Historical Fiction?

[DiRieB]

The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George was a wonderful read, very richly detailed.... Cleopatra's Heir by Gillian Bradshaw, and Cleopatra's daughter by Michelle Morgan were great books as well, both of them giving an interesting possibility of how Cleopatra's children's lives may have turned out after her death.

[palmettobooklo…]

As an Elizabethan fan myself, I have read numerous historical fiction books set in this time period.  The absolute best one I have ever read is I, Elizabeth.  It is written as if it were an autobiography.  It is lengthy, but well worth the time to read it.

The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose are the first two books of a planned trilogy.  The third one will not be published until late 2010 or 2011.  I have both of these books, but am waiting until the third comes out so that I can read them all at one time.

Anything by Philippa Gregory comes highly recommended by me.  Lots of people have read the books on the Bolyns.  She also has earlier works that are good.  Her Wideacre trilogy is outstanding. 

Hope you enjoy my recommendations as much as I have enjoyed reading them myself!

[fordmg]

I have read the first Michael Jecks book "The Last Templar".  It was good.  I have " The Merchant's Partner" on my TBR list.

MG

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BearMountainBooks wrote:

Are you looking more for romance?  Or Cozy or mystery?

For good mysteries, take a look at Michael Jecks.  Very good with the historical angles--quite interesting stuff.  I like the early ones for the stuff he includes about his research, but the later ones are smoother and of a bit faster pace.

I keep hearing about Rhys Bowen from my reading group, although I haven't tried them yet.  I think they are cozy mysteries.

Maria

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[Peppermill]

You might want to consider these two:

Wolf Hall  by Hillary Mantel 

This one received the Man Booker Prize this year.  I'll probably wait for the paperback before tackling it, but the reviews have been very good.  It deals with the period of Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Moore and is reportedly more sympathetic to Cromwell than many writers have been.

Place of Greater Safety  by Hillary Mantel

I started this and was enjoying it very much. It is set in the French revolution.  The characters were enjoyable and so was the humor.  I just had too many things going at the same time and the others had outside commitments, so I put this aside to return to -- next time I will probably buy my own copy rather than borrow it from the library.

I had wanted to get a sense of Mantel's writing before Wolf Hall was available in this country.

[Carebear0611]

Anne of green gables series is alsways a good read

[ADey]

I am the author of "Tthe Elephant's Trail" based on a fictious family living in southern Rhodesia (Now Zimbabwe) It deals with the political, cultural and horrors of the Rhodsian bush war. there is romance, intrigue, mystery and war. my bokk was released in September 2009 but unfortunately, as a self published author, I have no reviews. I would love to have any constuctive reviews or comments regarding my work that would improve or better my writing.

Thank you 

[coffee_luvr]

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basson_mommy12 wrote:

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Paula717 wrote:

The Innocent Traitor by Alison Wier is a must read. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's one of my favorites.

It's the story of Lady Jane Grey–“the Nine Days’ Queen”–a fifteen-year-old girl who unwittingly finds herself at the center of the religious and civil unrest that nearly toppled the fabled House of Tudor during the sixteenth century.

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I have to concur with the suggestion for Alison Wier.  She's one of the foremost historians of the Tudors and then to have her novelisations of the period - it's too good to be true!  A fantastic writer.

Diana Gabaldon is a favorite of mine, too, but certainly not Tudor, since the entire series sprawls over many decades surrounding the Revolutionary War.  It is also somewhat sci/fi/fantasy, which is great if you're in to that sort of thing.

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Alison Wier is good!  Have you tried

Lady Elizabeth

  

Also recommend Enemy Women if you are interested in some US historical fiction.  I liked it and I am not really a big reader of the Civil War period.

Enemy Women

  

[palmettobooklo…]

No, I have not read Lady Elizabeth.  Is it as good as I, Elizabeth? 

BTW, I'm half-way through Wolf Hall.  It's OK.  I'm not as thrilled with it as I had hoped to be.  But I'm keeping an open mind.

[coffee_luvr]

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palmettobooklover wrote:

No, I have not read Lady Elizabeth.  Is it as good as I, Elizabeth? 

BTW, I'm half-way through Wolf Hall.  It's OK.  I'm not as thrilled with it as I had hoped to be.  But I'm keeping an open mind.

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I really liked it for the look into the period.  I did not read I, Elizabeth so I can't really compare them, sorry. 

[CharlieG31]

Rosalind Miles also writes around the Tudor era she's really good I personally like the way she writes (Diary style)

Idelfonso Balcones with the Cathedral of The Sea is also pretty good.

The pillars of the earth is too long I liked the Cathedral of The Sea far more.

This are the ones that I can remember lol if I remember some more will repost lol.

[PhyllisJ]

Hi, I love historical fiction and I have read several of the books in the above posts.  I wanted to let you know about a new release, The title is = The Queens Governess and the author is Karen Harper, I am going to order it from BN.com.

Here is a little background on the book.

A fresh and intriguing historical novel told in the voice of Queen Elizabeth I's governess.

Katherine Ashley, the daughter of a poor country squire, happily secures an education and a place for herself in a noble household. But when Thomas Cromwell, a henchman for King Henry VIII, brings her to the royal court as a spy, Kat enters into a thrilling new world of the Tudor monarchs.

Freed from a life of espionage by Cromwell's downfall, Kat eventually befriends Anne Boleyn. As a dying favor to the doomed queen, Kat becomes governess and surrogate-mother to the young Elizabeth Tudor. Together they suffer bitter exile, assassination attempts, and imprisonment, barely escaping with their lives. But they do, and when Elizabeth is crowned, Kat continues to serve her, faithfully guarding all the queen's secrets (including Elizabeth's affair with the dashing Robert Dudley) . . . and ultimately emerging as the lifelong confidante and true mother-figure to Queen Elizabeth.

[PhyllisJ]

Hi, I love Historical fiction.  You might enjoy these books, The Virgin Queen's Daughter by Ella March Chase.  The Secret Dairy of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell and Legacy by Susan Kay. 

[crimekitty763]

Currently I am reading THE COURTESAN by Diane Haeger,  The time period is 1535 (Henry VIII).  This is the happenings in France with the raucous French court during this time period.  After being away from Court for many years, living with her husband, who is much older than she, until his death,  Diane de Poitiers ordered back to Court.  The King's "favorite", Anne d'Heilly, feels very threatened by Diane's return.  Prince Henri, the second son of the King,  has an arranged marriage with Catherine deMedici, niece of the Pope.  Henri does not get along with his father plus he has fallen in love with Diane.  Although Diane is several years older than Henri, she reciprocates his feelings.  This is their love story and is quite rich in period details and customs.

Ms. Haeger has written several other books of historical fiction.

[PhyllisJ]

crimekitty763 wrote--Currently I am reading THE COURTESAN by Diane Haeger

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Hi, I read The Courtesan and I really enjoyed it.  Happy reading.

[Crawson1]

I also loved The Ruby Ring by Diane Haegar.  It's about the painter Raphael and the relationship he had with the woman who posed for many of his Madonna's.  Also The Secret Wife of King George IV also by Ms. Haegar is excellent.

Lori

[eclecticreader…]

I love historical fiction and three of my favorite authors are: Sara Donati, who has a series that takes place in America during the early 1800's,Queen of Swords; Gillian BradshawThe Wolf Hunt ; and Elizabeth ChadwickThe Falcons of Montabard  Scarlet Lion. They're all different and cover different time periods, but I've enjoyed several books from each.

[Peppermill]

you might check out this site 

I found the above site to be excellent for reviews of historical fiction.

Thx for sharing, TWJ

PS -- Hope you enjoy(ed) The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz.  Those count among the more memorable books I have read.  I especially remember the last in the series, so don't stop!???

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thewanderingjew wrote:

you might check out this site and this one for some good historic novel suggestions.

i also found this very interesting website for children, teens, young adults etc.

if you would like to try something new, i am planning to read The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. I have only heard/read good things about these three novels by the Nobel Prize winning author.

twj

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LauraB345 wrote:

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for a new historical fiction book to enjoy.  So far my tastes have been limited to pretty much anything I can find about Tudor England and Henry VIII but I'm open to pretty much anything.

Any suggestions you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks!!! 

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[IBIS]

YES, I highly recommend "The Cairo Trilogy" by Naguib Mahfouz.

I read them several years ago, and have found myself remembering brief snippets of the family's history. These snippets are now out of context, and I plan to re-read them very soon.

Thanks for the memory prod!

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Peppermill wrote:

PS -- Hope you enjoy(ed) The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz.  Those count among the more memorable books I have read.  I especially remember the last in the series, so don't stop!???

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[basson_mommy12]

I have read fairly recently

Dark Angels which is about court intrigues in both the French and English courts at the time of the English Reformation/King Louis XIV.  Very rich in detail, it is actually a prequel to

Through a Glass Darkly .  Very good writing and interesting characters.  I gave it 4/5 stars.

I am also a huge fan of Margaret George, specifically, 

Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles

 

which I read in 1994.  The following are highly recommended: 

Young Bess

 

Katherine

 

[Beatrice1927]

You must read: The Secret Wife Of King Edward IV by  Diane Haeger.