The best historical fiction novels to start with

The best historical fiction does two things at once: it tells a gripping human story and quietly drops you into another century. You finish feeling like you’ve traveled. If you’re new to the genre — or just want a guaranteed great one — here are six we hand to readers all the time.

The Nightingale — Kristin Hannah

Two sisters in Nazi-occupied France take very different paths through the war. The Nightingaleis the book that converts people who “don’t read historical fiction.” Emotional, propulsive, and impossible to put down.

All the Light We Cannot See — Anthony Doerr

A blind French girl and a German boy soldier whose lives slowly converge in occupied Saint-Malo. The prose in All the Light We Cannot See is luminous; it won the Pulitzer for good reason.

The Pillars of the Earth — Ken Follett

The building of a cathedral in 12th-century England, and the generations of builders, monks, and nobles who fight over it. The Pillars of the Earth is a doorstopper that reads like a thriller — perfect for a long, immersive stretch.

Wolf Hall — Hilary Mantel

Thomas Cromwell’s rise in the court of Henry VIII, told with startling intimacy. Wolf Hall asks a little more of you up front, but it rewards that attention more than almost any novel we know.

The Book Thief — Markus Zusak

A girl in WWII Germany who steals books, narrated — unforgettably — by Death himself. The Book Thief is shelved for teens but read and loved by everyone; have tissues nearby.

Homegoing — Yaa Gyasi

Two half-sisters in 18th-century Ghana and the descendants who follow, each chapter a new generation across three centuries. Homegoing is breathtaking in scope and one of the most assured debuts in years.

How to choose your first

Want the fastest hook? Start with The Nightingale. Crave a big immersive world? The Pillars of the Earth. Looking for something literary and ambitious? Wolf Hall or Homegoing. If a few of these made you tear up just reading the descriptions, you may also love our roundup of literary fiction that makes you cry.

Where to find them

Historical fiction is one of the genres we keep deepest on the shelves — these titles trade in often. Browse our shelves, ask the Matchmaker for one set in a century you love, or stop byand let us point you to a few. When you’re done, trade it forward for someone else’s next great read.