Your favourite book - historical fiction, not UK/US based?

[RejectedAgainandAgain]

I've been reading a lot of historical fiction recently and realised I'm very blinkered in my geographical choice. I prefer Middle Ages or earlier and would like to try something that is not set in the UK or US. What do you recommend?

Great thread, though it’s making me realise how little I’ve read in this category, especially in terms of anything written by non-anglophone writers. One I loved years ago and haven’t seen mentioned yet is I, Claudius.

Circe - Madeleine Miller (Ancient Greece)
The Wolf Den - Elodie Harper (Pompeii)
The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O Farrell- (Italy)
How we disappeared - Jing Jing Lee (Singapore)

Loved all these - Well I'm 3/4 of the way through the Marriage Portrait but I love it so far! And the rest were superb

I recently read Lady Tan's Circle of Women, which is based on an actual 15th century female doctor in China. Fascinating. Though I should perhaps warn you that there are fairly graphic descriptions related to foot binding.

Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series, I've only read the first two but they're about cathedral building and the Black Death.

Oh sorry, just seen you said not UK

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Korea and Japan from 1911. I read it for book club and really enjoyed it. I then lent my copy to my mum who enjoyed it so much she bought her own.

Pat Barker Women of Troy and Silence of the Girls. Both were brilliant.

Natalie Haynes - A thousand ships about the women of troy was fantastic.

I'm a huge fan of Andre Brink South African novelist who wrote both historical and contemporary fiction, but the historical fiction is mainly 19th century so may be too recent for you. Dan Sleigh (also SA) wrote an amazing book called Islands which is 17th century.

Elif Shafak's The Architect's Apprentice which is middle ages/early modern Ottoman empire is very good.

Lots of recommendations, thank you! I think I'm going to work my way down in order.

I've read all of the Greek/Troy ones mentioned. Have to say I did not get along with Dorothy Dunnett, I read the Lymond series but never got further than the first Niccolo. I think DH has a couple of Patrick O'Brien I could dig out and give another try, when I've finished the others on this list as I don't remember them being riveting. Having said that, I think I read them after reading the Hornblower series and it was a bit too much naval-wise!

Oh you have to read Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series in order. Don’t just jump in anywhere.

Start with Master and Commander and be patient when it comes to technical descriptions. They are far less indigestible in the later books and it is still a wonderful story.

I enjoyed the Hornblower novels very much, but Hornblower is so impossibly perfect and would never tell anyone that they have made their cake and now must lie in it.

The Land Beyond The Sea by Sharon Penman is about Jerusalem and The Crusades.

@beguilingeyes I thought I'd read all her books, might start with that one!

If you haven’t already read it, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.

This book completely blew me away. Set in France during WWII it follows the resilience of two sisters. It’s completely empowering and emotional, I recommend it to everyone.

The Greenlanders - Jane Smiley