I’m not sure if you’ve noticed it or not, Savvy Readers, but historical fiction is kind of having a moment right now. Not only is the genre pretty much dominating the bestsellers charts, but it’s also providing us with a seemingly endless stream of great literature. So, without further ado, here are some of our absolute favourite historical fiction reads!

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

What historical fiction list would be complete without Kate Quinn? Fresh off the massive success of her tremendous book The Alice Network, The Huntress brings us right back to the war. This time, we’re transported to a post-WWII world, where we follow an English journalist and a female Russian bomber pilot as they track an infamous Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.

The Secret Orphan by Glynis Peters

Perfect for readers of Orphan Train and The Secret Wife, The Secret Orphan is a tale of love, loss, and resilience sit against the backdrop of war. As the bombs start falling, a woman entrusted with the life of an orphaned six-year-old girl knows that the only way to protect her is to flee. But when she learns a shocking secret about the young girl (no spoilers here!), her plan to flee the firestorm isn’t as simple as it once seemed…

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

The New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan‘s Tale is back, and boy is this one a doozy. Set, once again, during WWII, this novel is really a tale of friendship, courage, and love that centres on three women and a secret network of all-female secret agents that were working during the war. 

The Gown by Jennifer Robson

Just like no historical fiction round-up is complete without Kate Quinn, the same is true of Jennifer Robson. Despite already possessing one of the most impressive backlists amongst historical fiction writers, The Gown might just be her best book yet. This time, we’re transported to 1940s, where we’re given a backstage and, at times, shocking look at the creation of one of the most famous dresses in history – Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown – through the eyes of the very women who made the dress.

The Home For Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

We could go on forever about how beautiful this book is… And we have! We’ve been talking about it since last April! As a refresher, The Home for Unwanted Girls is a provocative, suspenseful novel filled with love, secrets, and deceit as we learn of the story of a young unwed mother who is forcibly separated from her daughter at birth and the lengths to which they go to find each other, all set against the backdrop of one of Canada’s most shocking secrets.

The Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood

 If you’re sick of hearing us talking about a certain book right above this one, then meet our new obsession, The Quintland Sisters, which just so happens to be perfect for fans of The Home For Unwanted Girls! This novel tells the story of the Dionne Quintuplets, the world’s first identical quintuplets to survive birth, told from the perspective of a midwife in training who helps bring them into the world.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

The next in a long line of books we will NEVER stop talking about, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courag,  based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov. The result? Nothing short of an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

The Dutch Wife by Ellen Keith

From the Netherlands to Germany to Argentina, The Dutch Wife braids together the stories of three individuals who share a dark secret and are entangled in two of the most oppressive reigns of terror in modern history. This is a novel about the blurred lines between love and lust, abuse and resistance, and right and wrong, as well as the capacity for ordinary people to persevere and do the unthinkable in extraordinary circumstances.

Have your say, Savvy Readers. What is the absolute best work of historical fiction you’ve read recently? Sound off in the comments or on Twitter @SavvyReader!

Happy reading,

Jesse

Follow me on Twitter @JesseDorey15