Author Topic: Recommend your favourite historical fiction to me! (Read 11865 times)

lizzzi · « **Reply #50 on:** December 28, 2016, 05:44:25 AM »

Yes, I'm currently re-reading the Cadfael mysteries (Ellis Peters) in order. Very soothing at night just before bed--get the paperbacks used on "Zon for .01 cent plus 3.99 shipping, and read them in the bathtub. Currently on Dead Man's Ransom--book nine or ten, I think.

Drifterrider · « **Reply #51 on:** December 28, 2016, 08:23:39 AM »

Am reading London by Rutherfurd (based on a previous posting).

I hope the author got paid by the word. Wordy but ok story. And, from the library so.........

RetiredAt63 · « **Reply #52 on:** December 28, 2016, 08:36:44 AM »

It's not just books that show changes in social mores. I saw The Parent Trap as a kid with Hayley Mills, and then DD saw the remake with Lindsay Lohan. It is really interesting to watch them back-to-back, the changes are amazing when the basic plot is the same.

One thing I find is that reading books written a while ago (or a long time ago) gives a different viewpoint than books written recently that are set in those times. Like the Lockridge (Richard and Frances) mystery books featuring Pam and Jerry North. Totally different life style than today, taken entirely for granted. Or for children, The Five Children and It series.

shelivesthedream · « **Reply #53 on:** December 28, 2016, 09:46:45 AM »

What a great thread! I'm wracking my brains to think of something that hasn't been mentioned, but my book list has ballooned! Many happy hours lie ahead...

randommadness · « **Reply #54 on:** December 28, 2016, 01:33:33 PM »

I must have missed it but no one recommended James Clavell!?

Shogun, Gai-Jin, Tai-Pan

wenchsenior · « **Reply #55 on:** December 28, 2016, 03:07:34 PM »

Quote from: randommadness on December 28, 2016, 01:33:33 PM

I must have missed it but no one recommended James Clavell!?

Shogun, Gai-Jin, Tai-Pan

Good one.

tthree · « **Reply #56 on:** December 28, 2016, 09:39:49 PM »

Pillars of the Earth and Earth Without End by Ken Follett. Google tells me this was also made into a mini series.....6 years ago, where have I been?

Drifterrider · « **Reply #57 on:** December 29, 2016, 10:00:59 AM »

Quote from: randommadness on December 28, 2016, 01:33:33 PM

I must have missed it but no one recommended James Clavell!?

Shogun, Gai-Jin, Tai-Pan

They are older works and I think we are all older people and we have CRS.

Phillipa Gregory has a new one out The Three Queens. Cornwell has the latest one about Uhtred (Viking saga) out soon.

lizzzi · « **Reply #58 on:** December 29, 2016, 01:44:37 PM »

The mini-series of Pillars of the Earth and Earth Without End were not well-reviewed. I tried watching Pillars of the Earth on Netflix and didn't like it. Seemed phony and heavy-handed, but in truth, I didn't watch enough of it to give a measured opinion--just really my first impression. I did watch The Last Kingdom, Series 1 on Netflix...it starts the story of Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Series and everyone's favorite Dark Age pagan, Uhtred. Loved that one.

Of course, we are supposed to be talking about books, not film. I would recommend the Saxon Series, and they should be available in the library. As someone said upthread, the new one (The Flame Bearer) is coming out in the States soon. I ordered my copy from Amazon.uk, so read it quite early. (No spoilers--but anyone who likes Uhtred should like it.)

doggyfizzle · « **Reply #59 on:** December 30, 2016, 07:31:10 PM »

Winds of War/War and Remeberance by Herman Wouk. Great historical WWII books with perspective from American and European citizens in all theaters of the war.

My all-time favorite is The Son by Philip Meyer. It follows the development of Texas from the mid-1800s to the present, told through the perspective of several generations of the same family.

cityfolks · « **Reply #60 on:** December 30, 2016, 08:02:27 PM »

I know she's better known for other works, but Mary Doria Russell has written several excellent historical novels - two about post-Civil War Western states, one about post-WWII Italy and one about early 20th century Middle East.

Tracy Chevalier, best known for Girl with a Pearl Earring, has written historical fiction in a wide range of time periods, typically with female protagonists. Louis Bayard writes historical fiction from secondary character points-of-view (e.g. what happens when Tiny Tim grows up) that have a more mystery feel. There's also a short series from Ariana Franklin about a proto-coroner in the England of Henry II.

Also, The Ghost of the Mary Celeste by Valerine Martin has mixed reviews on Goodreads, but I personally found it pretty compelling.

Freckles · « **Reply #61 on:** December 31, 2016, 11:27:29 AM »

I think my "to read" shelf on Goodreads has doubled in size thanks to this thread. Now just to find the time to do all that reading I want to do!

cityfolks · « **Reply #62 on:** December 31, 2016, 12:22:33 PM »

I know there's a thread somewhere for folks sharing MyFitnessPal accounts; do people share their Goodreads as well? I'm at https://www.goodreads.com/taygete if anybody wants to friend/follow. Sorry if this is getting off-track, I can start a new thread if enough people seem interested?

eostache · « **Reply #63 on:** December 31, 2016, 06:07:45 PM »

Lucia St. Clair Robson has several historical fiction books:

Ride the Wind: The story of Cynthia Ann Parker kidnapped and raised by Comanche Indians (real historical book on same subject is Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne)

The Tokaido Road: a story about feudal Japan.

Walking In My Soul: story of the Cherokee Indians and the Trail of Tears.

Light A Distant Fire: story of the Seminole Indians

Those are the ones I've read. She has several more that I have not read yet.

greengardens · « **Reply #64 on:** December 31, 2016, 06:29:42 PM »

Sorry if someone has already mentioned it but I'm really enjoying the Poldark series by Winston Graham. Takes place post American Revolution in Cornwall, GB. Masterpiece on PBS has been showing a new adaptation, which has been fabulous, but I've found that, as usual, I prefer the book series to the screen adaptation.

cakie · « **Reply #65 on:** January 01, 2017, 06:04:07 AM »

Aussie author Alison Goodman has a new series (2nd book just came out, reading it now). Lady Helen - it is well-researched Regency / supernatural fiction. Weird combo but I love it!

Sent from my InFocus M808 using Tapatalk

HappierAtHome · « **Reply #66 on:** January 02, 2017, 09:54:45 PM »

This thread is so awesome. Thank you, everyone who's commented recommending a book or ten.

I'm about halfway through Wolf Hall and I'm enjoying it.

stashgrower · « **Reply #67 on:** January 03, 2017, 12:55:17 AM »

To complement a book: I, Claudius (BBC mini-series).

RetiredAt63 · « **Reply #68 on:** January 03, 2017, 09:13:41 AM »

Quote from: cakie on January 01, 2017, 06:04:07 AM

Aussie author Alison Goodman has a new series (2nd book just came out, reading it now). Lady Helen - it is well-researched Regency / supernatural fiction. Weird combo but I love it!

Thanks, on hold now.

merula · « **Reply #69 on:** January 03, 2017, 10:14:51 AM »

I want to second Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. It's not 100% historical fiction, but most of the book takes place in the antebellum South.

I am absolutely in love with Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series. It's a take on the Sherlock Holmes universe that is delightfully feminist (IMO; a friend I recommended the book to didn't like how a romantic storyline plays out), set in the late 1910s and early 1920s. The series starts with The Beekeeper's Apprentice/

mtn · « **Reply #70 on:** January 03, 2017, 11:57:10 AM »

Seconding: the Aubriad series by Patrick O'Brian, and Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Havent seen it recommended yet: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Give it 100 pages, even if you don't like westerns.

Quote from: former player on December 22, 2016, 02:43:04 PM

C S Forrester - Napoleonic wars at sea with Hornblower (Patrick O'Brien is the knock-off)

Yeah, but O'Brian's series is better.

vern · « **Reply #71 on:** January 03, 2017, 11:43:02 PM »

Quote from: randommadness on December 28, 2016, 01:33:33 PM

I must have missed it but no one recommended James Clavell!?

Shogun, Gai-Jin, Tai-Pan

And don't forget King Rat! Clavell was a prisoner at Changi and the King was supposedly based on a real American corporal.

Speaking of WWII, Slaughtehouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut is taken from the author's experience during the firebombing of Dresden. (With a healthy dose of science fiction added!)

Quidnon? · « **Reply #72 on:** January 04, 2017, 04:12:02 PM »

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but one of my favorite historical novel series ever would have to be the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle

rpr · « **Reply #73 on:** January 04, 2017, 06:52:10 PM »

This is a digression but today (1/4/2017) Amazon is having a Kindle book sale (Gold Box deal -- 1.99 to 3.99) on some Bestselling History Books (not historical fiction).

nnls · « **Reply #74 on:** January 05, 2017, 01:35:28 AM »

Maybe not quite what you are looking for but I really enjoyed The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hundred-Year-Old_Man_Who_Climbed_Out_the_Window_and_Disappeared

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13486632-the-hundred-year-old-man-who-climbed-out-of-the-window-and-disappeared

lizzzi · « **Reply #75 on:** January 05, 2017, 05:58:23 AM »

I'm not sure if the Miss Read books are old enough to be considered historical fiction, but her charming, tart stories of village life in England in the 1950's are definitely "keepers" for her many fans. She created two fictional villages in the Cotswolds--Fairacre and Thrush Green. The first one, "Village School" appeared in 1956.

RetiredAt63 · « **Reply #76 on:** January 05, 2017, 07:48:14 AM »

Jennifer Kloester's Georgette Heyer's Regency World gives great background. The book blurb: Presents a guide to Regency society as depicted in the novels of the English author Georgette Heyer, covering such topics as social classes, fashion, London and country homes, shopping, food, drink, clubs, sports, and the Royal Family. You can see the author knows the books, she will talk about something and refer to a character in relationship to the whatever. Snuff - who used it, shoes - when someone had to buy ready-made instead of made-to-order, etc.

lizzzi · « **Reply #77 on:** January 05, 2017, 08:20:23 AM »

Quote from: RetiredAt63 on January 05, 2017, 07:48:14 AM

Jennifer Kloester's Georgette Heyer's Regency World gives great background. The book blurb: Presents a guide to Regency society as depicted in the novels of the English author Georgette Heyer, covering such topics as social classes, fashion, London and country homes, shopping, food, drink, clubs, sports, and the Royal Family. You can see the author knows the books, she will talk about something and refer to a character in relationship to the whatever. Snuff - who used it, shoes - when someone had to buy ready-made instead of made-to-order, etc.

Jane Aiken Hodge's "The Private World of Georgette Heyer" came out in 1984, and while Hodge did not have access to the same sources that Kloester did later, the book is probably a must-read for Heyer fans. Kloester's biography of Heyer, titled "Georgette Heyer" came out in 2011, and will tell you everything you want to know about her and then some. Heyer's family cooperated with Kloester, and gave her incredible access. These books are not fiction, of course...hope I'm not too off-topic here...but I think die-hard Heyer fans would definitely want to take a look.

WootWoot · « **Reply #78 on:** January 05, 2017, 12:19:34 PM »

I absolutely love "Lace" by Shirley Conran. Another of my favorites is "Shake Down the Stars" by Frances Connelly. Not sure what you mean by Historical but both of these are 20th century. "Stars" is a WWII novel.

Winter's Tale · « **Reply #79 on:** January 05, 2017, 01:09:34 PM »

Longbourn, The Telling, and (not quite as much) The Undertow by Jo Baker.

SisterX · « **Reply #80 on:** January 05, 2017, 01:14:28 PM »

Quote from: lizzzi on January 05, 2017, 08:20:23 AM

Quote from: RetiredAt63 on January 05, 2017, 07:48:14 AM
Jennifer Kloester's Georgette Heyer's Regency World gives great background. The book blurb: Presents a guide to Regency society as depicted in the novels of the English author Georgette Heyer, covering such topics as social classes, fashion, London and country homes, shopping, food, drink, clubs, sports, and the Royal Family. You can see the author knows the books, she will talk about something and refer to a character in relationship to the whatever. Snuff - who used it, shoes - when someone had to buy ready-made instead of made-to-order, etc.

Jane Aiken Hodge's "The Private World of Georgette Heyer" came out in 1984, and while Hodge did not have access to the same sources that Kloester did later, the book is probably a must-read for Heyer fans. Kloester's biography of Heyer, titled "Georgette Heyer" came out in 2011, and will tell you everything you want to know about her and then some. Heyer's family cooperated with Kloester, and gave her incredible access. These books are not fiction, of course...hope I'm not too off-topic here...but I think die-hard Heyer fans would definitely want to take a look.

THANK YOU!! I'll have to check out the Kloester books. I read Hodge's book years ago and mostly loved it. I was confused by some assertions, such as the idea that in 'A Convenient Marriage' it's obvious that they've been having sex and stopped. I re-read that one after and was still confused by where she got that impression. Heyer was so, so subtle about anything bedroom related that in very few of them did I get the impression that either character actually knew what sex was. But whatever, I didn't and don't read those books for sexy shenanigans.
My mother's dementia has progressed to the point where she can no longer read. However, I asked for and was granted her collection of Heyer novels. <3 My mom was the one who introduced me to Heyer, so these books are incredibly meaningful to me. I'm excited for the day when I can let my own daughter borrow them.

lizzzi · « **Reply #81 on:** January 05, 2017, 03:16:23 PM »

In "A Convenient Marriage" it is very subtle, but I think when Horry comes back from her honeymoon in Paris and lords it over her sisters a bit--telling them they have no idea how agreeable marriage is--it may be a just-barely-there reference to the physical relationship. And there is a scene I believe in Horry's dressing room, where she is wearing a wrapper and has her hair down with a bow in it...she and her husband are supposed to go out, and he asks her if she'd like to consign their friends to the devil and just stay in with him. (She refuses, and they go out.) I think maybe he was suggesting they stay in and make love--but it's hard to tell. I'm going from memory here--not sure if I have the book anymore or not--some of my old paperbacks have dissolved into dust over the years.

HappierAtHome · « **Reply #82 on:** January 05, 2017, 05:19:22 PM »

Quote from: SisterX on January 05, 2017, 01:14:28 PM

My mother's dementia has progressed to the point where she can no longer read. However, I asked for and was granted her collection of Heyer novels. <3 My mom was the one who introduced me to Heyer, so these books are incredibly meaningful to me. I'm excited for the day when I can let my own daughter borrow them.

That's really sweet. What a nice way to be able to pass on something you and your mother shared to your own daughter.

LeRainDrop · « **Reply #83 on:** January 05, 2017, 05:54:55 PM »

Quote from: SisterX on December 22, 2016, 01:50:42 PM

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Schaffer is beautiful.

Yes! The title was kind of off-putting to me, but our book club selected it, so I read it. All of us (mostly women spanning ages ~30 to 80) found it to be delightful!

NewMustachian · « **Reply #84 on:** January 05, 2017, 06:40:13 PM »

Great thread! I liked Ragtime by EL Doctorow.

NewMustachian · « **Reply #85 on:** January 05, 2017, 06:45:03 PM »

And another - not sure if this counts but All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren?

SisterX · « **Reply #86 on:** January 09, 2017, 11:23:00 AM »

Quote from: HappierAtHome on January 05, 2017, 05:19:22 PM

Quote from: SisterX on January 05, 2017, 01:14:28 PM
My mother's dementia has progressed to the point where she can no longer read. However, I asked for and was granted her collection of Heyer novels. <3 My mom was the one who introduced me to Heyer, so these books are incredibly meaningful to me. I'm excited for the day when I can let my own daughter borrow them.

That's really sweet. What a nice way to be able to pass on something you and your mother shared to your own daughter.

You never feel the weight of being the keeper of memories of your parents as much as when you know they're going to fade away and die before your kid grows up. My daughter won't know her grandmother much through her own memories (she's three now and my mom's dementia has progressed to being stage 4/5ish--still able to do many things on her own but starting the downward bell curve) so I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to help her know her grandma as she grows up.

One of my grandmothers died when I was a toddler, so that's shaped my attitude toward my mom's illness and its impact on my daughter.

/derailing the thread.

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Author Topic: Recommend your favourite historical fiction to me! (Read 11865 times)