Today I want to talk about a genre I don't read nearly enough from- Historical Fiction. It's a crying shame really. I love..LOVE History. Both mine and from other corners of the world, history has always been an area of interest. And when done well there is nothing quite as satisfying as historical fiction. Going back in time, visiting a time and place different from my own, seeing important historical events and how it impacted people...there is so much to love.
OK..enough babbbling.
Here are our Top 5 Historical Fiction Books of 2019:
1. Lilac Girls by Martha Kelly Hall: A beautifully written, poignant yet inspiring book about the 'Rabbit Girls' (the young Jewish women, who were experimented on at the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp). The strong and brave characters of this book (it is a true story) will move you and inspire you. Highly, highly recommend.
2. Lost Roses by Martha Kelly Hall: A prequel to (unconnected and can be read without reading) Lilac Girls. It follows the journey of two women from a White Russian family as they make their way through Europe in the midst of World War I. Beautifully written and a moving story as well.
3. The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman: This is a historical fiction meets magical realism sort of a book that effortlessly blends folklore and myth with the horrifying events of World War II. It sounds like a lot of things, but trust us, this is a great book! Read it!
4. The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes: Recently reviewed on this blog, read here. A really lovely book!
5. Belonging by Umi Sinha: I chanced upon this little gem of a book quite by chance, the premise sounded promising enough but I had no idea how much I'd end up loving this book. This book is essentially the story of three generations of the same British/Anglo Indian family, set during the turbulent times of the British Raj, it is a story of identity, family and tragedy. Beautifully written and interesting, so interesting to see the 'other' side of history, meaning seeing the Sepoy Mutiny from a British lens made for some very interesting reading. So good, I cannot recommend it enough. Easily one of the best books I've read all year.
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