Historical Fiction Recommendations for a Man please

[freckles20]

I’m hoping that the might of mumsnet may be able to suggest a historical fiction book that might appeal to a man in his mid 70s.

It is for my godfather who isn’t very well at the moment and is staying in a hotel close to the hospital where he is having daily treatment.

I don’t really know exactly what he might enjoy but I know that he is interested in history and I feel fiction would be a better choice for him than something factual.

I am not sure if it’s remotely possible but he does have an interest in Guernsey so anything that nods towards that would be amazing. Failing that maybe something fairly easy to read but also gripping.

I have tried to find something myself but am bamboozled by the choice so any suggestions very gratefully received.

thank you

I've always been gripped by CJ Sansom's Shardlake series - hunchback lawyer tasked with solving various mysteries for Cromwell/Henry VIII. My 81 year old dad loves them too. I think there have been seven in the series so far, all chunky books, good for passing a long dull day in a hospital.

I don't know much about Guernsey but there was that Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie book released a few years ago. WWII setting but haven't read it so can't say whether it's any good.

I hope he gets well soon.

The Daughter of Time sprang to mind, I think because it is about a detective in hospital! But it is gripping, although not to do with Guernsey, and is very much about history
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daughter_of_Time

A lot of authors write historical fiction about the Royal Navy in different eras. Lots of action but not too demanding. Is that something that might interest him?

Off the top of my head, Julian Stockwin, Richard Woodman, Douglas Reeman, J.D. Davies, to name a few - there are others.

Has he got a Kindle? There's lots of cheap stuff (99p), or you can download samples of novels to try.

If he has a Kindle Fire, and is a member of a public library, he can borrow e-books via the Overdrive or Libby app.

Historical crime is also very popular with lots of authors and historical periods to choose from. Is he interested in any particular historical era?

The Aubrey/Maturin books by Patrick O’Brian about the British navy in the Napoleonic Wars are a captivating read, the first couple in the series are Master and Commander, and Post Captain.

Robert Harris writes a good yarn, Fatherland, V2, Munich, etc are all good reads.

Also have a look at William Boyd, he’s a good storyteller.

I haven't read it, but The Book of Ebenezer le Page is set on Guernsey, historical, and gets good reviews.

I can recommend crime novels set in the British Raj, in Calcutta after WW1, 5 of them so far, written by Abir Mukherjee. I can't wait for the next one. We'll written and have very good pace.

My dad really enjoyed the books by Bernard Cornwell - various series but the Sharpe books and the last kingdom books are both brilliant and incredibly well researched and historically accurate.

I see the Aubrey/Maturin books have already been recommended - some of my favourite books of all time.

Oh yes, yes these are good! Another series that I passed on to my dad, and he also loved.

@StrychnineInTheSandwiches Can you recommend another series, written by someone who understands the history and the period that he/she us writing about?

I second Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom series. There's about 10 or 11 of them so plenty for him to read if he likes them.

Wow so many wonderful suggestions. I’m really grateful thank you .

My dad is now showing an interest too. He’s not been able to focus on a book for several years but I’ll sort one of these suggestions for him as a physical book to have a go at, and another on audible.

Thanks again. You are all wonderful.

Conn Iggulden - The Gates of Rome trilogy
You won't regret it!

I also hear his Genghis Khan books are great.

His others since haven't been as good as the Rome ones, which are stand out.

J G Farrell would fit the bill too, try The Siege of Krishnapur, or Troubles.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your Godfather.

Bernard Cornwell also wrote a series on the American Civil War which are very good. I can also thoroughly recommend a series of books by Alexander Fullerton which follow a naval family through the two world wars. Nicholas Monsarrat also wrote a wonderful book called the Master Mariner which follows a sailor cursed because of cowardice to never grow old from the Armada through to Trafalgar. That is a great read

Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series. They are absolutely wonderful. There are various audiobooks and BBC radio adaptations too.

The companion cookbook Lobscouse and Spotted Dog is also brilliant.

I second the Shardlake series, they are so good.

The author really knows his history, I learnt so much about the dissolution of the monasteries reading his first book. But it’s also a detective novel as well so really engrossing.

There's a useful list of books relating to Guernsey here, including some non-fiction but connected to the Occupation - these books tend to be written by local historians so are not particularly heavy going.

www.worldwidewriter.co.uk/books-to-read-before-you-visit-the-channel-islands.html

Second vote for Conn Igulden Genghis Khan (have to be in sequence) and the Last Kingdom Series by Cornwell.
Also check out Stephen Lawhead, more medieval time period.
Pillars of the earth by Ken Follet.

Restoration by Rose Tremain, set in the reign of Charles II, is my favorite historical novel (it's also classed as literary fiction), and I think it appeals to men as well.

Thirded.
They’re my go-to Christmas treat. Though no more - I hear he’s too ill.

An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer is great fun, and used at Sandhurst to teach about the tactics used at Waterloo.

I feel a bit sad about the demarcation on here between men and women's historical fiction as the good stuff should be enjoyed by everyone. Even other Georgette Heyer books, while marketed as historical romance, are sharp, funny and interesting, and many men would like them if they knew!

An Infamous Army by Georgette Heyer is great fun, and used at Sandhurst to teach about the tactics used at Waterloo.

And before that, The Spanish Bride, about the Peninsular Campaign.

Some of Georgette Heyer's books are as much mystery as romance - The Talisman Ring, The Reluctant Widow and The Tollgate - and she creates some wonderful secondary characters. Jonathan Chawleigh from A Civil Contract, for example.

I'm following an ongoing series about the Peninsular Campaign by Lynn Bryant. Very well researched, although I think she has got to the point where she's a little bit too much in love with her own characters.

Another vote for Bernard Cromwell's Sharpe books. They are both an easy and a good read.

The Aubrey/Maturin books by Patrick O’Brian as already suggested are incredible books.

You can't go wrong with either of those.

Another vote for CJ Samson!

I read the Potato Pie book but thought it was awful!

I got DH into Georgette Heyer and he's read the lot! He also loves Jeeves and Wooster so that's another idea. We both enjoyed the Aubrey/ Maturin novels, they would keep your Godfather well occupied.

Another idea but not fiction, how about some auto/biographies? They are quite easy to pick up and put down. I've just bought DH the Mel Brooks autobiography, it looks extremely entertaining.