Historical fiction consistently produces some of my favorite books. The best novels in the genre do more than recreate another period: they make history personal through families, relationships, injustice and survival. Looking back at my 2025 reading, these 12 books stayed with me the most.
This expanded list combines two earlier articles that covered different books. A few selections sit at the edges of the genre, but all use history and social context in meaningful ways.
12 Best Historical Fiction Books I Read in 2025
| Book | Author | Setting or focus |
|---|---|---|
| Demon Copperhead | Barbara Kingsolver | Modern Appalachia |
| The Women | Kristin Hannah | Vietnam War |
| James | Percival Everett | Antebellum America |
| The Berry Pickers | Amanda Peters | 1960s onward |
| The Café with No Name | Robert Seethaler | 1960s Vienna |
| The Sympathizer | Viet Thanh Nguyen | Fall of Saigon |
| One Hundred Years of Solitude | Gabriel García Márquez | Generational family saga |
| A Gentleman in Moscow | Amor Towles | Post-revolutionary Russia |
| The Great Alone | Kristin Hannah | 1970s Alaska |
| The Nickel Boys | Colson Whitehead | Jim Crow-era Florida |
| Wandering Stars | Tommy Orange | Native American history |
| Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | Regency England |
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Kingsolver reimagines David Copperfield in Appalachia, following a boy navigating poverty, foster care and the opioid crisis. It is technically recent-set literary fiction rather than traditional historical fiction, but it captures a specific social history with extraordinary force.
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Frankie McGrath serves as an Army nurse during the Vietnam War and returns to a country unwilling to recognize what women experienced there. Hannah combines an emotional story with an overlooked part of the war’s history.
James by Percival Everett
Everett retells Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective, restoring intelligence and agency to a character pushed to the margins. The distinctive voice is the novel’s greatest achievement.
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
A young Mi’kmaq girl disappears while her family is picking berries in Maine. Her absence reshapes two families for decades, creating a moving story about identity, loss and family secrets.
The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler
Set in Vienna during the 1960s, this quiet novel follows Robert Simon as he opens a modest café and becomes part of his customers’ changing lives. It is ideal for readers who value atmosphere over a fast plot.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel follows a communist double agent after the fall of Saigon. It is a spy novel, political satire and story about divided identity at the same time.
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
This magical-realist masterpiece follows seven generations of the Buendía family and the rise and fall of Macondo. History repeats through war, love, ambition and solitude.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest inside Moscow’s Hotel Metropol. Towles turns political upheaval and confinement into a warm story about purpose, friendship and dignity.
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
A family moves to remote Alaska hoping for a fresh start, but isolation magnifies the father’s trauma and abuse. The novel combines the danger of the landscape with a painful domestic story.
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Inspired by abuses at Florida’s Dozier School for Boys, the novel follows Elwood Curtis after he is unjustly sent to a brutal reform school. It is concise, devastating and essential.
Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange
I really enjoyed this novel, which traces trauma and survival across generations of a Native American family. Orange connects the Carlisle Indian Industrial School to contemporary Oakland.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Austen’s novel is more accurately a historical classic than historical fiction, but its portrait of class, marriage and reputation makes it valuable for readers interested in Regency society.
Which Book Should You Read First?
Choose The Women for an emotional page-turner, James or The Nickel Boys for concise literary fiction, One Hundred Years of Solitude for a sweeping family saga, and A Gentleman in Moscow for a warm character-driven novel. Readers who want an underappreciated family mystery should try The Berry Pickers.
Final Thoughts
These books reminded me why historical fiction remains one of my most reliable genres. My personal standouts were James, The Women, The Nickel Boys and One Hundred Years of Solitude.
How many have you read, and which historical novel should I add next?
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Kamchatka Khronicle tells the story of two natural scientists on the Vitus Bering Expedition of 1741-42, but the encounter with the bizarre customs of the Kamchadal tribe is truly fascinating.
While I absolutely loved “Demon Copperhead”, it is certainly not “historical” fiction. It takes place in the 1990s and 2000s. Great book, but more accurately described as literary fiction or contemporary fiction.
The longer I read the more I realized I am under-read. Thanks, this was motivating and I have some good leads on what to add to my list 🙂
Glad to help!
Thank you for sharing these recommendations. It looks like I have a few more to add to my burgeoning TBR list!
Like you, I neglect historical fiction, but it’s my other favourite genre, next to memoir and biography.