Often based on real people, events, and scenarios, historical fiction gives us the opportunity to learn about worlds and times we will never experience, while introducing fascinating characters and stories set in their midst. Sometimes, the genre can even give us a peek into hidden storylines that routinely go unmentioned in traditional history books, showing us that people from ages past are perhaps not so different from ourselves.
The first in the Kingsbridge series, this rich tapestry of interweaving tales follows the various characters involved in the construction of a medieval cathedral, which makes for a surprisingly fascinating sociopolitical saga. (As one listener put it, this story has as many plot twists as a medieval cathedral has stones.) It also maintains some true-to-life historical touchstones that you can look up for yourself for an idea of how close to reality this work of fiction really is. Though the full audiobook spans more than 40 hours, narrator John Lee’s varied and dynamic performance of each character pulls the listener in and makes the story impossible to pause. More than a few listeners have confirmed that this is one listening experience that’s worth staying up late for.
A talented ensemble of voice actors, including award-winning narrator Edoardo Ballerini, bring this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to life. Told in a series of intersecting narratives and contradicting points of view, it centers on the life of a 1920s Wall Street tycoon and his mysterious fortune. Its unusual structure of stories-within-stories seems made for audio; each narrator brings a different tone to their characters and timelines.
In terms of award winners, Anthony Doerr’s incredible World War II tale is hard to beat, with a Pulitzer Prize, an Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and an Audie Award under its belt. The unique, heartfelt story splits its time between two main characters: Marie-Laure, a young blind girl whose father is the lockmaster for the Louvre, and Werner, a German orphan whose obsession with a salvaged radio turns into a commendable talent that earns him a place at the Hitler Youth Academy. Through these two young, bright protagonists, each lovingly voiced by Audie winner Zach Appelman, the listener gains a whole new perspective on the unyielding horrors of war and the incandescently bright spots of hope that shine through it.
This enchanting novel transports listeners to Florence in the 1550s. The third daughter of the grand duke, Lucrezia is content to live out her life on the sidelines, pursuing her own art. But when her sister dies unexpectedly on the eve of marriage, Lucrezia is suddenly cast into an unwanted role: wife to the ruler of a kingdom. Full of emotional depth and historical nuance, this is a complex portrait of a woman in the midst of tumultuous change, fighting for her life.
Alison Weir, a historian who turned her eye toward fiction, brings an additional level of depth and detail to her series Six Tudor Queens. The first of the collection features Katherine of Aragon, the first and most vilified wife of King Henry VIII. As a Brit and an accomplished actress, Rosalyn Landor makes it easy to believe her performance—not just as Katherine but as all those she interacts with, from her handmaidens to Henry. For anyone hoping to gain a more realistic glimpse into the life of one of the most influential queens in European history, Weir’s fictional reimagining does an excellent job of conveying Katherine of Aragon’s personality, politics, and everything in between.
Arguably one of the greatest American novels of all time, Toni Morrison's masterpiece about the unfathomable evils of slavery only grows in power as it ages. Listening to Morrison read her own work is an unforgettable experience. Her rich, deep voice seems to expand to hold the beauty and devastation of her prose. Simply put, this audiobook is a classic in its own right.
This selection covers a portion of history that many American listeners might be unfamiliar with: the complicated relationship between Japanese and Korean society in the early 1900s. It follows Sunja, the Korean daughter of farmers who becomes pregnant during an ill-advised affair and must marry a poor minister and move to Japan. The sweeping family saga encompasses multiple generations, tracing the characters at their best and at their worst. With Allison Hiroto’s skilled narration accenting the breaks in time and location that divide up the story, its broad scope feels manageable, soaring through each of the decades and countries featured in this powerful story.
Dominic Hoffman dazzles in this heartwarming drama about the tight-knit Black and Jewish communities in the Chicken Hill neighborhood of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, in 1972. When a skeleton is discovered at the bottom of the well, the residents of Chicken Hill must come together to protect themselves from outside forces determined to drive them apart. Hoffman creates wonderful voices for the eclectic cast of characters, inviting listeners into the everyday ups and downs of life in Chicken Hill.
The many relationships and surrounding intrigue of King Henry VIII have been the subject of so many books, TV series, and films that they could form their own canon. But it’s with good reason: the heirless king’s life was absolutely fraught with personal and political chaos that rippled out into English government and society, to both great and tragic ends. Hilary Mantel’s particular perspective on the era focuses on the impact of Henry’s political foil, Thomas Cromwell, and his entry on the scene. Thanks to the thrilling theatrical performance of narrator Simon Slater, Cromwell and the king and other familiars, like Thomas More and Cardinal Wolsey, each have their own voice here, all of them rich with personality. Listening to these men jockey for power is a transportive experience that drives home the anxiety of life in a society governed by a system that could fall apart at any moment.
Anyone looking for a new way to experience Larry McMurtry's classic western will find a lot to love in this audiobook narrated by actor Lee Horsley. It's 26 hours of wild adventure and unforgettable drama. The tiny Texas town of Lonesome Dove and its varied denizens—outlaws, settlers, law enforcement, merchants, and heroes—come alive in Horsley's expressive voice.
For those who feel as though they've examined every literary angle of World War II, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah offers up a fresh perspective: that of two sisters living under the Vichy Regime in France. Polly Stone gives each of the young women a distinct voice with nuanced tones and accents. Her performance also highlights the differences between the pair. Vianne, the older of the two, approaches her trials with stoic determination while her younger sister, Isabelle, throws caution to the wind both in love and in war. Though neither understands the other, Vianne and Isabelle carry twin spirits of determination and courage as their parallel journeys play out.
This retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told from the point of view of Jim, the enslaved man who helps Huck on his journey down the Mississippi River, and trust us when we say it's destined to become an American classic. Everett turns the original story on its head, even as he remains true to its major plot points. Jim rises from the sidelines to take his place at the center of the story, where his wit, intelligence, emotional depth, and agency shine. Dominic Hoffman is the perfect narrator for this riveting, moving adventure through American history. His deep voice and ability to create distinct character voices gives the book the gravitas it deserves.
Before We Were Yours is a work of historical fiction with elements of a shocking and deeply unsettling reality. It’s based on a real scandal in the 1930s, in which an adoption organization was discovered to be kidnapping poor rural children and selling them to rich families around the country. Lisa Wingate imagines the experiences of a group of young siblings taken from their family one night after their father rushes their mother to the hospital. Decades later, successful, well-to-do, and soon-to-be newlywed Avery Stafford returns home and chances upon some long-forgotten—or possibly hidden—information that may reveal her family is not all that it seems. Dual narrators Emily Rankin and Catherine Taber expertly embody the emotions of characters both young and old to paint a well-rounded portrait of human resilience.
E.L. Doctorow, with his eye for detail and ability to capture the complexity of human emotion, was a master of historical fiction. The March is a fictional account of Union General William Sherman's famous 1864 March to the Sea, during which 60,000 troops, along with assorted hangers-on, marched through Georgia fighting Confederate forces. Doctorow illuminates the human cost of war and the countless small but powerful human stories that too often get lost to history.
In the followup to his acclaimed debut, There There, Tommy Orange cements his place as one of the country's most exciting contemporary writers. A multigenerational family drama about the history of residential schools and Native resistance, this novel is both intimate and epic in scope. It begins in Colorado in 1864 when a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre is forced to assimilate while in prison, and it follows his descendants as they try to make sense of the trauma—and wisdom—they've inherited. A collection of excellent narrators voice the many characters, highlighting the book's polyvocal structure.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about A Gentleman in Moscow is its paradoxical scope: almost the entire story takes place within the luxurious Metropol hotel, where the aristocrat Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is under lifelong house arrest following the Bolshevik Revolution. Despite his limited circumstances, Rostov creates a vibrant life for himself, filling his days with intellectual pursuits, fastidiously kept routines, and a healthy interest in the quirks and behaviors of the hotel’s staff and patrons. As the bounds of his inner life expand, so does the scope of the story, which ultimately encompasses more than 30 years, multiple love affairs, the adoption of a wayward child, and seemingly countless adventures in miniature. Amor Towles is known for his beautiful, almost musical prose, and Nicholas Guy Smith’s rich and refined narrative performance helps every sparkling moment of this gem shine.
This deeply poignant story explores Black womanhood and motherhood through the lives of two very different characters. Set in the 1950s in Philadelphia and Washington, DC, this listen follows Ruby, a 15-year-old girl, and Eleanor, a Howard University student, as they each embark on love affairs that will change their lives forever. Ariel Blake and Nicole Lewis both give powerful performances as the two lead women.
Living in Ireland in the years following World War II, Eilis Lacey is used to hardship. So, when the opportunity arises to go to America, she takes it. She lands in Brooklyn in the 1950s, where she slowly builds a new life for herself, working in a department store and falling in love with a man from a big Italian family. This quiet character study, gracefully narrated by Kirsten Potter, is rich with sights, sounds, and colors of midcentury Brooklyn.
What many ancient works lack is language and perspective truly relatable to a modern audience, which is why Madeline Miller’s retelling of The Iliad from Patroclus’s point of view is so positively gripping. The familiar story of the Greeks at Troy is fleshed out in refreshing detail, characterizing the boyishly headstrong Achilles, the dangerous and vain Agamemnon, and the downright overbearing goddess Thetis with fully fledged personalities and mannerisms. What’s more, narrator Frazer Douglas doesn’t hold back in unleashing his acting chops for the entire cast of incredibly varied characters, expertly transforming his narration into a one-man show that makes this feel more like a performance by a full cast.
Kate Quinn is a master at giving voice to the women whose stories went largely overlooked by the male-dominated authors of historical record. Paired with her favorite narrator, the skilled and multiaccented Saskia Maarleveld, The Alice Network is one of Quinn's best and most captivating audiobooks. Taking place across timelines set in both World Wars, it begins in 1915 when Eve Gardiner is tapped to leverage her linguistic skills as part of an underground network of female spies in enemy-occupied France. Decades later, she’s living as a recluse, haunted by her past and silencing her memories with liquor and solitude when an equally headstrong young American arrives on her doorstep in the aftermath of World War II, asking about a cousin who went missing. Together the pair set off on a journey looking for answers to their own personal mysteries.
Richard Armitage is perhaps one of the most versatile narrators in the audiobook industry, and it is only someone with his breadth of emotive talent who could perform this complex, heartbreaking, and largely true story of Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who is captured and forced to tattoo his fellow prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Lale falls in love while tattooing a young woman named Gita, and begins using his limited leverage in the camp to offer her as much safety and comfort as possible. When he is moved to another camp just days before the Soviet liberation of Auschwitz, he escapes and vows to find Gita—with no information but her name. Remarkably, this is Heather Morris’s debut novel. The fact that it was snapped up almost instantly to be sold in more than 40 countries should serve as a testimony to how captivating a story it is.
This haunting, surreal novel—which was awarded the prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize—sheds light on a time, place, and career that doesn't get as much attention as it should: the sleeping car porters who worked on Canada's cross-country trains in the first half of the 20th century. Baxter is a Black queer porter with dreams of becoming a dentist. When a train he's working on gets stranded in the mountains, he's forced to contend with a heightened version of the racism and sleep deprivation he experiences every day. Narrator Chris McPherson does a brilliant job capturing the hushed, claustrophobic intensity of this tense but beautiful novel.
The river mentioned in the title is the Thames, and this Victorian-era story begins one night in a pub on its banks, when a man bursts in holding a lifeless girl in his arms. When the girl miraculously regains consciousness hours later, she is mute and unable to communicate any facts about her identity. As the mystery endures, three families express separate wishes to adopt her. Juliet Stevenson’s gentle lilt carries the layered narrative through the process of untangling the mystery of the young girl who seemingly came back to life. Along the way, the small community uncovers a whole host of unexpected secrets that had been lying dormant among them all along.
If you didn’t know it, you would never guess the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy was anything but a new release—much less a story written in the 1920s. Author Sigrid Undset won a Nobel Prize in Literature largely based on this work, so it was translated quickly, but it wasn’t until an updated translation was released in 2005 that critics agreed the English edition accurately reflected Unset’s original writing. Comprised of three novels, The Wreath, The Wife, and The Cross, presented in a single audio volume, the story follows Kristin Lavransdatter through her life in 14th-century Norway. Yet its events—an affair that curries parental disapproval, religious rebellion, the occasional murder, years-long grudges, and more—are decidedly modern in feel. For those who are fans of 18th-century societal dramas or the classic headstrong female protagonist, Kristin is a friend waiting to be made.
Set in a small town against the historical backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, The Murmur of Bees begins with the discovery of an abandoned infant, left under a bridge and covered in bees. Adopted by a pair of farmers, the boy’s bees remain with him as he grows older, discovering along the way that he possesses a supernatural power to see the future. This is the first of renowned Mexican author Sofia Segovia’s works to be translated into English, and it is magnificently done; the dual narrators capitalize on the writing’s slow-burn pace to imbue each character and plot point with meticulous detail. As one listener puts it, the result is an experience that allows listeners "to feel, smell, [and] hear each character, each season, each anguish."
Set in Saigon and LA in the 1970s, Nyugen's Pulitzer Prize-winning debut is a brilliant blend of fast-paced spy thriller and astute social and political commentary. It centers on "the captain," a member of the South Vietnamese military who is sending secret reports to the Viet Cong about his superior's activities. Nyugen delves into the complex motivations that cause people to adopt extreme beliefs, as well as the lasting legacies of the Vietnam War in both Vietnam and America.
It’s sometimes easy to overlook the classics because they feel unrelateable and out-of-date, but Gone with the Wind is certifiably timeless. Linda Stephens’s narration of Margaret Mitchell’s story is so well done that it won an Earphones Award and earned Stephens a nomination for an Audie Award for Best Narration. The plot follows Scarlett O’Hara, the Southern belle daughter of a wealthy plantation owner, coming of age during the Civil War. The story highlights the lapses in morality and detachment from reality that the privileged were afforded while also demonstrating its heroine’s resilience and growth.
Set during the Nazi siege of Leningrad, this coming-of-age novel is by turns hilarious and horrifying. A young Jewish man, Lev Beniov, is arrested and thrown in jail for looting. His cellmate, Kolya, is a deserter from the Soviet army. Instead of execution, they're given a wild chance to live on one condition: find a dozen eggs for a high-ranking Soviet to use in a wedding cake for his daughter. Ron Perlman provides the unforgettable narration in this cinematic, suspenseful tale of two young men navigating the dangers of a city and country under siege.
Powerhouse talents Ta-Nehisi Coates and Joe Morton pair up for the writer’s debut work of fiction, and unsurprisingly, the resulting audiobook absolutely knocks it out of the park. Coates blends the history of the Underground Railroad with elements of magical realism to create a work that is at once imaginative and brutally true to life. The story follows an enslaved boy named Hiram Walker who possesses the ability to create folds in space and time when in contact with water by using the power of collective memory. His ability is not only powerful within the novel’s plot; it also offers a revised version of history in which those who jumped from transatlantic slave ships, instead of drowning, found a means of going home.
Though perhaps best known for her memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert is a fictionalist at heart, and her talents are on full display in this glittering, scandalous romp through the 1940s world of New York City theater. The story focuses on Vivian Morris, a college dropout who moves in with her theater-owning aunt and embarks on an adventure of personal discovery, aided by the cast of flamboyant characters that occupies her new artistic world. With Blair Brown’s delightful narration illuminating the drama like lights on a stage, Vivian’s story puts the listener directly into the heart of the most interesting part of the best city in the world.
There's little as satisfying for biblophiles as a story that celebrates the power of literature. Zusak's beloved modern classic tells the story of Liesel, a young girl living in 1939 Munich who steals to get by. When she discovers books, she can't get enough of them. With the help of her foster father, she begins stealing books to distribute to her neighbors during raids and to share with the Jewish man hiding in her basement. Allan Corduner's first-class performance as Death, the narrator of the whole story, is mesmerizing.
Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad took the literary world by storm in 2016, and The Nickel Boys follows in the same tradition. Another listen on our list that's based on a real story, Whitehead’s narrative follows a pair of boys enrolled in a reform school called the Nickel Academy in a segregated part of Florida. Main character Elwood draws heavily on the words of Martin Luther King Jr. for strength in maintaining an attitude of radical kindness and love—a contemplation accented perfectly by narrator JD Jackson’s rich, dignified tone—even as it becomes apparent that the school is actually a lawless prison staffed by evil and abusive officials. His friend Turner, on the other hand, grows hardened by cynicism as their trials endure, and their diametrically opposed attitudes result in decisions and behaviors that will go on to define their lives.
It is virtually impossible to accurately convey the massive scope of Yaa Gyasi’s debut work, which traces the lives and descendents of two half-sisters born into decidedly different fortunes in 18th-century Ghana. Dominic Hoffman’s fluid, well-paced narration helps keep the listener on track as the plot spins out in myriad directions across more than 200 years. Gyasi’s characters move in and out of scenes set against a changing background that includes the early Ghanian Wars, American slavery, the Civil War, the Great Migration, and early 1900s Harlem. Astoundingly, not a single character or setting is any less detailed for the magnitude of content Gyasi seeks to fit into her narrative; the story is both sweeping and masterfully crafted—which is why it’s no surprise that it won the Audie Award for Literary Fiction in 2017.
The bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins returns with an intimate story of brotherhood told against the backdrop of union organizing, suffrage, and the turmoil of social change in the early 20th century Pacific Northwest. Brothers Gig and Rye have always relied on each other through tough times. But when their visions of what makes a good life begin to diverge, they're both forced to make hard choices about their futures. This American epic shines in audio, thanks to nearly a dozen narrators who voice the large cast of eclectic characters.
Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Egan's first historical novel is a beautiful and atmospheric portrait of a family, a city, and a country on the brink of change. Set in Brooklyn during the Depression and World War II, it follows Anna Kerrigan as she struggles to provide for her family while unraveling the mystery of her father's disappearance. Full of intricate historical detail about women employed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the merchant marine, and more, this audiobook is as moving as it is thrilling.
Wild Swan introduces listeners to the Lady with the Lamp long before she became a legend. In this poignant story—narrated by Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo—Florence Nightingale has just discovered her divine purpose to become a nurse, and struggles to make that dream a reality. Over the course of a few short years, Florence remains brave and determined in the face of all obstacles, pursuing her passion against her family’s wishes. From her parents' luxurious countryside estate in England to her travels to the German medical institute where she first began her training and fell in love with her work, we follow Florence during the pivotal early years of her extraordinary life.
Set during the Uruguayan dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s, this beautiful novel listens like a love letter to found family. Five queer women find refuge from violence and repression when they rent a tiny shack on a remote stretch of coastline. Over the years, they return again and again to this place where they can truly be themselves. Despite the hardships they face, the bonds they build there become the centerpiece of their lives. De Robertis reads the audiobook themself, and their low, lilting voice is the perfect match for their gentle, poetic prose.
In 1746, 30 years before the American Revolution, New York isn't a bustling metropolis—it's just a small town at the tip of an island. But it's still a place where someone with enough cunning can completely reinvent himself. That's what the young Mr. Smith appears to be doing. Just off the boat, he arrives at the bank with a note for a thousand pounds, and no one is quite sure if they can trust him. His many adventures make for an irresistible listen.
Three narrators team up to transport listeners to the strange and beguiling world of medieval Italy in this bestselling mystery. In 1327, when a series of murders rocks a Franciscan abbey, Brother William, a monk sent to investigate the abbey on charges of heresy, becomes a detective instead. Armed with theology and philosophy, he unravels what happened with charm, wit, and logic.
Perdita Weeks gives a dazzling performance in this beautiful retelling of a figure from Greek mythology. She captures everything that makes the book so remarkable: Circe's curiosity, loneliness, power, determination, and, ultimately, her love for the mortal world. The novel follows Circe's long life from childhood through to her reign as the Witch of Aiaia, and tangles with big questions about motherhood, belonging, and what it means to be a woman.