Historical fiction genre books (1700)


1361.

The Miniaturist : A Novel by Jessie Burton EN

Rating: 5 (2 votes)
Country: Europe / England flag England
Description:
On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office–leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin. But Nella's life changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist–an elusive and enigmatic art... continue

1362.

The Ministry of Pain : A Novel by Dubravka Ugresic EN

Rating: 3 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / Croatia flag Croatia
Description:
Having fled the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, Tanja Lucic is now a professor of literature at the University of Amsterdam, where she teaches a class filled with other young Yugoslav exiles, most of whom earn meager wages assembling leather and rubber S&M clothing at a sweatshop they call the "Ministry." Abandoning literature, Tanja encourages her students to indulge their "Yugonostalgia" in essays about their personal experiences during their homeland's cultural and physical disintegration. But Tanja's act of academic rebellion incites the rage of one renegade member of her class—and pulls he... continue

1363.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley EN

Rating: 4 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / England flag England
Description:
In the near future, a disaffected civil servant is offered a lucrative job in a mysterious new government ministry. Her role is to work as a 'bridge': living with, assisting and monitoring the expat known as '1847' - Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed expedition to the Arctic, so he's a little disoriented to find himself alive and surrounded by outlandish concepts such as 'washing machine', 'Spotify' and 'the collapse of the British Empire'. During a long, sultry summer he and his bridge move from awkwardness to genuine frie... continue

1364.

The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket EN

Rating: 4.5 (2 votes)
Description:
Accidents, evil plots, and general misfortune abound when, in their continuing search for a home, the Baudelaire orphans are sent to live and work in a sinister lumber mill.

1365.

The Mists of Avalon : A Novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Description:
The magical saga of the women behind King Arthur's throne. “A monumental reimagining of the Arthurian legends . . . reading it is a deeply moving and at times uncanny experience. . . . An impressive achievement.”—The New York Times Book Review In Marion Zimmer Bradley's masterpiece, we see the tumult and adventures of Camelot's court through the eyes of the women who bolstered the king's rise and schemed for his fall. From their childhoods through the ultimate fulfillment of their destinies, we follow these women and the diverse cast of characters that surrounds them as the great Arthurian epi... continue

1366.

The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / Austria flag Austria
Description:
A richly imagined story of unexpected love, independence, and belonging – The Morning Gift is a classic WWII romance from Eva Ibbotson. With an introduction from Sarra Manning, author of Diary of a Crush. Eighteen-year-old Ruth lives in the sparkling city of Vienna with her family, where she delights in its music, energy and natural beauty. She is wildly in love with the brilliant young pianist Heini Radik and can't wait until they are married. But Ruth's world is turned upside down when the Nazis invade Austria and her family are forced to flee to England, and through a devastating misunderst... continue

1367.

The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr EN

Rating: 4 (7 votes)
Country: Africa / Senegal flag Senegal
Description:
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD · LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD A masterful coming-of-age novel and a gripping investigation into the life of a mysterious author who disappeared without a trace, by the first writer from sub-Saharan Africa to be awarded France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt. Paris, 2018. Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer, discovers a legendary book published in 1938 titled The Maze of Inhumanity. No one knows what happened to the author, T.C. Elimane, once referred to as the “Black Rimbaud.” After he was accused of plagiarism, his reputation... continue

1368.

The Murderer’s Ape by Jakob Wegelius EN

Rating: 5 (1 vote)
Country: Europe / Sweden flag Sweden
Description:
A captivating mystery adventure story, with gorgeously detailed black-and-white illustrations throughout ‘I don't know when I last read a book with such pure and unalloyed pleasure. It's ingenious, it's moving, it's charming, it's beautiful, it's exciting, and most importantly the characters are people I feel I know like old friends. I thank Jakob Wegelius wholeheartedly for giving me several hours of joy." - Philip Pullman Sally Jones is not only a loyal friend, she's an extraordinary individual. In overalls or in a maharaja's turban, this unique gorilla moves among humans without speaking bu... continue

1369.

The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia EN

Rating: 4 (4 votes)
Description:
From a beguiling voice in Mexican fiction comes an astonishing novel--her first to be translated into English--about a mysterious child with the power to change a family's history in a country on the verge of revolution. From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. A... continue

1370.

The Muse by Jessie Burton EN

Rating: 4 (2 votes)
Country: Europe / England flag England
Description:
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist comes a captivating and brilliantly realized story of two young women—a Caribbean immigrant in 1960s London, and a bohemian woman in 1930s Spain—and the powerful mystery that ties them together. England, 1967. Odelle Bastien is a Caribbean émigré trying to make her way in London. When she starts working at the prestigious Skelton Institute of Art, she discovers a painting rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, a young artist of immense talent and vision whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excite... continue