From fan favorites like Kristin Hannah, Vanessa Miller, and Kate Quinn to debut authors like Ashton Lattimore and Eve J. Chung, prepare for your TBR pile to overflow with these twelve historical fiction titles that will take you across continents, centuries, and cultures in 2024.
Unsinkable by Jenni L Walsh (1/9)
This dual-perspective novel follows Violet and Daphne, both of whom are resilient and unsinkable. In fact, Violet survives a shipwreck and two sinkings including Titanic. Hard times strike and Violet returns to sea aboard the Britannic as a nurse. When disaster arrives on this ship, Violet wonders if a future on land is possible. Meanwhile Daphne is invited as an agent in the Special Operations Executive in France during World War II. What seems to be a perfect fit proves to be more challenging than Daphne anticipated.
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The American Queen by Vanessa Miller (1/30)
Inspired by true events, The American Queen is a beautiful reminder of the hope that continues to shine in the darkness. Louella is enslaved on Montgomery Plantation and after losing both of her parents, hope is the furthest thing from her mind. But Reverend William ignites that sentiment when he leads the formerly enslaved people to a place of their own, called the Kingdom of Happy Land, a place where new beginnings are possible, and hope has a chance.
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The Women by Kristin Hannah (2/6)
A courageous novel examining the impacts of war, politics, and sacrifice. Nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGarth joins the Army Nurse Corps in 1965 joining the Vietnam war. She was ill-prepared for the reality of war and its unimaginable impact. And upon Frankie’s return to America, she is faced with the political divide of the country she calls home.
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Queens of London by Heather Webb (2/6)
An entertaining novel set in London in 1925 follows Alice Diamond or Diamond Annie, the newly elected leader of an all women gang, the Queen of the Forty Elephants, and Officer Lilian Wyles, one of Britain’s first female policewomen, who is determined to prove she is cut out for the big leagues. Both women intend to make a name for themselves whether they play by the rules is up for debate.
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The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang (2/13)
This gripping historical fiction mystery spanning two countries and six years will enrapture you. Beginning in Versailles in 1912, with an American millionaire and his wife, wearing the Phoenix Crown, at a costume ball among the elite. Flashing back to San Francisco in 1906 and unraveling the lives of four women, one man is the connection, Henry Thornton, and his grand antique collection includes the Phoenix Crown.
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No Better Time by Sheila Williams (2/27)
This inspiring novel shares the untold story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only Black Women’s Army Corps (WAC) to serve overseas during World War II. After a turbulent sea voyage, Dorothy Thom and eight hundred African American WACs are tasked with sorting approximately 17 million pieces of mail sent to GIs from their families. Demonstrating the value of travel and sisterhood, the WACs return to America tired of the old ways and ready for a new beginning.
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The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (3/12)
An emotionally charged novel set during World War II following three women who dive into books to escape their uncertain reality. Juliet Lansdown is the new deputy librarian determined to revive the Bethnal Green Library. Katie Upwood is working at the library for the summer, but an unexpected secret threatens to upend her plans. And Sofie Baumann is a young Jewish refugee in London on a domestic service visa who frequently visits the library to escape her unbearable employer. As their reality becomes bleaker these women use books to build community and provide a slice of hope.
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Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki (3/19)
An intriguing reimagining of Margaret Fuller’s life beginning in Massachusetts in 1836 and filled with literary figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and Edgar Allan Poe. This novel will not only remind readers of Margaret’s influence on history, gender roles, and literature, but also the great risks required to forge your own path.
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1666 by Lora Chilton (4/2)
An empowering retelling of the Survival Story of Patawomeck Tribe of Virginia highlights the value of oral storytelling tradition. This novel follows three indigenous Patawomeck women who recount the events of the summer of 1666 when colonists invaded, attacked, and massacred their tribe. After being sold and brought to Barbados and the harrowing escape back to Virginia.
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All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore (4/2)
A captivating debut novel set in pre-Civil War Philadelphia intertwining the lives of three young Black women. In 1837, Charlotte escaped from a plantation in the South to Philadelphia but is dismayed by this definition of freedom that forces her to play a housemaid to her white-passing father. Determined to create a life for herself, Charlotte new friend, Nell, member of one of Philadelphia’s wealthiest families, embodies the life Charlotte desperately desires, but Charlotte’s past infringes on her future when Evie, a friend from the plantation Charlotte escaped arrives in Philadelphia with the plantation mistress.
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Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung (5/7)
An unforgettable journey of a mother and her four daughters from Shandong, China to Taiwan in the wake of the Communist revolution. Left with nowhere to turn and without a male heir, their reality quickly shifts from one of prosperity to despair. Through their experience, readers witness the strength of family, the resilience of women, the impact of war on the present and future generations.
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What They Said About Luisa by Erika Rummel (6/18)
Told from the perspectives of those who encounter Luisa Abrego of Seville comes the untold story of a courageous woman. Luisa is an enslaved woman carrying the child of her enslaver who is set free upon his death. Forced to leave her child behind, Luisa marries a white man and joins his voyage to unconquered land, what would later be known as Mexico.
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