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44 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time

Our goal was to create the best list of Historical Fiction books on the internet.
To remain objective and unbiased, we looked at the 6 most popular“best Historical Fiction books" articles online (we chose 6 because anything more than that diluted our quality).

Our rationale was simple: If a book only appears in one article, it’s probably just the journalist’s opinion, but if it appears in two or more, it’s probably worth checking out!
Below you’ll find which books made the cut 😊

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Total: 44 books

  1. The Pillars of the Earth

    Ken Follett

    Appears in 4 articles
    36 of the best historical fiction books of all time - Pan Macmillan
    panmacmillan.com
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    2 recommenders
    Oprah WinfreyNolan Bushnell

  2. The Four Winds

    Kristin Hannah

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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  3. Homegoing

    Yaa Gyasi

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    1 recommender
    Kathryn Minshew
  4. 4

    Beloved

    Toni Morrison

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    3 recommenders
    Adam SesslerShonda RhimesTavi Gevinson
  5. 5

    Things Fall Apart

    Chinua Achebe

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    4 recommenders
    Barack ObamaJacqueline NovogratzChimamanda Ngozi AdichieSarah Jessica Parker
  6. 6

    Girl with a Pearl Earring

    Tracy Chevalier

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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  7. 7

    The God of Small Things

    Arundhati Roy

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    1 recommender
    Christopher Hitchens
  8. 8

    The Dovekeepers

    Alice Hoffman

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    1 recommender
    Ann Miura-Ko
  9. 9

    Alias Grace

    Margaret Atwood

    Appears in 3 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
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  10. 10

    The Name of the Rose

    Umberto Eco

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
    View More
  11. 11

    The Underground Railroad

    Colson Whitehead

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
    View More
    5 recommenders
    Adam SesslerBarack ObamaJohn LegendOprah WinfreySarah Jessica Parker
  12. 12

    Pachinko

    Min Jin Lee

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    2 recommenders
    Barack ObamaEmma Watson
  13. 13

    Wolf Hall

    Hilary Mantel

    Appears in 3 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
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    2 recommenders
    Barack ObamaChristopher Hitchens
  14. 14

    The Sympathizer

    Viet Thanh Nguyen

    Appears in 3 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    2 recommenders
    Bill GatesMax Levchin
  15. 15

    The Red Tent

    Anita Diamant

    Appears in 3 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
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  16. 16

    Outlander

    Diana Gabaldon

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
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    1 recommender
    George R. R. Martin
  17. 17

    The Poisonwood Bible

    Barbara Kingsolver

    Appears in 2 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    2 recommenders
    Hillary ClintonOprah Winfrey
  18. 18

    One Hundred Years of Solitude

    Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    Appears in 2 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
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    8 recommenders
    Alexandria Ocasio-CortezCal FussmanNeil StraussOprah WinfreyRichard BransonChristopher HitchensFred WilsonChimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  19. 19

    Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

    Lisa See

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
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  20. 20

    Alex & Eliza

    Melissa de la Cruz

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More
  21. 21

    The Night Watchman

    Louise Erdrich

    Appears in 2 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
    View More
  22. 22

    The Marriage of Opposites

    Alice Hoffman

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More
  23. 23

    Cold Mountain

    Charles Frazier

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More
  24. 24

    The Twentieth Wife

    Indu Sundaresan

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  25. 25

    Lavinia

    Ursula K. Le Guin

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  26. 26

    The English Patient

    Michael Ondaatje

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More
  27. 27

    How Much of These Hills Is Gold

    C Pam Zhang

    Appears in 2 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
    View More
  28. 28

    Lincoln in the Bardo

    George Saunders

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
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    1 recommender
    Bill Gates
  29. 29

    The Buddha in the Attic

    Julie Otsuka

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  30. 30

    As Meat Loves Salt

    Maria McCann

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  31. 31

    The Night Watch

    Sarah Waters

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More
  32. 32

    Abundance

    Sena Jeter Naslund

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More
  33. 33

    All the Light We Cannot See

    Anthony Doerr

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
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    2 recommenders
    Barack ObamaMike Maples, Jr.
  34. 34

    The Twelve Rooms of the Nile

    Enid Shomer

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More
  35. 35

    A Gentleman in Moscow

    Amor Towles

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
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    5 recommenders
    Barack ObamaBill GatesBrian KoppelmanMelinda GatesSarah Jessica Parker
  36. 36

    The Book Thief

    Markus Zusak

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  37. 37

    The Book of Longings

    Sue Monk Kidd

    Appears in 2 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
    View More
  38. 38

    My Brilliant Friend

    Elena Ferrante

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  39. 39

    Atonement

    Ian McEwan

    Appears in 2 articles
    25 Best Historical Fiction Books - Novels Inspired By History
    goodhousekeeping.com
    View More
  40. 40

    The House of the Spirits

    Isabel Allende

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
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    1 recommender
    Christopher Hitchens
  41. 41

    Fingersmith

    Sarah Waters

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  42. 42

    March

    Geraldine Brooks

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
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  43. 43

    Human Acts

    Han Kang

    Appears in 2 articles
    50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books You Must Read | Book Riot
    bookriot.com
    View More
  44. 44

    Arthur & George

    Julian Barnes

    Appears in 2 articles
    The 50 Best Historical Fiction Books of All Time — Barnes & Noble Reads
    barnesandnoble.com
    View More