Historical Fictionistas discussion

The nominations for March are now open.

For March the theme is simple. It simply must be Historical Fiction (meeting our definition) that has was published at least three months ago. Please include the publication date in your nomination for it to be counted. The book must also be available in all three formats-Book, ebook, and audiobook.


REMINDERS
NO SELF NOMINATION- Any member who self nominates a book, will have the post deleted and the member will be removed from the group.
NOMINATION POST MUST INCLUDE: TITLE, AUTHOR, AND EXPLANATION OF HOW IT RELATES TO THE THEME - If any one of these three things is missing from the nomination post, it will not be counted.
EVERY MEMBER GETS ONE NOMINATION AND ONE SECOND - Please make sure you are clearly marking if you are nominating and/or seconding a book. Too much extra chatter in the nomination thread makes it difficult for the moderators to keep track of the books that need to be counted.
BOOKS IN A SERIES MUST BE READ IN SERIES ORDER -Book 4 in a series cannot be nominated if the group has not read books 1-3
For a complete breakdown of how the nomination process works, see this thread - https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE look over the bookshelf containing all of the past group reads. Past group reads cannot be nominated again -
https://www.goodreads.com/group/books...

Nominations will close on January 20th.

Nominations up to post #52

1. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell- 5 seconds
2. The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony-3 seconds
3. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray- 2 seconds
4. Big Rock Candy Mountain”by Wallace Stegner- 2 seconds
5. The Lost Baker of Vienna by Sharon Kurtzman-2 seconds
6. The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian- 2 seconds
7. Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand- 1 second
8. The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin- 1 second
9. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
10. Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
**********************Cut off*********************
11. Red Clay by Charles B Fancher
12. The Soldier's Wife by Margaret LeRoy
13. Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinen
14. Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
15. Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk
16. Asterios and the Labyrinth by Edmond Thornfield
17. The Teacher of Auschwitz by Wendy Holden

I would like to nominate The Women on Platform Two (pub. March 11, 2025). It is a five-star read from me. It is a beautiful, heartbreaking, enlightening and IMPORTANT book, especially in today's climate. The audiobook is sheer perfection!

I second The Women on Platform Two!

I would like to nominate The Lost Baker of Vienna by Sharon Kurtzman, published August 19, 2025.

Maisie Dobbs published May 25, 2004

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand published June 13, 2019, It was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee

I would like to nominate Yellow Wife by Sadequa Johnson published January 2021.

I second The Yellow Wife

I will second Summer of 69

I would like to nominate Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell published in 2020

Here's a nomination for Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen published 2013:

It is 1845, and Frances Osgood is desperately trying to make a living as a writer in New York; she meets the handsome and mysterious Poe at a literary party, and the two have an immediate connection. Poe wants Frances to meet with his wife since she claims to be an admirer of her poems, and Frances is curious to see the woman whom Edgar married.
Set amidst the fascinating world of New York’s literati, this novel offers a unique view into the life of one of history’s most unforgettable literary figures.

I second The Lost Baker of Vienna by Sharon Kurtzman

I second Hamnet

I’d like to read Summer of 69

I would like to nominate The Personal Librarian by authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. Published June 29, 2021. This is a clever novel of historical fiction about a woman who is very little known in history named Belle la Costa Green. She was hired as a librarian/curator for JP Morgan and curated a fabulous library, including many hard to find manuscripts. She was very young in this position and very carefully guarded a big secret.

Jenny wrote: "I would like to nominate Yellow Wife by Sadequa Johnson published January 2021."

We read this book in June of 2021.

Reader wrote: "I’d like to read Summer of 69"

Are you seconding this?

I nominate Red Clay by Charles B Fancher published February 2025. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

I second The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict.

I second Yellow Wife

I third The Women on Platform Two. Such an impactful and enjoyable read.

I second Hamnet as well

I concur with previous nominations of The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

I will nominate The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin Published in 2025

I second The Women on Platform Two.

I nominate The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian published 3/11/2025

In this Civil War love story, inspired by a real-life friendship across enemy lines, the wife of a missing Confederate soldier discovers a wounded Yankee officer and must decide what she’s willing to risk for the life of a stranger.

I nominate The Soldier's Wife by Margaret LeRoy, a historical fiction novel published in 2011.

During WWII, a soldier's wife struggles with keeping her family safe, finding food and resources, discovering love, and facing the horrors of occupation. The story is set on the Isle of Guernsey during German occupation; and the setting is as critical to the story as the characters.

I second the nomination of The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian.

I would like to nominate Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinen. It spans three centuries beginning with Captain Bering's Great Northern Expedition to find a sea route from America to Asia, to exploring the Russian rule of Alaska in the 1800s, to the 1950s in Helsinski when scientists further explore he extinction of the sea cow. Sounds fascinating to me!

I'd like to nominate “Big Rock Candy Mountain”by Wallace Stegner. Deeply rich characters and an epic family saga. Beautifully written. Set in late 19th century western United States. The conflict between chasing dreams versus the reality of sustaining a family.

I second “Big Rock Candy Mountain” by Wallace Stegner.

I nominate "FERROBLOOMS : The Augury of Fortune" by Rajneesh Kumar, 294 pages. Launched in November 2019.
A historical fiction novel that blends war, imagination, and a richly built fictional world. The book explores the impact of wars through compelling fictional characters, weaving history with creative storytelling to present a vivid and thought-provoking narrative set against a backdrop inspired by real historical conflicts.

Anamika wrote: "I nominate "FERROBLOOMS : The Augury of Fortune" by Rajneesh Kumar, 294 pages. Launched in November 2019.
A historical fiction novel that blends war, imagination, and a richly built..."

There is no audiobook option available for this book.

I second the Secret Book Society by Madeline Miller

Second for Hamnet.

I second The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner.

I nominate Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, publication date: April 22, 2023. Available in all three formats.

“ A Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama blows the whistle on a terrible injustice done to her patients, leading to a stirring exploration of accountability and redemption.”

Stories with Sherry wrote: "I would like to nominate The Women on Platform Two (pub. March 11, 2025). It is a five-star read from me. It is a beautiful, heartbreaking, enlightening and IMPORTANT book, especia..."

IT WAS FABULOUS AND COMPELLING NOVEL....AND I AGREE, IT IS AN IMPORTANT NOVEL.

BEFORE I FINISHED IT, IT WAS RETURNED BY MY FAVE LIBBY APP. WAITING IN LINE TO FINISH IT.

Hamnet.

I would like to second The Lost Baker Of Vienna.

I would like to nominate Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk.

“From the the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature: Part detective story, part historical epic — a bold and brilliant novel that imagines a plague ravaging a fictional island in the Ottoman Empire.”

Colleen Chi-Girl wrote: "Stories with Sherry wrote: "I would like to nominate The Women on Platform Two (pub. March 11, 2025). It is a five-star read from me. It is a beautiful, heartbreaking, enlightening..."

Is this a second?

My iPhone can no longer read posted information by readers and their replies in Goodreads Groups. Great improvement Goodreads…Not! Next month we should receive new office computers, so I hope to be enabled again.

Michael Dean wrote: "My iPhone can no longer read posted information by readers and their replies in Goodreads Groups. Great improvement Goodreads…Not! Next month we should receive new office computers, so I hope to be..."

Michael, the GR app on my android phone is also pretty much useless. A few years back our son bought me a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 tablet. I now access GR through Google instead of the app and its much more efficient. Not sure if this would work for you.

Jasmine, I apologize for cluttering up this thread but with new GR rules not able to message Michael.

I understand. I'm frustrated by the new rule of new messaging. It could be useful to create a separate thread about this though. I'm sure a lot of people are feeling frustrated by the changes that don't seem to be aimed at improving the experience for users.

Title: Asterios and the Labyrinth
Author: Edmond Thornfield
Why it fits the theme:
Set in Minoan Crete circa 1450 BCE, this novel blends myth, politics, and personal drama into a historically grounded narrative. The story explores power, faith, and love within a clearly defined ancient historical setting, meeting the group’s criteria for historical fiction.

Jasmine wrote: "I understand. I'm frustrated by the new rule of new messaging. It could be useful to create a separate thread about this though. I'm sure a lot of people are feeling frustrated by the changes that ..."

Jasmine; Thanks! I have copied and pasted the above posts by Michael and I and put them in the General Information folder.

I would like to nominate The Teacher of Auschwitz” by Wendy Holden . Published 2025

I second the Yellow Wife.