The best historical fiction books of all time

A story can be about anything and everything, but there are few stories in this world, and fewer novels still, that have it all. The resilience of the human spirit, the struggle against injustice, the existential dread of living your life not knowing about its ultimate purpose. The irredeemable conflicts of class, resentment, love, and sacrifice. Having spent 19 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Jean Valjean tries to reclaim his life and find salvation through the greatest act of love: Sacrifice. Victor Hugo’s timeless novel is a study of human nature in its most potent form, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any story this ambitious, yet unbowed under the weight of everything it’s trying to get across.

Published in 1813, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is among the greatest works of literature in history, not simply because it gives an accurate and prosaic depiction of Victorian England, but also for its profound study of themes such as love, marriage, social norms and expectations, and class differences. The story of Elizabeth Bennet and her slow infatuation with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is still among the best if not the most realistic love stories in history.

Following the end of World War II, combat nurse Claire Beachamp Randall is visiting rural Scotland with her husband Frank. The mystic, fairy-tale countryside is at first a welcome retreat from the brutal realities of the war, but Claire soon learns that there’s more to the whole ordeal than old-timey midwife tales. After unwittingly traveling through time to 18th-century Scotland, Claire must now use her knowledge of the past to navigate her way through the hardships of a barbaric age long past. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series deftly weaves real-world history and fiction together to create a tale that’s as unforgettable as it is irreplaceable.

A fictional autobiography set in Japan before, during, and after World War II, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden deals with the hidden behind-the-scenes and often misunderstood world of geishas. You follow the story of Chiyo, a Japanese girl growing up in a small fishing village, whose improvised family sells her to a geisha house. Chiyo then has to fight her way to the top and become a renowned entertainer. Memoirs of a Geisha is a rich study of culture, history, and identity, even if certain elements in the narrative have become somewhat controversial in retrospect.

This 1960 novel by Harper Lee is among the finest works of classic American literature and arguably the greatest work with social commentary on deep-seated racism and prejudice. The story revolves around a girl named Scout Finch, whose father, a lawyer named Atticus Finch, is tasked with defending a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Morality, justice, racial prejudice, and equality are all concepts that To Kill a Mockingbird explores in earnest.

First published in 1936, Gone with the Wind by Margaretta Mitchell has now been absorbed into American culture in such a way that belies the controversial nature of its narrative. The book is basically a coming-of-age story revolving around the spoiled daughter of a plantation owner during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction period. Scarlett O’Hara must do everything in her power to survive the collapse of the Southern socio-economic system, with the novel dealing with the idea of the devastating toll such transformative eras can impose on different people.

Gone with the Wind was adapted for the silver screens in 1939, and is now widely considered to be among the greatest movies ever made, not to mention the highest-grossing pic when adjusted for inflation. The book and its subject matter might be controversial today due to the somewhat sympathetic viewpoint towards the Confederate cause, but when taken in context, it’s still a poignant study of that period from the Southern perspective.

Often regarded as one of the greatest works of literary fiction in history, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy takes place during the 19th century’s Napoleonic Wars in Russia. Tolstoy didn’t consider this to be a novel in the traditional sense, nor a conventional historical chronicle, yet War and Peace has managed to hit all those marks and go down as a reflective work of art commentating on human conflicts, free will, and the meaning of life. War and Peace is also a deeply philosophical narrative, musing on the concepts that have shaped humanity throughout its long, tumultuous history. The novel is not an easy read by any stretch due to its intricate plot and length, but Tolstoy will nevertheless make it worth your while by the time you reach the finish line.

Widely considered to be Charles Dickens’ magnum opus, A Tale of Two Cities is set in the backdrop of the French Revolution and takes place in London and Paris. Dickens starts the novel by writing, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” highlighting the contrast between the relative stability of London and the tumultuous, chaotic, and violence-ridden streets of Paris. The story mostly centers around Dr. Alexandre Manett, a French physician who is released from the Bastille prison after 18 years and reunited with her daughter Lucie in London. There are many parallels between A Tale of Two Cities and Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, the most important of which is the concepts of resurrection and redemption; The idea that it’s never too late to reclaim your life and make something out of it, even if being resentful is all this life has ever taught you.

While many novels in this list deal with the Romantic period and its prelude, The Name of the Rose is unique in the sense that it takes you to the Medieval period. Written by Umberto Eco and published in 1980, The Name of the Rose is a murder mystery thriller taking place in the Italian Benedictine monastery in the year 1327. William of Baskerville is a friar who is scheduled to hold a theological debate with his novice Adso of Melk, but when the latter arrives at the monastery, the two are embroiled in a series of murders that might be linked to the place’s vast library of rare and forbidden texts. The novel is a study of the nature of truth and the role of religion in it. If you find Medieval thought and philosophy interesting, then do yourself a favor and pick up The Name of the Rose. You will not be disappointed.

Taking place during the Viking invasion of England in the 9th century, Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories chronicles the story of Uhtred son of Uhtred, born a Saxon but raised a Dane, and a warlord sworn to fight for Alfred the Great and help him realize the vision of a united England. The story features many historical instances and is a character study of its main protagonist Uhtred. The plot is about fate, determinism, morality, and the hardships of rule. Suppose you want a mostly historical take on the period when the Great Heathen Army arrived on British shores and initiated a long conflict between Christians and Norsemen. In that case, The Saxon Stories will be able to scratch that particular itch. And hey, if you feel like you’re not up to reading a 13-book series, you could always watch the acclaimed TV adaptation called The Last Kingdom.

All the novels on this list do a pretty decent job of painting you a word picture of the times and places they’re set in, but they’re still somewhat limited by their length, or the propriety of their own narrative. Aubrey–Maturin, as a sequence of novels boasting 20 installments, has no such limits, giving you an in-depth and rich take on the Napoleonic Wars from the perspective of its two titular protagonists, Aubrey and Maturin. The former is a captain of the Royal Navy, while the latter is his ship’s surgeon.

Aubrey and Maturin develop a deep friendship despite their conflicting worldviews, and they take viewers on the adventure of a lifetime through a deep bond of love and loyalty. You go from the waters of the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic to the far reaches of the Pacific, experiencing the life of sailors and soldiers and commoners as they lived it back then. If you’re still not sold on this premise, then do yourself a favor and watch 2003’s Master and Commander starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. You will pick the book series up in no time.

Ever come across the term “swashbuckling bravado?” While it may be reductive to refer to Alexander Dumas’ The Three Musketeers as pioneering this particular offshoot of adventure fiction, it is a succinct summary of what the book is trying to get across. The story is set in 17th-century France, during the reign of Louis XIII. D’Artagnan is an ambitious and reckless youngster who dreams of joining the king’s musketeers, also known as the Musketeers of the Guard. And though he fails to do so originally, he gets entangled with the three most prominent musketeers of the time, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Together they fight for justice, loyalty, and love while avoiding the treacherous pitfalls of the old ancien régime.

The Nightingale is a relatively new novel compared to the rest of the books on this list. First published in 2015, Kristin Hannah’s story centers around two sisters who try to survive the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. Vianne wants to keep her sister Isabelle safe, but the younger sibling has a rebellious spirit and wishes to join the French resistance force. The Nightingale is praised for a deeply compelling narrative that is bolstered by Hannah’s brilliant character work.

The Nightingale is a relatively new novel compared to the rest of the books on this list. First published in 2015, Kristin Hannah’s story centers around two sisters who try to survive the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. Vianne wants to keep her sister Isabelle safe, but the younger sibling has a rebellious spirit and wishes to join the French resistance force. The Nightingale is praised for a deeply compelling narrative that is bolstered by Hannah’s brilliant character work.

One of the greatest coming-of-age stories of all time, Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott revolves around the lives of the four March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, in the midst of the American Civil War. Jo’s father has gone to fight for the Union Army, leaving his maturing daughters to find their way in life. Meg is the eldest daughter, who, due to her responsibility, advocates for a conventional life. Jo, the second daughter, is a strong-willed rebel, and a reflection of Alcott’s own feelings towards the patriarchy. Beth is selfless and ambitious, while Amy, the youngest sibling, wants to marry and improve her social standing. Many great coming-of-age stories take inspiration from Little Women, and even now, more than a century later, the story remains relatable to young audiences.

It seems rather apt to finish this list with The Book Thief, even if it happens to be yet another story set during the events of World War II. Markus Zusak’s 2005 best-seller follows the tale of a girl named Liesel Meminger, who falls in love with books and words and decides to steal them from various libraries at the height of the Nazi book burnings. The story is narrated by Death, the personification of the collector of souls, who muses over the tragic events of World War II and the spirit of hope and resistance that underlay the opposition to Nazi rule. The Book Thief is poetic, emotional, and reflective, but above all else, significant for the fact that it explores the power of words as a great, albeit double-edged human faculty.