Historical fiction please!

Rosemary Hawley Jarman for 15c England and France
Norah Lofts

If you like more modern historical fiction, Kate Quinn is a very good read. The Huntress set in New York/WW2 Europe is one of the most thrilling books I’ve read. The Rose Code and Diamond Eye are good too if you like historical thrillers.

Those of you who are Norah Lofts fans, you can tell I spent my teens buried in her books-poor Hester!

Norah Lofts, many brilliant historical novels

Dorothy Dunnett

Sebastian Faulks too

And Pat Barker Regeneration Trilogy

‘I also thoroughly enjoyed the Master & Commander series - both the film and the Patrick O'Brian books - though I did have to download a diagram of a 3-mast ship with all the bits labelled to help me know what was going on (& his female characters are paper thin).’

Master and Commander is my favourite film of all time. What a shame no sequels were made-there’s plenty of material. I really enjoyed the books too.

If you love it, then read Avenue Goes to War books and the Swann books ! Wonderful.

Margaret Dickinson, Dinah Jeffries, Rosanna Ley, Lillian Harry, Elizabeth Jane Howard, Margaret Mayhew,
Norma Lofts, Elizabeth Chadwick, Jean Plaidy, Elizabeth Goudge, Pamela Bell, Donna Douglas, Kate Thompson, Helen Carey, Rosie Archer, James Farner, Diney Costello, Elizabeth Darrell

Home Fires by S Block
Anything by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Flambards trilogy

Anything by Isabel Allende

RF Delderfield-oh yes! A book I really enjoyed of his was To Serve Them All My Days about a WW1 shell shocked soldier teaching at a boys’ school.

Are all the Philippa Gregory haters historians?

I really enjoyed her cousins wars books. They may be historically inaccurate, but I don't think there is anything wrong with the way she writes. Whenever I read her or any historical fiction it always prompts me to look up the facts anyway.

I see that Robert Harris has been mentioned. I loved Pompeii. I used to love reading Mary Renault, but haven't read anything by her for years.

Sharon Penman's late medieval novels are good - esp The Sunne in Splendour on Richard III and her trilogy on Lewellyn of Wales. The ones on Eleanor of Aquitaine as less good - I think because she had less sources to inspire her.

Robert Harris' historical novels are fab esp Fatherland, which is terrifying.

Noah Lofts House trilogy.

Another vote for Hillary Mantel esp the Wolf Hall novels (& the BBC adaption).

I also thoroughly enjoyed the Master & Commander series - both the film and the Patrick O'Brian books - though I did have to download a diagram of a 3-mast ship with all the bits labelled to help me know what was going on (& his female characters are paper thin).

I don’t think so. I know everyone has different taste, but I like the books you have listed so we may have similar taste. I find PG unreadable. Historically inaccurate too.

The Matthew Bartholomew series by susannah Gregory - medieval Cambridge murder mysteries. The audiobooks are particularly well read.

Thomas Chaloner series by the same author. Restoration London.

Slightly less silly but featuring the same period and in fact some of the same
characters Ashes of London series by Andrew Taylor.

The Falco novels - first century Roman fun - Lindsay Davis.

None of these series are likely to win any prizes for literary fiction but better than Philipa Gregory IMO. They’ve also got a lot of books between them so something to get your teeth stuck into!

Sarum - Edward Rutherford - that was huge back in the day . Everyone seemed to read it.

One of my absolute favourites!

Any Philippa Gregory

Cynthia Harrod Eagles Morland Dynasty will keep you going for 35 books

Delderfield - Avenue goes to War books and others

Poldark! A wonderful series of books. CJ Samson-if you’ve not read his novels you’re in for a treat. I don’t rate Phillippa Gregory at all-dreadful. Her very early novels were better as she concentrated on fictional characters rather than real ones. Elizabeth Chadwick writes medieval romance-again her books centred on fictional characters are better. A medieval novel I really enjoyed was The Kings Mistress by Emma Campion about Alice Perrers, mistress of Edward 111. And if you want something earlier, the Wolf’s Den novels by Elodie Harper, set in a Pompeii brothel are completely absorbing.

I must re-read Forever Amber and Norah Lofts-devoured them as a teenager!

Edward Rutherford Sarum was my favourite and London was good too. still remember both over 25 years since I read them.

im not sure if I read Paris or Russia. Will look for them

Came here to say Edward Rutherford is fantastic. I read his books 25 years ago and I still remember how much I loved them.

I really enjoyed Pachinko by Min Jin Lee about the history of Korea and Japan.

I use to love jean plaidy

And, of course, Mary Renault.

My go-to is always Norah Lofts. The best historical novelist imo. Historically accurate and very readable.
The Observations by Jane Harris is always overlooked, which I can't understand.
Also Now we Shall be Entirely Free by Andrew Miller.
Tbh everybody brings up the Wolf Hall trilogy on these threads, but I have not managed to get through the final one, though I've tried more than once.
Pg is dreadful. Neither historical nor good writing.