Back in Time
A sense of time and place is the best part of reading a historical novel. You can be transported back to early Roman times, World War II or even the 1990's and have a vivid picture of the life of the character in that book. "Gone with the Wind" still evokes vivid memories of place and time for me. Maybe a title on this list will transport you to another place or time.
The Dove Keepers by Alice Hoffman
A tale inspired by the tragic first-century massacre of hundreds of Jewish people at Masada presents the stories of a hated daughter, a baker's wife, a girl disguised as a warrior, and a medicine woman who keep doves and secrets while Roman soldiers draw near.
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
A long-lost letter arriving at its destination fifty years after it was sent lures Edie Burchill to crumbling Milderhurst Castle, home of the three elderly Blythe sisters, where Edie's mother was sent to stay as a teenager during World War II.
Matterhorn: a novel of the vietnam War by Karl Marlantes
Story about a company of Marines who build, abandon and retake an outpost on a remote hilltop in Vietnam
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
In London covering the Blitz with Edward R. Murrow, Frankie Bard meets a Cape Cod doctor in a shelter and promises that she'll deliver a letter for him when she finally returns to the United States.
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
In 1665, a young man from Martha's Vineyard became the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College.
Agent 6 by Tom SmithFormer secret police agent Leo Demidov is thrown into a foreign conflict and is forced to question and confront everything he ever thought he knew about his country, his family, and himself.
Nightwoods by Charles FrazierIn late 1950s North Carolina, lonely Luce struggles to care for murdered sister Lily's inward-turned twins while slowly warming to a man who could help her. Meanwhile, Lily's husband (and killer) is looking for money he's sure Lily has hidden.
Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
The fate of a young nation rests in the hands of a reluctant warrior in the thrilling sixth volume of the Saxon Tales series.
Dreams of Joy by Lisa SeeDevastated after discovering the shocking truth about her mother and father, Joy flees to China to find a new life (and her real father)--and Pearl, realizing what has happened, sets out for Mao's China, resolved to find her daughter.
The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin.
This is the irresistible epic of a heroine who conquered the country with a heart as big as her dreams.
Queen of America by Luis Alberto Urrea.
After the bloody Tomochic rebellion, Teresita Urrea, beloved healer and "Saint of Cabora," flees with her father to Arizona. But their plans are derailed when she once again is claimed as the spiritual leader of the Mexican Revolution and embarks on a journey through turn-of-the-century industrial America.
The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb.
Laura Foster, a simple country girl, was murdered and her lover Tom Dula was hanged for the crime. With the help of historians, lawyers, and researchers, McCrumb visited the actual sites, studied the legal evidence, and uncovered a missing piece of the story that will shock those who think they already know what happened.
The List by Martin Fletcher.The List follows the lives of Edith and Georg, Austrian refugees who are expecting their first baby in a world unfriendly to Jews. Anti-Semitism sweeps across the streets of London even as the world learns of the atrocities of the Holocaust.
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