As rich and fascinating as history is, I often struggle to find historical fiction books that interest me and hold my attention. A lot of this I attribute to the fact that despite the breadth of history, a lot of easily accessible historical fiction tends to focus on similar time periods and story-telling styles (how many historical fiction novels are there that take place during World War II?), and while there is merit to telling many versions of one event, it can be tiresome to read about what might feel like the same thing over and over. So, in lieu of novels that can be hard to appreciate unless you are a die-hard historian, I want to offer some recommendations a little bit more off the beaten path of the genre.
- Briefly, A Delicious life by Nell Stevens
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“In 1473, fourteen-year-old Blanca dies in a hilltop monastery in Mallorca. Nearly four hundred years later, when George Sand, her two children, and her lover Frederic Chopin arrive in the village, Blanca is still there: a spirited, funny, righteous ghost, she’s been hanging around the monastery since her accidental death, spying on the monks and the townspeople and keeping track of her descendants.” (Goodreads)
This novel is a relatively quick and very entertaining read from a perspective that I don’t think I’ve ever read before—that of the ghost of a teenage girl. It’s often as funny as it is heart-wrenching, with complex characters and insights into the lives of historical figures that I had never heard of before and would certainly like to know more about after reading. And that name Chopin that might sound familiar in the blurb? He is indeed the famous composer.
- no Country by Kalyan Ray
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“In the poverty of rural Ireland in 1843, Padraig Aherne and Brendan McCarthaigh grew up as brothers, inseparable, even when Padraig falls in love with their beautiful classmate, Brigid. But when Padraig makes a dangerous mistake that forces him onto a ship bound for India, and the deadly potato famine sweeps through their tiny village, Brendan is left alone to care for his best friend’s child, an infant daughter Padraig never knew he had. Eventually, Brendan flees with her aboard one of the infamous “coffin ships,” to begin a new life in America. As Brendan’s and Padraig’s two family trees take root on opposite sides of the world, their tendrils begin to intertwine, moving inexorably toward a disastrous convergence more than a century later.” (Simon & Schuster)
This novel is a bit of a commitment, at over 500 pages, but it spans an impressive amount of time; Ray weaves together many storylines over several generations into a detailed tapestry of lives lived the world round. Definitely a rewarding read, and you get the chance to explore not only many different historical settings and events, but also the ways in which they might have connected within people’s and families’ lives.
- Last Night At The Telegraph CLub by Malinda Lo
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“America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father—despite his hard-won citizenship—Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.” (Goodreads)
If your social media presence is anything like mine, there is a high chance that you have been recommended this book at some point. I personally have been seeing recommendations of it for years, and only got around to reading it about a month ago, but there is definitely a reason so many people want you to read it. It’s a great story in and of itself, but it also presents a narrative that reflects an American demographic and historical moment that really has little-to-no representation in a lot of media. Lo also includes a summary of her sources and research at the end of the novel, which I highly recommend reading as well.
- Half a Lifelong Romance by Eileen Chang
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“Shanghai, 1930s. Shen Shijun, a young engineer, has fallen in love with his colleague, the beautiful Gu Manzhen. He is determined to resist his family’s efforts to match him with his wealthy cousin so that he can marry the woman he truly loves. But dark circumstances–a lustful brother-in-law, a treacherous sister, a family secret–force the two young lovers apart. As Manzhen and Shijun go on their separate paths, they lose track of one another, and their lives become filled with feints and schemes, missed connections and tragic misunderstandings. At every turn, societal expectations seem to thwart their prospects for happiness. Still, Manzhen and Shijun dare to hold out hope–however slim–that they might one day meet again. A glamorous, wrenching tale set against the glittering backdrop of an extraordinary city, Half a Lifelong Romance is a beloved classic from one of the essential writers of twentieth-century China.” (Goodreads)
This novel, whose original Chinese title 半生缘 (Bànshēng yuán) translates to something like “A Half a Lifetime’s Fate” or “Fated to Half a Lifetime” (this is me doing my best to translate it myself so please be nice), is actually considered to be an icon of modern Chinese literature, but isn’t very well-known in America. It’s a translated novel, which is always interesting to read, and especially in a historical fiction context. I’m currently (slowly) working my way through this novel, and I am really enjoying it so far.
- Babel: An Arcane History by R. F. Kuang
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“1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation—also known as Babel. The tower and its students are the world’s center for translation and, more importantly, magic. Silver-working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—has made the British unparalleled in power, as the arcane craft serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.
For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and as a Chinese boy raised in Britain, Robin realizes serving Babel means betraying his motherland. As his studies progress, Robin finds himself caught between Babel and the shadowy Hermes Society, an organization dedicated to stopping imperial expansion. When Britain pursues an unjust war with China over silver and opium, Robin must decide . . .
Can powerful institutions be changed from within, or does revolution always require violence?” (Goodreads)
Much like Last Night at the Telegraph Club, you have probably seen people telling you to read Babel before, but I am here to tell you that you absolutely need to read it. It. Is. So. Good. With excellent writing, a fascinating spin on the history of the British Empire, and an intriguing cast, it is probably my favorite historical fiction novel I have ever read. Fair warning though, be prepared for a lot of frustration and more than a little heartbreak.