Historical Fiction

Tom Sawyer is the protagonist of Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The novel follows Tom's adventures in the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, during the 1840s.

Charles Dickens portrays the French Revolution in his novel A Tale of Two Cities. The novel follows the lives of several characters during the tumultuous period of the French Revolution.

Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind is set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. The novel follows the lives of several characters in the fictional town of Tara, Georgia, during the war.

Abner Hale is the protagonist of James Michener's novel Hawaii. The novel follows Abner's life from his childhood in New England to his adulthood in Hawaii, where he becomes a successful businessman and politician.

Salman Rushdie explores the history of India in his novel Midnight's Children. The novel follows the lives of several characters who are born at the stroke of midnight on the day of India's independence from British rule.

Gore Vidal's novel Julian is a historical novel about the life of Julian the Apostate, a Roman emperor who reigned from 361 to 363 AD. The novel follows Julian's life from his childhood to his death in battle.

Umberto Eco explores the history of the Knights Templar in his novel The Name of the Rose. The novel is set in a Benedictine monastery in Italy in the 14th century and follows the investigation of a series of murders by a Franciscan monk.

Pat Barker's novel Regeneration is set against the backdrop of World War I. The novel follows the lives of several soldiers who are recovering from their injuries at a military hospital in England.

Hilary Mantel explores the life of Thomas Cromwell in her novel Wolf Hall. The novel follows Cromwell's rise to power from his humble beginnings as a lawyer to his position as Henry VIII's chief minister.

Robert Graves' novel I, Claudius is a historical novel about the life of Claudius, a Roman emperor who reigned from 41 to 54 AD. The novel is written in the form of Claudius' autobiography and follows his life from his childhood to his death.

Geraldine Brooks explores the life of Mary Magdalene in her novel People of the Book. The novel follows the journey of a rare manuscript of the Bible from its creation in the 1st century AD to its discovery in the 20th century.

Amitav Ghosh's novel The Glass Palace is set against the backdrop of the Partition of India in 1947. The novel follows the lives of several characters who are affected by the partition, including a Burmese Indian family, a British colonial official, and a Hindu nationalist.

Salman Rushdie explores the history of the Moors in Spain in his novel Moor's Last Sigh. The novel follows the life of Moraes Zogoiby, a Jewish-Indian businessman who is descended from the Moors.

Margaret Atwood's novel Alias Grace is a historical novel about the life of Grace Marks, a young Irish immigrant who was convicted of murdering her employer and his housekeeper in Canada in 1843. The novel is based on the true story of Grace Marks.

Hilary Mantel explores the life of Thomas Cromwell in her novel Wolf Hall. The novel follows Cromwell's rise to power from his humble beginnings as a lawyer to his position as Henry VIII's chief minister.