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Historical Fiction March 2025 |
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| Fagin the Thief by Allison EpsteinRevisiting Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and providing a more nuanced depiction of villainous Fagin, this "magnificent" (Publishers Weekly) novel begins in 1838 London when trouble arrives at the rundown house where Fagin lives with his group of young thieves. For retellings of other Dickens novels, try Jon Clinch's Marley or Barbara Kingsolver's 21st century-set Demon Copperhead. |
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The Paris Express : a novel
by Emma Donoghue
Set on a fateful 1895 train journey to Paris, a diverse group of passengers—including politicians, a medical student, an inventor, and an anarchist—navigate personal ambitions and hidden motives, culminating in a disaster that forever changes their lives.
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The Jackal's mistress : a novel
by Chris Bohjalian
Managing her gristmill amid the turmoil of war in 1864 Virginia, Libby Steadman must choose whether to risk treason and aid a gravely injured Union officer left to die, while her desperate hope for news of her imprisoned husband collides with the harsh realities of war.
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The King's Messenger
by Susanna Kearsley
In 1613, Andrew Logan, a messenger for King James, embarks on a mission to frame an innocent advisor for treason, but as he unravels the truth alongside his spirited neighbour Phoebe Westaway, their growing bond challenges loyalty, justice, and the possibilities of love.
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| Let's Call Her Barbie by Renée RosenTold from multiple viewpoints, this fun fictional take on Barbie's beginnings shows Mattel cofounder Ruth Handler, inspired by dolls in Europe, creating the revolutionary fashion icon. Though kids love her, Barbie faces in-house problems and consumer criticism on her way to success (and a dream house). |
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| The Queen of Fives by Alex HayDestitute con artist Quinn Le Blanc, the current Queen of Fives, follows the old group's rulebook dictating she has five days to pull off five specific moves to complete a successful con. In 1898 London, she's impersonating an heiress to lure a wealthy duke into marriage, but she only has one helper left and there are mysterious plots against her. |
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The dressmakers of London
by Julia Kelly
Isabelle Shelton has always found comfort in the predictable world of her mother's dressmaking shop, Mrs. Shelton's Fashions, while her sister Sylvia turned her back on the family years ago to marry a wealthy doctor whom Izzie detests. When their mother dies unexpectedly, the sisters are stunned to find they've jointly inherited the family business. Through letters, the sisters begin to confront old wounds, new loves, and the weight of family legacy in order to forge new beginnings.
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| Island Queen by Vanessa RileyBorn enslaved, Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a real-life 18th- and 19th-century Caribbean woman, builds a business empire to buy freedom for herself and her family and rubs shoulders with the rich and powerful, including England's future King William IV. |
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| The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher MurrayIn 1905, Belle de Costa Greene is hired away from Princeton University to curate and run the personal library of banker J.P. Morgan. She shrewdly expands his collection of manuscripts, books, and artwork and becomes a powerful part of New York society, all the while hiding her Black family history. |
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| The Women's March by Jennifer ChiaveriniIn 1913, not all American women have a right to vote. Determined to change that, suffragists such as Alice Paul, Maud Malone, and Ida B. Wells take part in a March on Washington, D.C., where angry men block their path. Blending fact and fiction, this powerful novel thoughtfully depicts the women's struggles and courage. |
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| Diva by Daisy GoodwinWell-researched and richly detailed, Diva fictionalizes the complex and scandalous extramarital affair between legendary opera singer Maria Callas and Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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