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Historical Fiction November 2025 |
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| Venetian Vespers by John BanvilleIn Booker Prize winner John Banville's atmospheric latest, newlyweds Evelyn and Laura, who don't know each other very well, visit 1899 Venice. Struggling British writer Evelyn, who narrates, has been pulled to the city by his recently disinherited American wife, and there he meets a man claiming to know him. Though Evelyn doesn't remember the man, he quickly falls for his sister, which leads to violence and a disappearance. |
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| Circle of Days by Ken FollettExploring the creation of Stonehenge, Circle of Days follows Seft, a flint miner who's physically abused by his widowed father. Falling for Neen, he's embraced by her herding family and ends up helping Neen's priestess sister bring her vision for a massive stone circle to life while facing weather issues, tribal conflicts, and logistical problems in this intricately plotted epic with a large cast of characters. |
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| Amity by Nathan HarrisIn 1866 Louisiana, formerly enslaved siblings Coleman and June continue to work for the Harper family after the war. When Mr. Harper heads to Mexico hoping to get rich via silver mines, he takes June with him. Soon Mrs. Harper, her adult daughter, bookish Coleman, and a dog follow them, but no one's journey is smooth in this incisive, intricately plotted western. |
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| Bad Bad Girl by Gish JenGish's mother, Loo Shu-hsin, is born in 1924 to a wealthy Shanghai family where girls are expected to behave and be quiet. By the time Gish is born, her parents' marriage is unraveling, and her mother, struggling to understand her strong-willed American daughter, is repeating the refrain that punctuated her own childhood: "Bad bad girl! You don't know how to talk!" Spanning continents and generations, this is a rich, heartbreaking portrait of two fierce women locked in a complicated life-long embrace. |
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The Secret Book Society
by Madeline Martin
You are cordially invited to the Secret Book Society. London, 1895: Trapped by oppressive marriages and societal expectations, three women receive a mysterious invitation to an afternoon tea at the home of the reclusive Lady Duxbury. Beneath the genteel facade of the gathering lies a secret book club--a sanctuary where they can discover freedom, sisterhood, and the courage to rewrite their stories. Their courage is their only weapon in the oppressive world that has kept them silent, but when secrets are deadly, one misstep could cost them everything.
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The Cardinal
by Alison Weir
Tracing Thomas Wolsey's rise from the young son of a village butcher to a wealthy cardinal and Henry VIII's closest advisor, this well-researched tale also depicts his falling in love and becoming a father to several children, despite church rules. But everything, including his life, is at risk when the king decides to divorce Catherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn.
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Fagin the Thief
by Allison Epstein
Long before Oliver Twist stumbled onto the scene, Jacob Fagin was scratching out a life for himself in the dark alleys of nineteenth-century London. But Jacob's prospects are forever altered when a light-fingered pickpocket takes Jacob under his wing and teaches him a trade that pays far better than the neighborhood boys could possibly dream. But everything changes when he adopts an aspiring teenage thief named Bill Sikes, whose mercurial temper poses a danger to himself and anyone foolish enough to cross him.
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| One of Them by Kitty ZeldisJust after World War II, Anne Bishop attends Vassar, but doesn't tell her new friends she's Jewish, even when they make offensive comments. Fellow student Delia Goldhush, a Jewish girl with style and self-assurance, fled France during the war and faces antisemitism head-on. While Anne and Delia become secret friends, their connection is put to the test. Later, both end up in Europe, where they meet again. For fans of: thought-provoking books; novels that examine friendship, belonging, and identity. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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