My Favorite Historical Fiction Books I Always Recommend to Friends

I love a good historical fiction book. It seems to be the genre that I keep going back to time and time again. Maybe it's because I didn't pay enough attention in history class so I literally am shocked most of the time at how things play out. Or maybe it's because those books transport me to a time that allows me to step out of my reality for a bit. I'm an avid reader, finishing one book a week, and through the years I've come across some really great historical fiction books that I always recommend to friends. If I hear you've read a book that's historically based, girl, you better believe I'll be recommending one of these to you until I find one that you haven't read! So buckle up and take notes, you aren't going to want to miss this list!

My Favorite Historical Fiction Books I Always Recommend to Friends

Maybe you are already devouring everything in the historical fiction section at your local library, or you've just started dipping your toes into the genre, all of these books have something special to offer and I think you are going to love them! They are some of my favorites that I've read through the years.

The Red Tent

This is probably the first book that I ever read that had a Bible story reimagined! It focuses on the life of Dinah, the only daughter of Jacob and Leah, and whose narrative is only briefly mentioned in Genesis. The book is told from Dinah's perspective and gives a voice to the women of her time sharing traditions, struggles and the joys and resilience of ancient womanhood.

Orphan Train

There are some stories that you read and you're like did this really happen? I think I fell down a rabbit hole of fact checking after I finished the book. It's a story that bridges generations through an unlikely friendship of two women connected by their shared experiences of hardship and resilience. The book alternates between two timelines, one in present day where a troubled teen navigates the foster care system and the other in the early 20th century where a young Irish immigrant is placed aboard an orphan train after a tragic fire leaves her alone. It's an incredible story of courage, survival and the bonds that shape us.
Loved this book and looking for something similar? Try Before We Were Yours.

The Exiles

This book explores the untold stories of women who were part of the British penal colony in Australia during the 19th century. It follows three women and weaves together how their lives intersect in the most profound ways. This is a story that shines a light on a lesser-known chapter of history and gives a voice to women who often have their stories overlooked. 

Hello Beautiful

This book is a little bit of an updated version of Little Women, centered on the lives of four sisters. It begins with the story of William Waters, a young man carrying the scars of a neglected childhood, whose life changes when he meets one of those sisters. He's then introduced to a close-knit family whose warmth and connection seem to be everything that he's missing. But as the years unfold, hidden secrets and unexpected tragedies strain the ties that bind them. 

If you liked this book, you'll likely also like this author's other book Dear Edward.

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This is book 1 of 3 in the series and every single one of them is worth reading. Forced into the role of the concentration camp's tattooist, Lale is in charge of marking his fellow prisoners with identification numbers. During his time as the tattooist, he meets many people and the books weave all of those stories together in a beautiful collection of stories of resilience, resourcefulness, and the power of love in the face of unspeakable evil. 

Book 2 Cilka's Journey

Book 3: Three Sisters

The Glass Castle

This is probably in the top 10 books of all time for me. I think it's one that got me hooked on reading again as an adult. It's an unforgettable memoir about a really tumultuous childhood that was marked with poverty, mental illness and the most unconventional family dynamics. It's a story of how the siblings all banded together in resourcefulness and strength to escape the cycle of hardship and poverty to create stable lives of their own. 

There are several other books that are in this same vein that I've also loved. If you liked Glass Castle, you'll likely also love: 

Educated

Hillbilly Elegy

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Evelyn Hugo is an aging Hollywood icon known for her beauty, talent, and scandalous personal life. As she starts nearing the end of her life, Evelyn offers an exclusive interview to a relatively unknown journalist. There are a lot of untold stories behind her rise to stardom, her seven marriages, and the great love of her life, which is a truth that is far more complex than any tabloid could have ever suggested!

Another book by this author that I loved was Daisy Jones and the Six

If you liked this book, you'll probably like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue too!

The Women

This book focuses on an often-overlooked experience of women during the Vietnam War. It follows a young nurse as she's thrust into the harrowing realities of war. It follows her story in the combat zone and as she forms deep bonds with fellow service members and extends into the challenges she faces as she reintegrates back into life at home. 

Kristen Hannah has several novels I've enjoyed including The Nightingale  and The Four Winds, both of which have that historical fiction vibe we all love!

Where the Crawdads Sing

I know, I know, this is a popular one, and anytime I add in books that are not only NY Times Bestsellers, but also ones that have been turned into movies, people think I'm a bit of a sell out. But truly, this is one of the stories that has stuck with me and has been one of my favorites. 

The story follows the "marsh girl" who has been growing up in the wilderness after being abandoned by her family. Shunned by the folks in the nearby town, she grows a deep connection to nature and the land. Her lonely world shifts a bit as she gets older and some young men from town enter into her life, leading to moments of love, betrayal and tragedy. 

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Light Between Oceans

I read this book more than a decade ago, and the story has stayed with me. It's set in the years following World War I and follows a war veteran who becomes a lighthouse keeper on an isolated island. He's joined by his wife and together they create a life of solitude and devotion. Their world changes forever when a small boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a living baby. 

The Poisonwood Bible

Before the author wrote the incredibly popular Demon Copperhead, she wrote The Poisonwood Bible. As a kid who grew up in the church, it was an incredible look at an evangelical Baptist minister who brings his wife and their four daughters to the Congo in 1959 as missionaries. The book is written from the perspective of the women in the family and all of them share their stories of struggling to survive and adapt in a foreign country and the choices that were made that brought them all to where they are, especially during a time of political upheaval as Congo fights for independence.

Moloka'i

I remember traveling to Hawaii for the first time when I was 17 years old back in the 90's and hearing about the leprosy colonies for the first time. This book is about a young girl who is being raised in a close-knit Hawaiian family and at the age of seven, is diagnosed with leprosy and sent to live on an isolated leprosy settlement. She's separated from her family and has to learn to navigate life on her own.

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

I wasn't raised in the Pacific Northwest, and the history of Japanese internment camps never made it into my learning. It wasn't until I visited a very small local museum with my youngest son's Boy Scout troop that I learned that one of the largest internment camps in our area was literally just a few miles away! This book really brought to light the struggles of innocent families during a time that was so volatile in America.

The Girl Who Wrote in Silk

In a similar vein, this is another PNW story about the heartbreaking impact of the Chinese Exclusion Act and the brutal treatment faced by immigrant communities during that time. It weaves the story of a young woman in modern-day Seattle with the history of her family from the past and how she has to confront her own family's legacy and make choices that honor the past while shaping her future.

Historical fiction has a way of connecting us to the past while offering perspectives that feel surprisingly relevant today. These are the books that have stuck with me through the years, many of them I read decades ago and still feel connected to the characters and their journeys. I hope this list leaves you with a few new books to add to your reading list. 

I love my local library and rarely spend money on books. Plus, you'll find some surprising library benefits that will save you money!

I always save my favorite books to this list. I leave off any book that I would rate three stars and under, and have created a collection of nearly 200 books and counting! 

Want more book recommendations? Check out these posts!

50+ Books I'd Recommend to My Friends

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