11 Ambitious Novels That Offer Original Perspectives On History

11 Ambitious Novels That Offer Original Perspectives On History

8 Great Historical Movies

1. The Sound of Music (1965)
2. Hidden Figures (2016)
3. Amadeus (1984)
4. Lincoln (2012)
5. Newsies (1992)
6. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
7. Pride (2007)
8. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017)

Popular Settings for Historical Fiction

• Regency England
• Medieval Europe
• Ancient Greece
• Viking Age
• Colonial United States
• World War II

5 Tips For Writing Historical Fiction

In Depth

The wide-ranging books included on this list approach centuries of world history from fresh and exciting new angles. For those seeking historical fiction that doesn't simply tread familiar ground, here, in no particular order, are eleven ambitious novels that provide unique perspectives on everything from the 19th-century whaling industry to the Cuban missile crisis.

For #1 we find "Muse" by Mary Novik. In 14th-century Avignon, France, Solange Le Blanc is orphaned following the death of her harlot mother. She is taken in and raised by Benedictine nuns who believe that she has psychic powers, and receives training to become a scribe. After suffering a traumatic assault, she flees the convent and becomes both lover and muse to renowned poet Petrarch. But her happiness is consistently under attack. When she is betrayed by Petrarch, and a disaster in Avignon causes the population to accuse her of witchcraft, Solange must fight to prove her worth.

At #2 is "Under the Poppy" by Kathe Koja. Decca, who runs a brothel in 1870s Belgium, harbors feelings for her partner and co-owner Rupert. Getting in the way of a potential romance, however, is the fact that Rupert is smitten with her brother, the puppet master Istvan. So when Istvan arrives in town, bringing his bawdy puppets and reigniting long-held desires, the resulting drama threatens to derail everything. To make the situation even more volatile, war is brewing on the horizon. Will the brothel be able to withstand the romantic and geopolitical conflicts that are quickly encroaching upon it?

Getting in the way of a potential romance, however, is the fact that Rupert is smitten with her brother, the puppet master Istvan.

For #3 we get "Caroline" by Sarah Miller. Substituting Caroline Ingalls' perspective for Laura's, this inspired novel reimagines "Little House on the Prairie" from the point of view of the family's pioneer mother. In the winter of 1870, the pregnant Caroline, her husband, and their two daughters travel west from Wisconsin to settle in the prairies of Kansas. Their lives are fraught with physical and emotional trials, from sickness and exhaustion during their journey to the burdens of establishing a home on the unforgiving frontier. By retelling this classic story through the eyes of the mom, Miller reveals the rougher adult experience of pioneer life.

Showing up at #4 is "Back Channel" by Stephen L. Carter. Against the height of Cold War panic in 1962, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev have started a clandestine line of communication through which they can negotiate a truce. In need of a secret envoy to aid in their negotiations, they enlist nineteen-year-old Ivy League student Margo to travel to Soviet territory. As Margo plunges deeper into international intrigue, and is consequently embroiled in the drama of the cuban Missile crisis, it is up to her to save the world from impending nuclear war.

For #5 we have "Odessa, Odessa" by Barbara Artson. Orthodox Jews in early 1900s Russia, the pregnant Henya and her rabbi husband Mendel endure a hardscrabble life with their many children. After Cossack soldiers raid their shtetl, the couple is conflicted about how to proceed with their lives. Rejecting the idealism of the Bolshevik cause and determined not to end up in the pogroms, Mendel decides to leave for America with some of the kids. Henya stays behind, but emigrates a year later. Charting their journeys and those of their families over many decades, Artson illuminates the triumphs and hardships of the Jewish immigrant experience.

Orthodox Jews in early 1900s Russia, the pregnant Henya and her rabbi husband Mendel endure a hardscrabble life with their many children.

Arriving at #6 is "The Sea-God at Sunrise" by G.L. Tysk. John Manjiro, one of the first Japanese people to explore America, serves as the inspiration for this portrait of cross-cultural kinship. Young Japanese fishermen, brothers Shima and Takao are shipwrecked on a remote island in the mid-19th century. They are rescued by an American whaling vessel, but the antipathy between their countries forbids them from being delivered home by the enemy ship. Because of this, they become stowaways on the boat, and head off on an expedition in the South Pacific. As the boys and the crew grow closer during their seafaring quest, the cultural tensions between them dissipate.

For #7 we come to "Motherland" by Maria Hummel. During the waning days of World War II in Germany, surgeon Frank Kappus is recruited as a military medic. Liesl, the young woman he married following the death of his former wife, is left to keep his children safe through ongoing air raids and supply shortages. Her struggle reaches its apex when one of the children becomes psychologically unstable, and she must protect him from being sent to a Nazi hospital.

Landing at #8 is "Clover Blue" by Eldonna Edwards. Twelve-year-old Clover Blue loves almost everything about the Saffron Freedom Community, the 1970s Northern California commune that adopted him as a toddler. But something is nagging at him, specifically the question of who his biological parents are, and why they brought him here. Disappointed that Goji, the leader of the commune, doesn't seem to have any answers, Blue decides to seek out the truth for himself. As he learns about the secrets shrouding his past, he uncovers information that challenges everything he had taken for granted.

Disappointed that Goji, the leader of the commune, doesn't seem to have any answers, Blue decides to seek out the truth for himself.

For #9 we find "The Invisible Mountain" by Carolina De Robertis. A sweeping epic set throughout Latin America, this compelling novel traces the paths of three generations of women as they navigate the social tumult of the 20th century. It all begins on New Year's Day in 1899 when Pajarita, a baby presumed to be lost, miraculously reappears in the Uruguayan countryside. Sixteen years later, the teenaged Pajarita has a daughter, Eva, who dreams of being a poet. Eva eventually moves to Argentina, and gives birth to Salome. While experiencing the many political upheavals of the 1960s, Salome has a profound cultural awakening.

At #10 is "The True and Splendid History of the Harristown Sisters" by Michelle Lovric. Darcy and her six younger sisters are growing up impoverished in famine-stricken, 1860s Ireland, looked after only by their gloomy single mother. Despite the grimness of their circumstances, the girls all possess a natural gift that can lift them from their squalor: long, luscious hair. As they perform in vaudeville acts choreographed to exploit their luxuriant locks, they find themselves rising to great fortune. But with fame often comes notoriety, and when the sisters leave their small town for Venice, disreputable individuals and scandals threaten to tear them apart.

Finally, for #11 we arrive at "Tomorrow" by Damian Dibben. Flashing back and forth in time over hundreds of years, Dibben's fantastical saga observes a changing Europe through the eyes of a 217-year-old dog. In the early 17th century, scientist Valentyne discovers a serum that can grant immortality, and uses the substance on himself and his beloved pooch, Champion. When the two become separated, the eternally loyal, age-defying dog embarks on an epic quest to find his master. Witnessing everything from the Spanish succession to the Napoleonic Wars, Champion learns about the beauty and horrors of humanity.