Historical Novel Suggestions

[kmatt]

I just finished reading The Twentieth Wife, Feast of Roses and The Spendor of Silence by Indu Sundaresan. Also read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See and Empress Orchid by Anchee Min.

Enjoyed reading stories and at the same time learning something about history and culture. I also loved these authors' styles of writing.

Any suggestions? I'm all ears!

 

[angerball]

My favourite historical novel would have to be Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.

I've had Bernard Cornwell recommended to me, by someone who is very much into historical fiction. I tried one of his books - Harlequin - but I couldn't get through it (too many battle scenes, and not enough forward moving story, IMO).

 

[SFG75]

I can't say enough about Gore Vidal's Burr. You'll brush up on your ecclesiastical history and the trial of a dead pope if you pick The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. The language is very rich and it's a good murder mystery to boot. If you want some humor mixed in, try Philip Roth's satirical piece on the Nixon administration titled Our Gang. Just a few that I have enjoyed a lot. Best of luck to you.

 

[tartan_skirt]

I've had Bernard Cornwell recommended to me, by someone who is very much into historical fiction. I tried one of his books - Harlequin - but I couldn't get through it (too many battle scenes, and not enough forward moving story, IMO).

I got about 30 pages into one of his books and put it right back on my brothers shelf. It had gone for that long with a battle and I was just plain bored with it!

I would suggest The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby to you if you enjoyed Empress Orchid. It is set in Japan and revolves around the life of the writer of The Tale of Genji, but it is fiction. It dips in and out of court life too so it is similar.

 

[Fantasy Moon]

Also read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

I have this sitting on my bookshelf awaiting to be read. I can't wait!

I always recommend The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck for historical fiction readers, or readers in general. The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama is also very good.

My current love is The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy and its accompanying sequels.

 

[BooknaMug]

I absolutely adore The Scarlet Pimpernel! For a while there I was reading it every couple of months. Definitely read this one if you haven't already - fantastic!

 

[elflady]

Trying to revive this thread:
I love Maurice Druon's "Accursed Kings". Irving Stone (Agony and Ecstasy), Valerio Massimo Manfredi (Alexander, The Last Legion etc), Christian Jacq (the Ramses series etc), Paolo Monelli (Adventure in the First Century), James Clavell (Shogun, Gaijin etc), Eiji Yoshikawa (Musashi, Taiko), Sigrid Undset (Kristin Lavransdatter), Frans Bengtsson (The Vikings), Anne and Gerge Golon (the Angelique series), Henryk Sienkiewicz (Quo Vadis, Through Fire and Sword etc - currently reading Teuton Knights), Heinrich Mann (Henry IV)...

 

[Concetta]

James Clavell... I haven't thought about those books in ages. I loved them! I was traveling in Asia (for business) at that time and I loved learning about the culture. So interesting - and so long and so many - LOVED THEM!!

 

[elflady]

Me too. And if you love Asia and its culture (especially Japan), you should try reading Yoshikawa too. His books are just great! The action in both Musashi and Taiko takes place around the same historical period as in Shogun.

 

[Stewart]

For a full on historical immersion that will take you back to Victorian London then you can't go wrong with Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal And The White.