5 Historical Fiction Books That Are Worth Your Time
You'll Cherish Each Moment You Spend With Them
Do you love getting lost in time?
Do you love visiting a period you never lived in?
Do you love the idea of experiencing a historical phase in the comfort of your sofa?
Then historical fiction is your answer.
Listed below are my five favourite historical fiction books, which hold a special place in my heart (and on my shelf.)
Kane And Abel by Jeffrey Archer
In this novel, we follow William Lowell Kane, the son of a Boston millionaire, and Abel Rosnovski, a penniless Polish immigrant.
They have two things in common - both men were born on the same day on opposite sides of the world, and both men hate each other.
Spanning over sixty years, Kane And Abel tell a memorable story of two powerful men with their paths destined to cross in the ruthless struggle to build a fortune.
Kane And Abel show you the boys grow into men of power and status, all the things they had to go through to become who they are, and how Fate plays a significant role in our lives.
Sprinkled with references to Titanic, Sinatra and other names, you feel as if the story of Kane And Abel is not fictional but set in real history. This makes the reading experience more pleasurable.
The first line of the novel is -
"She only stopped screaming when she died. It was then that he started to scream."
Now that is a way to grab your attention and start the novel.
Kane and Abel is also one of the five books whose endings have made me cry.
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
In this novel, we follow Aiden – one of the guests summoned to Blackheath for the party.
It is meant to be a celebration, but it ends in tragedy. As fireworks explode overhead, Evelyn Hardcastle, the young and beautiful daughter of the house, is killed.
But Evelyn will not die just once. Until Aiden can solve her murder, the day will repeat itself, over and over again. Every time ending with the fatal pistol shot.
The only way to break this cycle is to identify the killer. But each time the day begins again, Aiden wakes in the body of a different guest. And someone is determined to prevent him from ever escaping Blackheath.
Let me tell you right off the bat - the synopsis tells you nothing about the wild ride you are about to enter.
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a locked-room Mystery, plus Historical Fiction, plus Time Travel.
And the ending will make you think about your views on seeking retribution.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Another one of the five books that made me cry. And it took me three days to come out of it.
On 21 June 1922, Count Alexander Rostov – recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club, Master of the Hunt – is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol.
But instead of being taken to his usual suite, he is led to an attic room with a window the size of a chessboard. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely.
While Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval, the Count, stripped of the trappings that defined his life, is forced to question what makes us who we are. And with the assistance of a glamorous actress, a cantankerous chef and a very serious child, Rostov unexpectedly discovers a new understanding of pleasure and purpose.
You will find a friend in Count Rostov if you're lucky enough.
Count Rostov is the gentlest of men I have ever come across. I loved him so much that I would give anything to have him as my friend in real life.
To live and experience 32 years behind the revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol through our protagonist's eyes is something you have to experience yourself.
This novel is fun, loving, philosophical and endearing. This book made me cry, made me laugh, made me wonder, made me worried, and made me love. Reading this book will add more life to your life. And I believe that A Gentleman in Moscow is also a self-help book everyone should read.
The Godfather by Mario Puzo
If you haven't read The Godfather, you're missing out on a chunk of historical fiction fun.
A searing portrayal of the Mafia underworld, The Godfather introduced readers to the first family of American crime fiction, the Corleones, and their powerful legacy of tradition, blood, and honour.
The Godfather is an epic story of family, loyalty, and how "men of honour" live in their own world and die by their own laws.
The word that pops up in my head about this book is subtle.
The book was subtle. The writing was subtle. The characters were subtle. I also enjoyed the subtle art of planning and killing your enemies.
But the impact of reading this novel was not subtle. While I was reading this novel, I wondered why I hadn’t read this book earlier.
This book is not for everyone.
It’s slow-paced and takes quite a few detours before focusing on the main plot. But these qualities were necessary for the book to work. Nowhere was I bored or felt the plot dragging. I was constantly on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen next. The book was so engaging I went on reading it for hours (which I rarely do).
The writing used the simplest words and somehow managed to say all the complicated things about life. The writing also helped show how the Godfather worked and to what extent he could go, which sent chills down my spine. It felt as if every word was carefully selected and written with purpose. The characters were all so well fleshed and real.
I have learnt from this book that you don’t want to be in the bad books of the Corleones.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
In this novel, we follow Marie-Laure, a six-year-old blind French girl in Nazi-terrorized Paris, and Werner, a German orphan destined to labour in the mines until a broken radio fills his life with possibility and brings him to the notice of the Hitler Youth.
In this magnificent, deeply moving novel, Marie-Laure and Werner's stories illuminate how, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.
I loved each and every moment of this book.
The author is a fantastic craftsman, really good at his job. The subtle yet engaging imagery kept me awake all the time. I was drawn into the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner and the rest of the characters. Every character had the right amount of purpose and space. And I felt for every one of them.
The setting being the gut-wrenching WW II, made the novel very emotional for me. And though the chapters were surprisingly small in length (avg. 1.5 pages), I had to take breaks in between to bring my mind out of the setting. When I would take a break and stroll out of the room, my mum would ask if I was alright. That is how much this novel affected me.
And did I mention this is another one of the five books to make me cry?
So yes, this novel is absolutely worth your time.
Ps. The two other books out of the five that made me cry are Curtain by Agatha Christie and Afterlife by Marcus Sakey.
(Cover images are from Goodreads.)
