Historical fiction recs
Tuesday, 15 January 2019 01:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fucktheg0dsI've seen a couple of people recently asking for recs for historical fiction, and I am here to deliver. I've listed 19 books, sorted by era. I've tried to order everything chronologically.
Some of these books could be triggering (mostly for violence/rape/death) so feel free to ask me about them. Links go to Goodreads.
Alexander the Great:
Fire from Heaven (Alexander the Great #1) by Mary Renault
The early life and battles of Alexander theBae Great. Popular and queer so you've probably heard of it if not read it.
The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Stephanie Thornton
The stories of the women in Alexander's life. And yes, he and Hephaistion are still a thing because hurrah for bisexuality.
Roman Empire:
Gladiatrix (Gladiatrix #1) by Russell Whitfield
An exciting book about female gladiators, with a lesbian protagonist and other queer characters throughout the series. Almost every trigger warning I can think of applies to this trilogy.
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore (Empress Theodora #1) by Stella Duffy
A novel about Empress Theodora's early life. I don't remember much about this book other than it's good.
Mongol Empire:
The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan by Stephanie Thornton
Intriguing female characters in an interesting period of history.
Silk and Song (Silk and Song Trilogy #1-3) by Dana Stabenow
Three novels (published as one book) about a fictional granddaughter of Marco Polo and the adventures she goes on. (She's meant to be 16 but I pretended she was 18 or older because she wasn't 16 at all.)
17th Century France:
Goddess by Kelly Gardiner
A novel about the historical Julie d'Aubigny, a bisexual, cross-dressing opera singer and swordswoman.
19th Century:
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The last days of a historical Icelandic woman sentenced to death for murder in the 1820s.
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell by William Klaber
An American woman lives as a man in order to make a living, before there were words for queerness. (We don't know if today she would identify as a butch lesbian or a trans man.)
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
A twisty-turny crime romance (is that a thing??) about a thief and the rich girl she manipulates in Victorian England.
Gone to Pegasus by Tess Redgrave
A story about women's suffrage and the friendship between two pretty unlikeable women in 1880s New Zealand.
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
The raunchy adventures of a working class lesbian in 1890s London, with explorations of gender and class.
1920s England:
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Lesbian romance turned crime novel.
Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford
Deals with the early days of radio and the BBC, and also women's rights.
World War II Europe:
Mussolini's Island by Sarah Day
A story about the persecution of queer men in Fascist Italy.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two French sisters, who are complete opposites, try to survive the Occupation.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
An emotionally exhausting novel about a group of teenagers trying to survive a disaster in the Baltic Sea.
1950s and Modern Day:
Despite The Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif
An exciting and tragic tale of a Russian emigrant and his wife (who died in the 1950s).
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The life story of a bisexual Hollywood star as she tells it to a young journalist.
Some of these books could be triggering (mostly for violence/rape/death) so feel free to ask me about them. Links go to Goodreads.
Alexander the Great:
Fire from Heaven (Alexander the Great #1) by Mary Renault
The early life and battles of Alexander the
The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Stephanie Thornton
The stories of the women in Alexander's life. And yes, he and Hephaistion are still a thing because hurrah for bisexuality.
Roman Empire:
Gladiatrix (Gladiatrix #1) by Russell Whitfield
An exciting book about female gladiators, with a lesbian protagonist and other queer characters throughout the series. Almost every trigger warning I can think of applies to this trilogy.
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore (Empress Theodora #1) by Stella Duffy
A novel about Empress Theodora's early life. I don't remember much about this book other than it's good.
Mongol Empire:
The Tiger Queens: The Women of Genghis Khan by Stephanie Thornton
Intriguing female characters in an interesting period of history.
Silk and Song (Silk and Song Trilogy #1-3) by Dana Stabenow
Three novels (published as one book) about a fictional granddaughter of Marco Polo and the adventures she goes on. (She's meant to be 16 but I pretended she was 18 or older because she wasn't 16 at all.)
17th Century France:
Goddess by Kelly Gardiner
A novel about the historical Julie d'Aubigny, a bisexual, cross-dressing opera singer and swordswoman.
19th Century:
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The last days of a historical Icelandic woman sentenced to death for murder in the 1820s.
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell by William Klaber
An American woman lives as a man in order to make a living, before there were words for queerness. (We don't know if today she would identify as a butch lesbian or a trans man.)
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
A twisty-turny crime romance (is that a thing??) about a thief and the rich girl she manipulates in Victorian England.
Gone to Pegasus by Tess Redgrave
A story about women's suffrage and the friendship between two pretty unlikeable women in 1880s New Zealand.
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
The raunchy adventures of a working class lesbian in 1890s London, with explorations of gender and class.
1920s England:
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Lesbian romance turned crime novel.
Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford
Deals with the early days of radio and the BBC, and also women's rights.
World War II Europe:
Mussolini's Island by Sarah Day
A story about the persecution of queer men in Fascist Italy.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Two French sisters, who are complete opposites, try to survive the Occupation.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
An emotionally exhausting novel about a group of teenagers trying to survive a disaster in the Baltic Sea.
1950s and Modern Day:
Despite The Falling Snow by Shamim Sarif
An exciting and tragic tale of a Russian emigrant and his wife (who died in the 1950s).
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The life story of a bisexual Hollywood star as she tells it to a young journalist.
no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 01:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 07:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 08:08 am (UTC)I hope you find something to your liking.
no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 08:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 09:11 am (UTC)Julie d'Aubigny was a cool lady, but Goddess is sadly underrated. I feel it's my duty to bring it to people's attention!
I need to read more Asian history too. I'm particularly interested in Mongolia but there aren't many books set there. :/
You're right about the 19th century ones being different - fiction from that era is usually about aristocratic/rich people, isn't it? I didn't even notice that when I was compiling the list.
Most of these are probably available from your library or ebook platform (with the exception of Fire From Heaven (I'm finding Mary Renault books hard to track down) and Gone To Pegasus (which is from a New Zealand publisher so possibly inaccessible overseas)).
no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 15/01/2019 11:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 16/01/2019 10:01 pm (UTC)What would you prioritize? what's the biggest must-read?
no subject
Date: 16/01/2019 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 20/01/2019 12:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 20/01/2019 12:02 am (UTC)