Historical Fiction Novels NOT About The Tudors Or World War II

Historical Fiction is a genre that blends truth with wonder. Beyond revealing the dates and events that happened during a particular time, historical fiction does something nonfiction books aren’t able to do: make us wonder what the historical figures and fictional characters of said period might have thought or felt. What would they be doing? What would their lives have been like? When we think of historical fiction, two subjects dominate the genre which are The Tudors & World War II. World War II is important & The Tudors are fascinating, but history is so much larger than Henry VIII, his wives and children & The Second World War. Here are some historical fiction novels that take us to other times and places!

The Captive Queen by Alison Weir

The Captive Queen tells the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine who was Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and then Queen of England. The novel covers her later life after getting her marriage to Louis VII annulled to then marrying the future King Henry II of England. Together they would have 7 surviving children & two of her sons Richard & John would become Richard the Lionheart & King John who was forced to sign the Magna Carta. We read about how her marriage to Henry began as romantic and tense and how it soured to eventually her supporting her son’s rebellion against Henry and being imprisoned for over 16 years until Henry’s death. I also liked how the ending came about too.

Dear Missing Friend by Susan McGuirk

Dear Missing Friend is a story being told through letter writing from Catherine McGuirk as she navigates love, loss, heartbreak and dreams as an Irish Immigrant in 1800s America. Catherine is torn between her seafaring husband, the suitor she once refused and her own dreams and we see her life unfold through the choices she and others made as well as the words she writes down. What I enjoy about this novel is its Susan’s family history written in the form of historical fiction. I also felt as though I was on the journey with Catherine as she went through her highs and lows of life and admired her determination.

The Summer Queen, The Winter Crown & The Autumn Throne by Elizabeth Chadwick

The Summer Queen, The Winter Crown & The Autumn Throne by Elizabeth Chadwick, is a trilogy about Eleanor of Aquitaine. The Summer Queen covers Eleanor’s teenage years and her marriage to Louis VII, them going on the disastrous crusade, to Eleanor eventually getting an annulment and ending with her and Henry II becoming married and sailing to England. The Winter Crown covers her being Queen of England and bearing Henry’s children to eventually becoming sour and her supporting her sons’ rebellion as well as becoming Henry’s prisoner. The Autumn Throne covers Eleanor’s later life, her eventually becoming free from Henry, his death, her also becoming a granddaughter and other events that happened.

Queen Anna by Tony Riches

Queen Anna by Tony Riches is about the very first Stuart queen, Queen Anne. We cover her marriage to James, the son of Mary Queen of Scotts, and his eventual rise to becoming King of both England and Scotland. We read about Anne’s highs and lows and dealt with court gossip and losing many of her children except for Charles & Elizabeth. Not many novels are written about Anne. Sometimes the pacing is off but for the most part it was a decent read. I can’t wait to read the next few books in Tony’s Stuart Queens trilogy about Henrietta Maria the Catholic French Princess who became Queen of England & Catherine of Braganza, a Portuguese Catholic Princess who would eventually become Queen of England and would popularize tea in the country.

The Palace at The End Of The Sea & The Room Of Lost Steps by Simon Tolkien

The Palace at The End Of The Sea is about Theo Sterling and his coming-of-age story during The Great Depression Era of New York & ending with a murder in a Spanish village in 1936 on the brink of the Spanish Civil War. Theo Sterling navigates family tragedy in New York as well as being apart of an alien boarding school in England and falling in love in Spain. Theo is trying to figure out who he is and trying to figure out what his dreams are. In the sequel The Room Of Lost Steps, the novel takes Theo through the Spanish Civil War from its outbreak in Barcelona to the battlefields around Madrid and & a journey of self-discovery and an ending both bitter and sweet.

Lady Tan’s Circle Of Women by Lisa See

Lady Tan’s Circle Of Women is a historical fiction novel about one of the very few Chinese female doctors named Tan Yunxian. Yunxian’s grandmother was also a doctor who taught her the pillars of Chinese medicine and the Four Examinations looking, listening, touching and asking. Yunxian learns everything about women’s illnesses, many which come from childbearing alongside a young midwife in training Meiling the two girls form a fast friendship despite their class differences. Unfortunately, when Yunxian marries, her mother in law forbids her from seeing Meiling and helping the other women with what she knows. Yunxian is expected to be a proper Chinese wife which is giving birth to sons, embroidering bound foot slippers and reciting poetry. The story is about a woman of her time trying to balance being a dutiful wife while at the same time helping those in need. It also talks about women from all walks of life helping one another.

Daughters Of The Sun And Moon by Lisa See

The year is 1870, three women with different backgrounds are living in Los Angeles the wildest towns of the wild west. Dove is the daughter of an imperial scholar fulfilling her duty by marrying a much older merchant. Petal, who comes from a peasant family, is sold into prostitution by her parents. Moon assists her husband who’s a respected doctor in the community and desires justice. The three women become the unlikeliest of friends and the 1871 massacre brings them closer together as they build a life for themselves after the tragedy.

The Rhino Keeper by Jillian Foresberg

In 1740, Dutch sea captain Douwemout van der Meer’s life is about to change forever while in Calcutta India he meets Clara, an Indian Rhinoceros. A Rhinoceros hasn’t been seen in Europe in 200 years. To save Clara from doom, Douwemout, Clara and his adoptive son Zubin travel Europe introducing her to royalty and peasants a life. They also meet trouble along the way when an overzealous priest sees idol worship. In 2022 Andrea Martin is a student studying abroad in Holland and comes across a historical mystery that intertwines with Douwemout.

The Porcelain Menagerie by Jillian Foresberg

The year is 1732 Dresden, a young sculptor Johann Kandler is taken into the beautiful and dangerous world of King Agustus the Strong, who demands Lifesize porcelain menagerie to showcase his power and might to the world. Johann struggles meeting the King’s possible man but finds allies with the King’s former mistress Maria whose real name is Fatima and her daughter Katharina. Decades earlier Fatima is a Turkish handmaiden chosen to be a mistress after the previous mistress is discarded. Fatima uses her wit & the king’s obsession to survive the brutal court. What I like about The Porcelain Menagerie is while it is a standalone novel, the ending ties both this and Jillian’s previous novel The Rhino Keeper together.

 The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang

It is the 1800s China and women having bound feet, also known as “golden lilies” are what secure women a good marriage. Little Flower is sold as a maidservant or muizai to Linjing who is in the respective affluent Fong Family. Little Flower has dreams and hopes that one day she will be free and that her golden lilies & her embroidery will get her out of it. Unfortunately, Linjing, jealous of Little Flower, does everything she can to sabotage Little Flower. When a huge scandal rocks the Fong family, both Linging and Little Flower are cast out to ethe Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s gift of embroidery catches the eye of a handsome nobleman. Will Linjing destroy Little Flower’s life once again, or will she be a friend and help her?

The Liberty Scarf by Aimie K. Runyan, J’Nell Ciesielski & Rachel McMillan

The Liberty Scarf written by Aimie K. Runyan, J’Nell Ciesielski & Rachel McMillan is a historical fiction novel taking place during World War I about three women, their love stories and the scarf that unites them all. Iris is a scarf maker in London and Liberty’s first female pattern designer. Genevive is a French-Canadian immigrant who becomes a bilingual operator in the US Army Signal Corps. Clara Janssens is a Flemish nurse leaving her provincial life in Belgium. Captain Conrad Jones is on temporary leave & makes a bet to dance with a girl or else he’d have to shine the rest of his mates’ shoes. This is where the love story slowly develops for him and Iris. When Conrad is wounded and in Strasbourg France, Iris rushes to be by his side and she encounters a woman wearing one of her scarves…. Maxime is a French soldier who makes Genevive realize that changing who she is to fit into a group of people who don’t except her is too high of a price to pay. Roman Allaire encourages Clara to be braver, and he plays music for the soldiers at the front to boost morale.

Mademoiselle Eiffel by Aimie K. Runyan

Claire Eiffel is the clever and beautiful daughter of Gustave Eiffel. Claire has a life many would envy, an education that many girls in her class would only dream of. When Claire is fourteen, her mother passes away and she becomes the lady of the house as well as her father’s assistant. Claire proves herself and we see her slowly go from disliking Adolphe Salles to liking him and then having feelings for him. We see Claire’s reaction to Gustave creating the Eiffel Tower and him going through the fall out after the Panama Canal scandal & you’re taken to another time as well as France. I also think the ending with Claire & her granddaughter is very sweet too!

Can’t We Be Friends by Denny S Bryce & Eliza Knight

Can’t We Be Friends by Denny S Bryce & Eliza Knight is about the friendship between Ella Fitzgerald & Marilyn Monroe. On the surface many would wonder what they’d have in common? Quite a bit actually! Both were underestimated by the men in their lives, whether they were husbands, managers, & hanger on’s and were determined to gain professional and personal independence. I like the fact that Ella’s point of view is in the first person and she’s telling you the story from her point of view. I liked reading Marilyn’s point of view even though its sad. You, like Ella, wanted to help Marilyn but we as the readers know we can’t because of what happened. If you are into books about old Hollywood, you will enjoy this one. 

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Nefertiti by New York Times Bestselling Author Michelle Moran, is about the famous Queen & her sister Mutanojmet/Mut’s point of view. I felt as though I was in Ancient Egypt during the time of Nefertiti. When it comes to Ancient Egypt, there aren’t many books covering Egyptian Queens other than Cleopatra, so it was cool to read this one by Michelle back in the late 2000s.