1. Brooklyn by Colm Toibin – Set in ’50’s Ireland and New York, this sparely written novel centers on the story of Eilis Lacey and her immigration from Ireland to bustling Brooklyn. Eilis is a complex and reserved character, a young girl who is feeling her way through life while working hard and experiencing first love. The description of Brooklyn in the ’50’s is energetic and buoyant and the ending is unexpected. A beautiful and controlled novel.
2.The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt – Byatt’s dense and lush book packs in lots of characters, lots of historical events and lots of ideas. It is overwhelming for some, but I found this novel, set during the late Victorian/Edwardian era, utterly irresistible. The children of writers and artists discover life for themselves and step out of the security (or nightmare) of their parents’ talent with sometimes tragic results. If you love this time period, The Children’s Book is a must-read. Byatt manages to capture the spirit of the times while also telling a convincing story. This is a book to be slowly savored.
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows – When I think of this novel, my heart feels delight. Just after WWII journalist Juliet Ashton goes to the island of Guernsey to investigate how the citizens survived there under German occupation. She meets a charming group of people who valiantly braved the deprivations and fear of living under the enemy. This epistolary novel radiates goodness. It will become a favorite.
4.Fingersmith by Sarah Waters – If heart-warming books don’t, well, warm your heart try this dark and thrilling neo-Victorian tale instead. It features mistaken identity, insane asylums, bands of thieves and all the sordidness of Victorian life that is white washed in other novels. The plot is a gut-puncher that you’ll not easily forget.
Have you read these? Liked them? What are your favorite historical novels?
{Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman.}
A Certain Fondness 
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