Stories That Stay With You: Historical Fiction Books We Love
Curated by Ashley Dickson-Ellison (@ashley_dicksonellison)
Historical fiction is a genre I've really enjoyed exploring recently, and it is one where getting good recs can make a huge difference for me. Over the years, we've read and reviewed some incredible historical fiction novels here at Unabridged, and I wanted to bring a few of our favorites together in one place. There are a couple of my favorites here, and there are a couple I'd still love to read that were reviewed by Jen and Sara. These books span centuries and continents, exploring everything from love and friendship to injustice, resilience, and the power of community.
Whether you're already a historical fiction fan or looking for a great place to start, I hope you'll find something here to add to your TBR!
“'I just feel, when I read her, when I reread her--which I do, more than any other author--it’s as if she is inside my head. Like music' (loc. 74).
"Natalie Jenner’s The Jane Austen Society, historical fiction ranging from 1932 to 1947, is about grief and recovery, greed and sacrifice, selfishness and love. It’s also about the power of books and reading to bring people together and to help them understand themselves and those around them.
"The book takes place in Chawton, Hampshire, where Jane Austen lived and wrote for part of her short life. It features an array of characters, some of whom have never left the tiny village and others who find its comfort later in life. The Jane Austen Society offers the charm and clear-eyed view of the world that one could expect from a book titled after Jane Austen." Click to read the full review.
"This story is based on the real life of Martha Ballard, a midwife in Maine in the late 1700s. Because Martha learned to read and write - a skill known by very few women at the time - she kept a journal accounting her life and the events she encountered, and Lawhon used that journal and the biography of Ballard's life (Laurel Thatcher Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812) to weave together this brilliant historical fiction novel.
"This is a story about who holds power and has agency and what they can do with that power. It's about justice and the quest to do what's right - and how hard it is to get justice in situations where those in power are corrupt. Martha Ballard is a passionate, competent woman who simply wants to see justice done but who has to watch the way that the judicial system only serves the white men who control it." Read the full review.
"Set in Britain during World War II, this book follows 4 women who are affected by the war and their circumstances in different ways.
"First, there is Audrey, a woman raising 3 boys on her own after her is killed during active duty in the war. She is an excellent baker and runs a pie business to support her sons and to make ends meet after her husband’s death. Next, there is Gwendolyn. She is Audrey’s estranged sister, who has married a rich businessman. She is a representative for the Ministry of War and does food demonstrations for women to show them how to use food rations to make meals for their families. Next, there is Nell, a maid in the manor owned by Gwendolyn and her husband. She is an orphan and is destined to be a domestic worker for the rest of her life if something doesn’t change. Last, there is Zelda, a top chef from one of London’s most reputable restaurants. She is pregnant and fighting to return to London to become the head chef at a renowned restaurant." Read the full review here.
Sofía Segovia's THE MURMUR OF BEES - A Beautiful, Whimsical Story about the Power of Love (Ashley's Review)
From the review: "This book is broad in its scope and covers a long time period and many important historical events, including the influenza of 1918 and the Mexican Revolution, but at its center is the phenomenal boy Simonopio, who is discovered as an abandoned baby covered in a blanket of bees. He is disfigured, and the physical deformity on his face impacts the way that he speaks, so he spends much of his life silent but endlessly observant. Although many in the larger community fear him and worry that he is marked by the devil, the wealthy landowning family that takes him in, led by Francisco and Beatriz Morales, adores him and cares for him throughout his early childhood. Simonopio's bees stay with him throughout his life, and his perspective on the world is shaped by this unique connection to nature. Because of this connection and his uncanny ability to listen to nature, he has a sixth sense that guides him toward choices that protect those he loves. He is a pure, kind person full of love for others, and his story is a beautiful one." Read the full review. This is a work in translation and would work well for our Unabridged Challenge this year.
"Alice Winn's gorgeous In Memoriam is the story of two boys, Ellwood and Gaunt, who love each other deeply. Set during World War I, the novel begins at their English boarding school, where it's acceptable for some boys to be together, but only quietly and only if the relationship is a temporary one.
"Their story is told both chronologically and through a series of flashbacks that reveals each character's history and also the history of his understanding of the other. Neither Ellwood nor Gaunt imagines—for different reasons—that the other could love him in the same way he loves his friend. Their friendship is open and affectionate and widely accepted, despite their very different personalities, but those true feelings lie hidden year after year." Read the full review.
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