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Any suggestions for good historical fictions? My book club wants to have all our books in 2013 be novels that take place at some interesting point in history. We're hoping to learn a little bit more about history by doing this, so we're looking for historic accuracy. Or at least as much accuracy as you can find with a work of fiction.
Any and all points in history are interesting to us, although American history might be the most interesting for our first year doing this. Works that cover a city changing over time are great, too. We just read "New York" by Edward Rutherford, which follows a family in NYC area from the early 1700s to just after 9/11/2001. That was great--learned all sorts of interesting things about NY by reading that.
For good historical fiction you can't go wrong with anything by Mike or Jeff Shaara.
This father and son team (Mike, the father, passed away several years ago) has written about a dozen interesting fact-based novels on everything from the Revolutonary War to World War II. They did a trilogy on the Civil War (my personal favorite war to read about). Two of those books were made into movies--The Killer Angels (which was renamed Gettysburgh for the movie) andGods and Generals.
Jeff's books read like novels, but are steeped in facts, a lot of which come from old letters and other correspondence writtten by the real persons back in that time. I like the way the author has of using the first-person narrative for some of these characters. It gives the reader a whole new insight on History, making it more personal and less dry than, say, a textbook.
I'm hoping Shaara will do something on Vietnam!
Sailor of Austria series by John Biggins. I have read them and they are quite good.
Folks I know, who have read them, recommend the books by Allan W. Eckert- French & Indian War era
I enjoy and still do Robert Graves' I, Claudius and sequel.
Everyone I know, who has read them, loves the Flashman series from George MacDonald Fraser.
I would recommend Roots by Alex Haley and Kent Family Chronicles by John Jakes.
Apparently any James Clavell novel is top notch.
There are a few set in WW1 and WW2.
I find the novels by Evelyn Waugh dealing with WW2 to be hilarious. Put Out More Flags is an example/.
Derek Robinson's various novels dealing with WW1/2 are extremely well regarded.
Robert Graves' Goodbye to All That is considered fictional and reads well when matced with Siegfried Sassoon's Memoirs Trilogy.-Fox Hunting Man, Infantry Officer,etc.
I have read more genuine non-fiction which reads better than fiction. I have never returned to read some of the recs. above.
There are many solid WW2 novels by those who were there but do not know if you refer to a much earlier era.
The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton---Gilded Age New York social world The Alienist, Caleb Carr---1890's New York thriller The French Quarter, Gangs of New York, Gangs of Chicago---Herbert Asbury
And of course, the masters, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain
Any suggestions for good historical fictions? My book club wants to have all our books in 2013 be novels that take place at some interesting point in history. We're hoping to learn a little bit more about history by doing this, so we're looking for historic accuracy. Or at least as much accuracy as you can find with a work of fiction.
Any and all points in history are interesting to us, although American history might be the most interesting for our first year doing this. Works that cover a city changing over time are great, too. We just read "New York" by Edward Rutherford, which follows a family in NYC area from the early 1700s to just after 9/11/2001. That was great--learned all sorts of interesting things about NY by reading that.
The Drums along the Mohawk. Although the two young settlers are fictional, many of the of the supporting characters and actions are real.
That will give you some insight on TRUE Egypt history.
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Good Historical Fictions That Are Fairly Accurate
