Non-Fussy Historical Fiction
Not a curtsy in the bunch (WSIR #15)
For someone who considers herself a Reader, I tend to recoil from many common book descriptions, including but not limited to:
“On the eve of the war”
“Experimental”
“Three generations of a family”
“Dystopian”
and
“Set against a sweeping historical landscape”
Yes. I know. All of this is simple-minded because so much great reading can be found in these categories (except dystopia, which I unapologetically avoid, and I AM ACCEPTING NO COMMENTS ON THIS TOPIC.)
In bad historical fiction, there can be a lot of fussy “m’lording” and unnecessarily lengthy descriptions of, like, cathedrals, and no characters who feel like living, breathing humans. Like that musty old production of Shakespeare that you were forced to sit through on your sixth grade field trip.
But great historical fiction is, of course, fascinating, engrossing, and enlightening. You learn something, you feel something, and you’re transported. So in that vein, here are a few of my favorites, in order of historical time frame!
P.S. I’m not covering All the Light We Cannot See, Wolf Hall, Pachinko or Homegoing here because I’ve talked about them before, but if you’re new to any of those - great historical fiction choices, all!
Circe: The story of the Greek nymph daughter of Zeus, the lover and victim of Odysseus, the woman who’s usually a footnote in a man’s story. I put this off far too long for above reasons - but the writing is beautiful. Feels classic and otherworldly but fully accessible.
(Wait. Is mythology historical fiction? Maybe not but you will love it anyway.)
The Signature of All Things: If you’re a serious reader like my friend Shayna, you might loathe the cult of Elizabeth Gilbert and therefore avoided this. Which I get! But Gilbert got her start with fiction and I thought this was spectacular. It’s the story of a female botanist in 1800’s enlightenment-age Philadelphia, and you get meticulously detailed tales of scientists, sailors, adventurers, and manners - but all in a way that’s so smart, universal and physical. (IMO you *can* skip her follow up, City of Girls.)
Lincoln in the Bardo: This is historical fiction AND experimental AND in the first year of the Civil War - and yet it was possibly my favorite book I read in 2019. It’s told by a cavalcade of ghosts over the course of one night in 1862 when Abraham Lincoln repeatedly visits a crypt containing the body of his young, recently deceased son Willie. It’s deeply weird, it’s very funny, it’s profoundly moving, it’s incredible writing.
The Alienist: On the other end of the literary spectrum, this is a murder mystery set in 1896 gilded age New York. You get both the page-turning pop of a mystery but also a very detailed, specific historical environment that’s not just the setting, but is really the underpinning of the plot. A great one!
And finally - you probably will like The Nightengale: Two sisters in WW2 Occupied France take radically different but equally brave approaches to survival and resistance. It’s harrowing and sad but also inspiring and very thrilling. I’ll admit I found the writing cliched but I know other people who loved it entirely. And either way, it definitely is a great story and darned if I didn’t weep at the end.
Everyone has a favorite historical fiction title - let me know yours in the comments!
A Year of Shakespeare: Not Going So Well, Thanks!
Honestly … this week I not only didn’t read much Shakespeare (a few pages of King Lear), I didn’t read much AT ALL. At the beginning of lockdown nearly a year ago, I found it impossible to calm my monkey brain to a reading state, and I confess I had a similar feeling this week. But you’re keeping me accountable, Reader, so I’ll try to getback on track.
These recommendations link directly to Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores across the country. When you can, please consider buying from independent bookstores.
Past book recommendations can be found at my Bookshop.org affiliate page & in the archive.