Top 10 Most Famous Historical Fiction Books You Need to Read

If you’ve ever found yourself torn between the emotional pull of a great novel and the rich details of a true story, historical fiction offers the best of both worlds. This beloved genre takes real settings, events, and eras from the past and weaves them into page-turning tales full of drama, love, heartbreak, and resilience.

And in 2025, historical fiction is having a major moment. From long-standing bestsellers to buzzy new releases, readers are rediscovering the power of well-told stories set in the past—especially as they reflect timely themes that still resonate today.

Top 10 Most Famous Historical Fiction Books You Need to Read

1.Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

No list of historical fiction is complete without the inclusion of Margaret Mitchell’s sweeping epic set during the American Civil War and Reconstruction. The book is not what one would consider a quick read—as it’s over 1,000 pages—but that hasn’t dissuaded decades of readers from diving in.

Over 30 million copies of Gone With the Wind were sold by the turn of the 21st century, and it’s been translated into 40 different languages. While it’s not without controversy, both the book and the 1939 Academy Award-winning film of the same name are among the most famous titles on this list.

2) A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Selling over 200 million copies since it was first published in 1859, Charles Dickins’ A Tale of Two Cities is arguably the most famous on this list. The story is divided into three books and set in London and Paris around the time of the French Revolution (1775 to 1793).

It’s been adapted for the stage and the screen—and who can forget those famous first words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

3) The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The six wives of King Henry VIII are perfect fodder for a compelling novel, with Anne Boleyn arguably the most well-known. As such, she’s a fitting main character for Philippa Gregory’s 2001 historical fiction novel The Other Boleyn Girl, which is even more interesting because it introduces Anne’s real-life sister, Mary Boleyn, as another of the king’s love interests.

The historical accuracy is dicey, to say the least, and the movie adaptation was a flop. Still, the book was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

4) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart, the 1958 novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe, follows the story of Okonkwo, an African warrior and leader. It’s set during the 1890s amid the arrival of white missionaries and British colonizers. Achebe’s work was named one of the 12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Books Ever Written” and has also become required reading in schools and universities nationwide.

Speaking to its longstanding fame, it was announced last year that Things Fall Apart will be adapted into a TV series from production company A24, starring Idris Elba as Okonkwo.

5) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

While you may be more familiar with the steamy smash hit TV show, like so many things, Outlander was a book first. The titular novel, published in 1991, is set in two different periods: post-World War II and 18th-century Scotland. Protagonist Claire Randall is a nurse in 20th-century Great Britain, but things take a turn when she unintentionally travels two centuries back in time.

The series is set to include 10 novels, of which Diana Gabaldon has published nine. Outlander is one of the best-selling book series ever, with roughly 25 million copies sold.

6) The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 historical fiction novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn didn’t make a huge splash when it was first published. But a few years later—in 2020 and 2021—the book exploded on social media platforms, namely TikTok, with readers raving about the novel.

The story follows the fictional movie star Evelyn Hugo and is told through flashbacks to her career during Hollywood’s Golden Age. A film version is in the works for the bestseller, with Netflix developing the project.

7) The Abominable by Dan Simmons

Dan Simmons is probably best known for The Terror, a work of historical fiction that veers into the supernatural when a monster attacks the doomed men of Franklin’s lost expedition to find the Northwest Passage.

The Abominable, whose title references the yetis said to haunt the Himalayas, sounds at first like it could be too supernatural to qualify for this list, but it’s largely a very grounded story about mountaineering, full of adventure, colorful characters, and plenty of research about the history of mountain climbing.

8) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Recently adapted into a Netflix miniseries, All the Light We Cannot See follows Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl living in Saint-Malo after the Nazis invade Pastudent.

This Pulitzer Prize-winninglitary school student.

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel explores themes of war and human nature, and author Anthony Doerr received praise for his sensory writing style.

9) Atonement by Ian McEwan

Ian McEwan’s acclaimed 2001 novel follows Briony Tallis, a well-off English girl in the ’30s who, in a misunderstanding that’s not entirely innocent, has her older sister Cecilia’s lover Robbie sent to prison by identifying him as the perpetrator of an assault he did not commit.

The fallout from this accusation carries on into World War II and beyond, with Briony eventually coming to realize that she ruined Cecilia and Robbie’s lives and that she wants to atone—if that’s even possible. The book was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, and Saoirse Ronan.

10) Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian

Patrick O’Brian’s series of nautical history novels, beginning with 1969’s Master and Commander, is extremely dad-core, but the appeal is widespread. Set in the Napoleonic Wars, the series follows Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship’s surgeon, Stephen Maturin, an odd couple who embark on many adventures at sea together, serving king and country.

Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany starred as the pair in a film adaptation that drew from three of the books: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

The movie was critically acclaimed but didn’t have the success needed to kick off a film franchise. Luckily, there are 21 books in the Aubrey/Maturin series for fans of the era and O’Brian’s nautical wit.