books set in the past?

[BooyhooNOTboohoooORbooyou]

i find i tend not enjoy books set in the present day, theres already enough of it on the news everyday so i usually read books that are set in the past, quite like ones set in the earlier half of the 20th century.

having exhuasted my nana's huge collection books i now find myself with nothing to read and not knowing what to buy for a good read either.

any recommendations? what have you read that you think i might enjoy?

Try Andrea Levy's new book The Long Song.

Even better than small island imo. (and that was my favourite book)

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. Set in the 'near future' but written in the 1930s.

Sebastian Barry - A long long way. Set in WW1, but a very human story. I loved it.

Second Sebastian Barry, esp for the revisionist Irish history.

Tracey Chevalier's books are really good. I love Girl with a Pearl Earring and 'Burning Bright' and 'Falling Angels' are also very enjoyable to read. MPD

You will love fingersmith by Sarah waters, it is written so well and has such a good story to it.I also enjoyed Affinity by the same author but not as much as fingersmith. Also I loved a book called Ruth Appelby by Elvie Rhodes. It too has a wonderful story and if I remember right it touches on the potato famine. For WW2 books try Annie Murray she has written loads and they are all brilliant.

Drood - by Dan Simmons.

It is a suspense novel about the last months of Charles Dickens, narrated by Wilkie Collins, his friend & BIL who wrote "Woman In White". "Drood" is re Dickens' unfinished last novel "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood".

I picked 'Drood' up in the library a few days ago - and put it down again! May go back for it.

I absolutely hated Fingersmith - but everybody else seems to love it.

Did anybody mention Rebecca or others by Daphne du M?

Evelyn Waugh is good fun. Greene - The End Of The Affair / Ford Maddox Ford - The Good Soldier.

Also how could I forget my favourite book of all time; The bronze horseman by Paulina Simmons. A beautiful love story set in Russia during WW2. You get a real harrowing account of life during that time in communist Russia, as well as a passionate love story. It will make you cry so be warned! I can't recommend this book enough.

What about the Mapp and Lucia books by EF Benson...very funny.
Also recommend you look at Persephone website...reprints of old books including Miss Pettigrew lives for the day - Winifred Watson. www.persephonebooks.co.uk Not sure how to do the actual links!

Also, I remember the Mazo de la Roche books about Jalna....now there's a blast from the past! My mother used to devour them...there are about 12 of them about a family called Whiteoak.

I love the Dandy Gilver mysteries by Catriona McPherson, but loved the Persephone classics too (Monica was my favourite)

Seconding londonartemis on the Mapp and Lucia books. Wonderful!

I love early 20th century humour - the E M Delafield Diary of a Provincial Lady books are great too.

Barbara Pym is also great - try Some Tame Gazelle or Excellent Women.