So, I read a LOT of historical fiction, and usually find myself reading the latest popular books in this genre around when they come out. Recently, though, I picked up Memoirs of a Geisha, which I haven't read in over a decade, and while I realize it's been cast as problematic in more recent years the fact of the matter is I'm enjoying it and forgot how much I enjoyed it when I first read it.
Which led me to try and remember- what are some other historical fiction books popular in recent decades, that are not not remembered much? I remember The Red Tent also being a popular bestseller in the 1990s you never hear about now, if you want another example of what I'm thinking about- other ones would probably be The Thorn Birds, Pompeii by Robert Harris, or the Courtney novels.
Thanks!
by Andromeda321
4 Comments
Not sure how popular it ever got, but the Flashman Papers series is incredible. Fairly old, and it was clearly popular enough to spawn a ton of books.
W.E.B. Griffin multiple series.
John Jake’s, Kent Family , North and South.Washington’s Spies, Alexander Rose
Do you know *The Egyptian* by Mika Waltari? It was a huge hit in the late 1940s and one of the best-selling Finnish books of all time; I’ve just re-read it for the 3rd time and I’m just overwhelmed by its many layers and “modernity” considering the time it was written. And the period (Akhnaton, i.e. the short-lived period of quasi-Monotheism in Ancient Egypt) is extremely fascinating as well.