I am always on the hunt for good historical fiction since that is my favorite genre, and though I know there is already more historical fiction written than I could ever read in a lifetime, I still always feel like there can never be enough! The new year has me reviewing my 2020 reading and thinking about what I would like to read more of this year—historical fiction has made the cut again! I made the conscious effort to branch out and be more intentional in my reading in 2020. I picked up several genres that I hadn’t touched in years, and while I enjoyed them, I still want my reading life to be filled with an abundance of historical fiction, not just any historical fiction, but page turning, captivating, historical fiction!
I love looking back over the titles I’ve read in the past year and there are always a few titles that jump out at me more than others. You know the ones—they are the books that pull you in so much that you find yourself thinking of the characters more as friends than just characters in a book. Or you’ll find yourself thinking of a scene like you would a t.v. scene and realize it was from a passage in a book, painted so realistically that you got sucked into it!
Below is a list of books that I read in 2020 that sucked me right in, some of them I have talked about before, and others I haven’t mentioned. Regardless, they are all ones that pulled me in, held my interest, and painted a vibrant world that I find my thoughts still drifting back to.
The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
I listened to this as an audiobook and I couldn’t stop!! It is told from the rotating perspective of three women, the author, Pam Jenoff, does a great job of keeping you enthralled through the entire tale. This is a story about the women spies, stationed in France, who worked for the British intelligence during World War II. One wrong move could mean death, not just for one of the spies, but for all in their network. The women are working diligently and making progress when a few odd things start to occur and it seems they may also have a spy among them…
A decade later, young Grace Heasley discovers an unattended valise tucked under a Grand Central Station bench. Opening it, she finds 12 photographs of young women, around her own age. Grace impulsively tucks the photos into her purse and leaves. Overcome with guilt for stealing the photos Grace returns later that day hoping to replace the photos—but the valise is gone!
Grace now begins to feel a responsibility to the girls in the photos and pressure to seek the owner of the valise, a task that proves near impossible. Why were their pictures being carried about in a suitcase? Grace can’t stop her inquisitive nature and so begins her journey to get to the bottom of this mystery, a journey that ends up being much more much than Grace bargained for.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
I did not know much about life in Cuba, either before Castro took over, while he was in power, or what life is starting to look like after his death. If you want a real life depiction of what totalitarian control looks like, this book will give it to you.
Not that this book is all doom and gloom—far from it! Marisol has lived her whole life in Florida, the granddaughter of a Cuban refugee who fled to America when Fidel took over. Now that both Fidel and her grandmother have passed on, Marisol is tasked with traveling back to Cuba to spread her grandmother’s ashes, per her grandmother’s last wishes. She travels to Cuba and stays with her grandmother’s dear friend and childhood neighbor, and her handsome grandson. Escorted about Cuba by the handsome grandson, Marisol slowly uncovers family secrets she never could have imagined she’d find.
Lovely War by Julie Berry
This book takes place during WW I and is narrated by the Greek Gods, which I thought was really fun! Aries tells the war scenes, Aphrodite tells the love story, and Hades tells the parts when someone dies. The story is about 4 young people who all find themselves on the war front in WW I. You will follow each one of these young people as their lives crisscross and intersect, and you will see how war will take its toll on each one of them. War takes a toll on everyone. (See my other post where I mention Lovely War Here) {5 books}
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner
This book takes place right after WWII in a small village in England that has the fortune to have the home that was Jane Austen’s in the later part of her life. Throughout this book a group of people who, for their own reasons, have taken solace in Austen’s work, band together to try and save Austen’s house and her legacy.
The story was good, based on real events, the people are fictional although there were real people in the village who did what the characters in the book do, but what really pulled me into this book was the believability of the characters and the descriptions of the English village. This is one of those books that my mind wanders back to the characters, more so than to the story. Not to say that the story wasn’t compelling—it was! But if you enjoy really getting to know the characters of a book then you will be enthralled with this one.
As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner
I bought this one for my mom and my aunt for Christmas after reading it! I talked about it at length in my post, As Bright as Heaven, but let me just say again this is one of those books that will pull you in and keep you turning pages. This book kept my interest as the story is told from the alternating points of view of the main characters, and thus always has you on the edge of your seat eager to hear from all of the characters. You will discover what life was like from the point of view of an undertaker’s family during the Spanish flu pandemic in the early 1900s.
I hope this helps give you a few more titles to check out for your future reading. Don’t forget to connect with me on Instagram and tell me about the books you have been enjoying lately!