YAY for historical fiction recommendations! RU-vid is so full of YA and other genre recommendations and it is so great to see a video all about historical fiction! Thank you!
"The Poisonwood Bible" is such a good novel. It taught me a lot about what Congo suffered before and after the colonial era. I've read many other novels by Barbara Kingsolver since, but this is her best.
@@RoisinsReading I have The Lacuna unread on my shelves, too. I read The Bean Trees and Pigs in Heaven, enjoyable interesting reads but nowhere near as monumental as The Poisonwood Bible.
My favourite Historical Fiction Book is 'Forever Amber' by Kathleen Winsor, published in 1944. I've read it about four times and still love it. The film, that came out in 1950 staring Linda Darnell & Cornell Wilde, wasn't a patch on the book. Love your recommendation & bloggs, especially on books for children, with my grand-children in mind. Have you ever looked in on the website - Fantastic Fiction?
Oh I've not heard of that one, I'll have to look it up. Thank you! I hope you found something your grandchildren will like. I use fantastic fiction all the time at work! I work in a library and we use it for recommendations
Thanks for this list! You seem open to novels that aren't strictly categorizable, so I'll suggest to you that you read some of Connie Willis's works, like "Blackout"/"All Clear", her dyad about life in Britain during the Blitz. Her historical novels are usually classed as science fiction, because she uses time travel as a device to get people from the future into the past, where they live as ordinary people except that they know (or think they know) what is going to happen. But they are immersive and thoroughly researched. "The Doomsday Book" is about travel to the Black Plague era in English history, and the lovely comic "To Say Nothing of the Dog" (an hommage to Jerome K. Jerome) visits Victorian England. Seriously, do yourself a favor and discover Willis. She writes comedy, tragedy, romance, speculation and hard fact, and every word of it is fun.
The Regeneration trilogy was really interesting. We read it at a seminar. I have the Essex Serpent, but for some reason, I wasn´t too impressed. Don´t know why. I didn´t hate it, but I wasn´t blown away either. Atonement of course is a classic by now. I knew the movie before we read it, but I thought his style is really beautiful.
New to your channel. You are brilliant! Reading an excerpt of each work brought them to full consciousness to me. You read like I do. Tasting; savoring, enjoying each word for the glorious treasure that they are! Brava!!!! 💕💕💕💕💕 Thank you! 🙏
I love the English Patient. I actually met Michael Ondaatje a couple of years ago and made a fool of myself haha I never know what to say to authors. “The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society” and “The Essex Serpent” are also great. I know how much you loved “The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock” so it’s near the top of my TBR! As for other historical fiction recommendations, I’ve read a handful of Michael Ondajje’s other books and enjoyed all of them particularly his latest novel “War Light”. My sister’s favourite book to all time is “In the Skin of the Lion”
That's so cool! I read warlight at the end of last year and didn't love it. I didn't hate it either but it wasn't quite up my street. I hope you can get to The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock soon!
Such a great list - so many books I haven't heard of. Currently my favourite historical fiction is Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell. The writing is immensely beautiful. I love the tiny references to Shakespeare's plays, I love that the bard himself is never referred to by name. You don't need to love Shakespeare to enjoy this novel - it's more about Hamnet his twin sister, Judith, and his mother Agnes (Anne). I cried and although I know the history, I was still hoping that Maggie is going to change the ending - you feel like it could change.
I've heard so much about Hannet recently, I can't wait to read it. I reserved it at the library so I'm going to have to wait until they reopen to read it! Glad to hear you liked it though.
@@RoisinsReading I originally reserved it at the library too but I gave in and downloaded it. Best impulse purchase of the year haha. I hope you really enjoy it when you can get hold of it. :)
In my case I love Lincoln and the bardo, a historical middle grade called: refugge by Alan Gratz; Escappe from aleppo by : N. H. Senzai. The van goght brother, lilac girls. There are a lot of amazing historical fiction books
I tried to read For Whom The Bell Tolls abs couldn't get on with it, the writing style is too sparse for my taste. I will look out for Quo Vadis though, I have a classics degree so it's an era that interests me. Thank you!
@@RoisinsReading I like to read fiction settled in diverse historical moments. The Spanish Civil War is one of those. I also recommend One Million Dead by Jose Gironella ( there is a translation in English), which tells the story of the Alvear family which is torn in the conflict. As for Quo Vadis, settled in Nero's Rome, I call it almost miraculous because the author seems to have lived in it! He mentions streets, businesses, even gossip!
@@jorgelopez-pr6dr that sounds excellent, it's what I enjoy so much about books such as Wolf Hall, where its hard to believe the author isn't a time traveller!
@@RoisinsReading Oh, I forgot, it would be excellent for night reading during the quarantine the ghost stories of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. Although it is not historical fiction per se, various stories take place during the 18th Century ( ironically the century of skeptics and libertins!). I have read various works by him: ' Squire Toby's Will' , Madam Crowl's Ghost' , 'The Willow Tree, ' and 'Mr. Justice Harbottle'. I recommend them to you if you are not familiar with them.
Have you read any by Phillipa Gregory? If yes, could you recommend a book from her? I’ve been meaning to read her books I just don’t know where to start! ☺️
