Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory-a ...
Set during the heroism and heartbreak of World War I, and in an occupied France in an alternative timeline, Sarah Adlakha’s Midnight on the Marne explores ...
How far would you travel for love? Intelligent but isolated recent physics graduate Annie Fisk feels an undeniable pull toward space. Her childhood memories ...
New York in the 1920s-a time when fortunes are made and a woman’s dreams are challenged against all odds in a sweeping historical novel by the international ...
The author of the “unforgettable story of strength, love, and survival” (Jillian Cantor, USA TODAY bestselling author) The Light After the War returns with a ...
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER • #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER • USA TODAY BESTSELLER • In this Civil War love story, inspired by a real-life friendship across ...
‘I’d rather be the lowliest private on the righteous side of history, than the supreme commander on the other." It’s early 1865, and Nathan Chambers is ...
Matilda Jane Anderson drives a brand new 1917 Model T with Sweet Tilly painted on the heavy metal plate covering the radiator. Tilly doesn't care what people ...
Clara Anderson has her routine, and she likes it that way. But oil has brought change to Healdton, Oklahoma, and she doesn't like it one bit. She might not ...
In June of 1940, when Paris fell to the Nazis, Hitler spent a total of three hours in the City of Light-abruptly leaving, never to return. To this day, no ...
Description
Historical fiction is a genre that sets its stories in the past, often during significant periods of history. In these stories, the time period isn’t just a backdrop but an essential part of the setting and the narrative itself.
Historical fiction may feature fictional characters, well-known historical figures, or a combination of the two. Authors typically pay close attention to details—such as setting, clothing, and dialogue—to ensure the story feels authentic to the time period it portrays.
Sometimes, historical fiction portrays famous events from perspectives not recorded in history, showing historical figures grappling with real events but in ways not captured in historical records. Other times, the historical event or era provides a rich backdrop that shapes the characters’ lives and actions. In some cases, the story remains largely accurate, but names of people or places are changed for narrative reasons.
Because this is fiction, authors have artistic license to creatively present and explore these settings, as long as they remain reasonably faithful to established historical facts. If the story deviates significantly from historical record, it may move into the genre of alternate history, which imagines how things might have been different if a major historical event had played out differently. Similarly, historical fiction should generally follow the rules of physics and realism; stories that include magical or fantastical elements typically fall under the category of historical fantasy or historical romance.