The 25 best historical novels
The 25 highest-ranked historical novels in our ranking of 2,819, scored on how much readers love them, their prize, best-list and bestseller record, and current buzz. We rank 116 historical novels in all. How we rank
- 1
James99.0Must-Read ScoreJames
Everett takes one of the most famous books in American literature and turns it inside out.
- 2
All the Light We Cannot See92.8Must-Read ScoreAll the Light We Cannot See
It's a beautifully written, deeply humane story about two children trying to stay good in a war, and it won the Pulitzer Prize while also becoming a huge bestseller.
- 3
The Book Thief92.3Must-Read ScoreThe Book Thief
It's a story about the power of words in a time when words were being used to destroy, and it's told with such warmth and strangeness that it stays with readers for life.
- 4
The Women91.4Must-Read ScoreThe Women
Kristin Hannah gives voice to a group history almost forgot, the women who served in Vietnam, and the result is deeply emotional storytelling that has made readers everywhere cry.
- 5The Nightingale90.0Must-Read Score
The Nightingale
It's one of the most loved novels of the past decade: a #1 New York Times bestseller and one of the ten best-selling books of 2015.
- 6
Lonesome Dove89.6Must-Read ScoreLonesome Dove
It's the great American Western, and much more: a sweeping, funny, heartbreaking novel about friendship, love and the end of the frontier.
- 7
The Help89.0Must-Read ScoreThe Help
It's a hugely popular, emotional and often funny story about courage and friendship across the color line, with three distinct narrators readers love.
- 8
Pachinko88.9Must-Read ScorePachinko
It's a sweeping, deeply humane family epic about identity, endurance and belonging, opening with one of fiction's great first lines: "History has failed us, but no matter." It was a National Book Award finalist and is beloved by readers everywhere.
- 9
The Nickel Boys88.1Must-Read ScoreThe Nickel Boys
It's short, devastating and beautifully written, and it won the Pulitzer Prize, Whitehead's second.
- 10
Hamnet87.2Must-Read ScoreHamnet
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Women's Prize, and became a film.
- 11
The Great Believers86.7Must-Read ScoreThe Great Believers
It's a deeply moving novel about friendship, loss and what it means to survive when those around you don't, and it was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
- 12
Half of a Yellow Sun86.6Must-Read ScoreHalf of a Yellow Sun
It won the Orange Prize and is on the Guardian's list of the best books of the century.
- 13
I, Claudius86.3Must-Read ScoreI, Claudius
It's a hugely entertaining historical novel, gossipy, witty and full of intrigue, that brings ancient Rome to life.
- 14
The Kite Runner86.1Must-Read ScoreThe Kite Runner
It's one of the best-selling novels of the century, about 31.5 million copies.
- 15
The Pillars of the Earth86.1Must-Read ScoreThe Pillars of the Earth
It's one of the best-selling novels of all time, picked for both the BBC's Big Read and the PBS Great American Read.
- 16
Atmosphere85.9Must-Read ScoreAtmosphere
Taylor Jenkins Reid combines a love story with a vivid, inspiring portrait of the women who fought to get into space.
- 17
Outlander85.9Must-Read ScoreOutlander
It's one of the best-selling novels ever, about 25 million copies, and a PBS Great American Read pick.
- 18Circe85.1Must-Read Score
Circe
It was a Women's Prize for Fiction finalist and has spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 19
The Underground Railroad84.6Must-Read ScoreThe Underground Railroad
It won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, was longlisted for the Booker, and is on the New York Times list of the century's best books.
- 20
War and Peace83.8Must-Read ScoreWar and Peace
It's widely considered one of the greatest novels ever written.
- 21
Shōgun83.5Must-Read ScoreShōgun
It was a pick on the BBC's Big Read, has sold millions of copies and has been adapted twice, most recently as an Emmy-winning FX series.
- 22A Gentleman in Moscow83.4Must-Read Score
A Gentleman in Moscow
It spent more than 100 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists.
- 23
The Frozen River83.3Must-Read ScoreThe Frozen River
It spent more than thirty weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists and was a Goodreads Choice finalist.
- 24
Lessons in Chemistry83.1Must-Read ScoreLessons in Chemistry
It was a Goodreads Choice finalist and spent years on the bestseller lists.
- 25
The Four Winds83.0Must-Read ScoreThe Four Winds
It spent weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and was a Goodreads Choice finalist.