Facebook Pixel
Lists Trending New
Start free trial

Historical Fiction

Real people and pivotal moments from our past come alive through compelling stories that blend documented facts with imaginative storytelling. Whether following famous figures or everyday characters, these books transport readers into richly detailed worlds shaped by the authentic customs, conflicts, and cultural forces of their time periods.

Historical Fiction Book Summaries

The Spinoza Problem Summary
The Spinoza Problem
by Irvin D. Yalom 2012 321 pages
4.26
17k+ ratings
Philosophy
Psychology
Historical Fiction
The Girl You Left Behind Summary
The Girl You Left Behind
by Jojo Moyes 2012 480 pages
4.03
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Romance
Historical
The Lion Women of Tehran Summary
The Lion Women of Tehran
by Marjan Kamali 2024 327 pages
4.50
45k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Iran
The Island of Sea Women Summary
The Island of Sea Women
by Lisa See
4.31
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Book Club
All the Light We Cannot See Summary
All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr 2014 544 pages
4.31
1.8M+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
War
The Man in the High Castle Summary
The Man in the High Castle
by Philip K. Dick
3.60
200k+ ratings
Science Fiction
Classics
Dystopia
Lessons in Chemistry Summary
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus 2022 404 pages
4.29
1.5M+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Feminism
Historical
All the Pretty Horses Summary
All the Pretty Horses
by Cormac McCarthy 1993 301 pages
4.04
100k+ ratings
Westerns
Historical Fiction
Classics
A Christmas Carol Summary
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens 1999 184 pages
4.08
800k+ ratings
Christmas
Classics
Fantasy
Rebecca Summary
Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier 2013 449 pages
4.25
600k+ ratings
Mystery
Gothic
Romance
The Call of the Wild Summary
The Call of the Wild
by Jack London
3.91
400k+ ratings
Adventure
Young Adult
Animals
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Summary
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See 2005 288 pages
4.09
300k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
China
Historical
Anne of Green Gables Summary
Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery 2003 320 pages
4.32
1M+ ratings
Classics
Young Adult
Historical Fiction
The Heart of Darkness Summary
The Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad
3.43
500k+ ratings
Classics
Literature
Historical Fiction
Like Water for Chocolate Summary
Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
3.95
300k+ ratings
Magical Realism
Romance
Historical Fiction
A Farewell to Arms Summary
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway 1998 304 pages
3.82
300k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Classics
War
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame Summary
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
by Victor Hugo 2001 512 pages
4.02
200k+ ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
France
Hamnet Summary
Hamnet
by Maggie O'Farrell 2020 372 pages
4.19
200k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Literary Fiction
The Dutch House Summary
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett 2019 337 pages
4.10
400k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
Contemporary
The Great Alone Summary
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah 2018 435 pages
4.44
900k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Romance
Historical
The Marriage Portrait Summary
The Marriage Portrait
by Maggie O'Farrell 2022 355 pages
4.01
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Italy
The Seven Sisters Summary
The Seven Sisters
by Lucinda Riley 2014 460 pages
4.19
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Romance
Historical
The Thirteenth Tale Summary
The Thirteenth Tale
by Diane Setterfield 2006 406 pages
3.98
300k+ ratings
Mystery
Historical Fiction
Gothic
Slaughterhouse-Five Summary
Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 1999 288 pages
4.10
1.4M+ ratings
Science Fiction
Classics
Historical Fiction
Black Cake Summary
Black Cake
by Charmaine Wilkerson 2022 385 pages
4.09
200k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Contemporary
Mystery
The Beekeeper of Aleppo Summary
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
by Christy Lefteri 2019 317 pages
4.17
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
War
Contemporary
The Covenant of Water Summary
The Covenant of Water
by Abraham Verghese 2023 724 pages
4.43
200k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
India
Historical
Silence Summary
Silence
by Shūsaku Endō 1966 219 pages
4.09
36k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Japan
Japanese Literature
The Berry Pickers Summary
The Berry Pickers
by Amanda Peters 2023 307 pages
4.13
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Mystery
Indigenous
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women Summary
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
by Lisa See 2023 352 pages
4.35
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
China
A Thousand Splendid Suns Summary
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini 2007 372 pages
4.44
1.6M+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Classics
Beloved Summary
Beloved
by Toni Morrison 2004 321 pages
3.96
400k+ ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Magical Realism
Table for Two Summary
Table for Two
by Amor Towles 2024 451 pages
4.22
48k+ ratings
Short Stories
Historical Fiction
Literary Fiction
The Red Tent Summary
The Red Tent
by Anita Diamant 2007 336 pages
4.20
600k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Religion
The Poppy War Summary
The Poppy War
by R.F. Kuang 2018 545 pages
4.17
300k+ ratings
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Adult
All the Colors of the Dark Summary
All the Colors of the Dark
by Chris Whitaker 2024 608 pages
4.33
200k+ ratings
Mystery
Thriller
Historical Fiction
A Gentleman in Moscow Summary
A Gentleman in Moscow
by Amor Towles 2016 462 pages
4.33
600k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Russia
The Life Impossible Summary
The Life Impossible
by Matt Haig 2024 324 pages
3.50
69k+ ratings
Fantasy
Magical Realism
Contemporary
The Book of Longings Summary
The Book of Longings
by Sue Monk Kidd 2020 416 pages
4.23
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
Religion
Beneath a Scarlet Sky Summary
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
by Mark T. Sullivan 2017 509 pages
4.43
300k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
World War II
Historical
The Phantom of the Opera Summary
The Phantom of the Opera
by Gaston Leroux 1988 368 pages
3.96
200k+ ratings
Classics
Horror
Romance
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Summary
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith 2006 528 pages
4.30
400k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Classics
Young Adult
کلبه ی عمو تام Summary
کلبه ی عمو تام
by Harriet Beecher Stowe
3.91
200k+ ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Literature
Fever 1793 Summary
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson 2002 272 pages
3.93
100k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Young Adult
Historical
The Lost Bookshop Summary
The Lost Bookshop
by Evie Woods 2023 432 pages
4.05
200k+ ratings
Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Magical Realism
Perfume Summary
Perfume
The Story of a Murderer
by Patrick Süskind 1989 272 pages
4.04
400k+ ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
Horror
Native Son Summary
Native Son
by Richard Wright
4.03
100k+ ratings
Classics
Historical Fiction
African American
The Paris Novel Summary
The Paris Novel
by Ruth Reichl 2024 288 pages
3.83
33k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Food
France
Wolf Hall Summary
Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel 2009 653 pages
3.91
200k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Historical
British Literature
The Joy Luck Club Summary
The Joy Luck Club
by Amy Tan
3.97
600k+ ratings
Historical Fiction
Classics
China
Create a free account to unlock:
Requests: Request new book summaries
Bookmarks: Save your favorite books
History: Revisit books later
Ratings: Rate books & see your ratings
Start a Free Trial to Listen
🎧 Listen while you drive, walk, run errands, or do other activities
2.8x more books Listening Reading
Today: Get Instant Access
Listen to full summaries of 73,530 books. That's 12,000+ hours of audio!
Day 4: Trial Reminder
We'll send you a notification that your trial is ending soon.
Day 7: Your subscription begins
You'll be charged on Feb 12,
cancel anytime before.
Compare Features Free Pro
Read full text summaries
Summaries are free to read for everyone
Listen to summaries
12,000+ hours of audio
 —
Unlimited Bookmarks
Free users are limited to 10
 —
Unlimited History
Free users are limited to 10
 —
What our users say
50,000+ readers
"...I can 10x the number of books I can read..."
"...exceptionally accurate, engaging, and beautifully presented..."
"...better than any amazon review when I'm making a book-buying decision..."
Save 62%
Yearly
$119.88 $44.99/year
$3.75/mo
Monthly
$9.99/mo
Try Free & Unlock
7 days free, then $44.99/year. Cancel anytime.
Settings
Appearance
Black Friday Sale 🎉
$20 off Lifetime Access
$79.99 $59.99
Upgrade Now →