World War II Novels NOT in France, Germany & Poland

Recently I created a list of Historical Fiction Novels NOT About The Tudors or World War II, which you can read here https://booknotions.com/historical-fiction-novels-not-about-the-tudors-or-world-war-ii/ . I figured it was time to turn my attention back to World War II but with a different perspective. When we think about World War II historical fiction, many stories always seem to take place in France, Germany & Poland. While those stories are fascinating and important, there are so many other countries whose experiences during the war deserve to be explored. In this list I will explore European countries that don’t receive as much attention in World War II historical fiction, as well as countries in Asia whose wartime experiences aren’t as discussed. World War II was truly a global conflict and the stories of those who lived through it shouldn’t be limited to the same few places.

World War II Portugal

The Librarians Of Lisbon tells the story of best friends Selene & Bea who are librarians recruited from Boston by the U.S. Intelligence Office to go to Portugal’s capital Lisbon a city that harbors exiled royalty, hunted refuges & spies. By day Selene & Bea save books banned by Nazis and by night they engage in more dangerous adventures. Selene works with disgraced baron Luca Caldeira as they both charm their way into ballrooms to find out secrets. Bea joins Gable’s shadowy world of informants. As their missions intertwine and an unexpected betrayal happens, can the two women’s friendships as well as their hearts survive the war? Suzanne Nelson did an excellent job of research for the novel and many of the characters are based on real people. I was so grateful to read an early copy of this book before it was released in 2025, and I was able to interview Suzanne!

The Librarian Spy takes place in both World War II Portugal & France & there are two main female characters. Ava is an American Librarian at the Library of Congress in Washington DC and her job takes her to Portugal. Helene/Elaine is a French woman working for the printing press for the French Resistance. Many historical fiction books don’t cover Portugal during World War II, but I’m glad this one did. You learn that Portugal is neutral but, there were Portuguese people who chose sides and whose loyalties could be bought. With history, & action there is of course romance for Ava. I enjoyed reading Ava’s story a little more than Helene/Elaine since Elaine was so impulsive and blamed a fellow resistance fighter Etienne for why her husband was killed. At first, I didn’t know how Ava and Elaine’s story intertwined but then toward the end it all comes together and you’re like Oh!  The epilogue is one of my favorite scenes. I won’t spoil that for you. In one of my early Q&As with Madeline Martin we discussed The Librarian Spy & I remember speeding through the book once I got my hands on it at the library.

World War II Asia

The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific is about Jimmy Propfield joining the army for two reasons which is to explore the world outside of Mobile Alabama with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his sweetheart Claire. So far life in The Philippines seems like paradise but on December 8^th news came in that the day before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor which now puts the United States at war.  The three of them must fight not just for their country but for their lives after the American and Philippine army surrender and become prisoners in one of the worst atrocities known to man, The Bataan Death March. I read The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific three years back and was able to interview both Tosca Lee and Marcus Brotherton separately discussing this novel and their other works. I like that this novel takes place in the Philippines, and you learn that there were women who took part in the resistance against the Japanese. The only flaw is at times that the book did read like a textbook, but for the most part it was a decent read.

Hold Strong is a historical fiction novel taking place during World War II. Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small town Minnesota & his sweetheart Sarah Haber is a math whiz bound for college wanting to teach. Both Sam & Sarah play their parts for the war effort. Sam enlists in the service & Sarah is a code breaker. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is taken as a POW by the Japanese and is brutalized but not beaten down by The Bataan Death March.  Sarah intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy the Arisan Maru. The mission? Sink the Arisan Maru clear to sink it to the dark depths of the South China Sea… Doing this though, could break Sarah’s heart… Robert Dugoni, Dr. Jeff Langholz & Chris Crabtree did a great job of blending the research and storytelling without becoming farfetched. My favorite characters are, Sam, Sarah, Pete Chavez, Qui Jin & Father Thomas Scecina who was a real Catholic Priest aboard the Arisan Maru. At one point in the book after escaping, Sam ends up in China.

World War II Italy

When it comes to World War II novels set in Italy, much of the time the books aren’t the best, though there are times where you will find a diamond in the raff. In the novel, In The Light Of The Sun, year is 1941 when the whole world was at war for the second time. Caramina Grassi dreams of leaving the Philippines to train in Italy to become an opera singer like her older sister Rosa. War unfortunately disrupted her plans. Caramina and her family must survive in the jungle & find music; it is a force all its own to get through the tough times. Halfway around the world in Florence, Benito Mussolini has taken over Italy & at a certain point Rosa becomes part of la Resistenza & realizes that performing is not just the stage and becoming a part of the Italian resistance she must perform to save others and herself. Angela Shupe did an amazing job of research and in the author’s note, she mentioned putting a little bit of her family history into the book. It’s slightly slower paced but for the most part I enjoyed reading it.

In the novel, Daughters of Naples, the year is 1940 & the three Cozzolino sisters, Leta, Marcella & Bianca live together in their quaint home in Naples during the tyrannical reign of Benito Mussolini. Leta runs her mother-in-law’s Violetta De Rosa’s dress shop while her husband Anto is at war. Marcella is an apprentice to a midwife who has a boyfriend, Giovanni, who’s part of the fascist party. Bianca, the youngest sister, works at the library where her boss hides books banned by the government. Bianca is tired of seeing her country under Mussolini’s rule and the war in general that she joins the partigiani, the Italian resistance. This puts the sisters at odds, but when Naples is bombed and Leta’s old flame comes back into her life, they question how far they are willing to go for each other and their country especially with Nazism taking over the country after Mussolini’s downfall…. Diana Giovinazzo did a great job of researching and writing and I felt as though I were in Naples during this time. My favorite character, Bianca, loves books and is the first one to join the resistance. What’s fun is she shares the same name as me. The pacing is off at times, but I love it!