Historical fiction please!

[Artemis6]

Recently enjoyed:
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
The Crimson Petal and the White
Hamnet

Any other suggestions?

Anything by Isabel Allende

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

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

‘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.

Sebastian Faulks too

And Pat Barker Regeneration Trilogy

Dorothy Dunnett

Norah Lofts, many brilliant historical novels

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

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.

Rosemary Hawley Jarman for 15c England and France
Norah Lofts

Are all the Philippa Gregory haters historians?

I wouldn't call my feelings to Gregory hate - too strong an emotion - nor myself an historian, despite the history degree. My thoughts about the books of her's I've read is that a) she's not a very good writer (The Boley Inheritance was dreadful) and she has a tendency to write as if historical figures are modern people in fancy dress (The Other Boleyn Girl)

Kristin Lavrandatter by Sigrid Undset is incredible. All about a woman's life in 14th century Norway.

Sharpe books by Bernard Cornwell are good too.

Also Margaret Elphinstone The Sea Road - about the Viking exploration of the North Atlantic through the eyes of a child and young woman.

Sarah Dunant - In the Company of the Courtesan and The Birth of Venus , set in Venice and Florence in the 16th century. Both very good.

BIrdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore - set in Bristol.

The Witchfinders Sister by Beth Underdown

For Shardlake fans - there's going to be a TV series

@Mindlesspuzzles - really?

yes, poor Hester. Norah Lofts never drew back from unhappy endings.

I've been reading the James Marwood series by Andrew Taylor, set at and just after the Great Fire of London. The first book is Ashes of London. A bit of a murder mystery but really good at taking you into the world of 17th century London.

Dare I suggest Outlander?

I second Poldark

If you like the Shardlake seried, SJ Parris' Giodarno Bruno series is great too.

Also P F Chisolm Robert Carey series. I read the "last" one in the series and so wanted to immediately know what happened and when was the next book coming out. Not sure it ever is sadly.

@Footle its coming out on disney+ iirc

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.

There was an excellent tv adaptation of that, a long time ago. I've just had a look, and it seems some or all of it is on YouTube.

And while on the subject of tv adaptations of stories about schoolmasters, Goodbye Mr Chips with Martin Clunes is also excellent.

Beryl Kingston, The Easter Trilogy

The last Robert Carey should be out quite soon - I can’t wait!
Anything by Diana Norman - brilliant writer interested in how women’s lives were affected by laws favouring men but also funny, romantic, brilliant

CJ Sansom's Shardlake stories.
Mary Renault-classical civilisation and early 20the century.