Saturday, May 10, 2025

This month’s best new historical fiction

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month's Best New Historical Fiction
 
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Book cover for My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende
A sweeping wartime tale from 'one of our most revered storytellers' (Kate Morton)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • During the 19th century, Emilia defies societal norms to become a writer. When she's assigned to cover a brewing civil war in Chile, she sets out to find her elusive father
  • Kristin Hannah gushes, "Isabel Allende is a literary treasure… A beautifully written portrait of a woman coming of age and finding her voice"
  • "All of Allende's books, My Name Is Emilia del Valle included, have the epic feel of a major Hollywood film" (Associated Press)
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Media mentions for My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel AllendeMEDIA MENTIONS:The New Yorker, NPR, TODAY Show, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Associated Press, Slate, Harper's Bazaar, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage
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Book cover for The Pretender by Jo Harkin
'On par with Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall,' according to Publishers Weekly
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • In Tudor England, peasant Lambert Simnel's life is turned upside down when he must embrace a claim to the English throne
  • A "transporting feat of imagination and storytelling" (Maggie Shipstead, author of Great Circle) inspired by true events
  • Karen Russell raves, "I had no idea that a medieval historical novel could be this wickedly funny"
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Media mentions for The Pretender by Jo HarkinMEDIA MENTIONS:Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, The Guardian, New York Post, Paste, Indie Next List, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage, Literary Hub
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
Book cover for Zeal by Morgan Jerkins
Follow two families across 150 years in this epic saga
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • In 1865, Harrison is discharged from the Union Army and freed from enslavement. He sets out to reunite with the woman he loves — but Tizrah makes a choice with consequences that echo across decades…
  • Highly anticipated by The Washington Post, Time, People, and more
  • A New York Times bestselling author delivers a "page-turner that will teach readers a few things about our past" (The Boston Globe)
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Media mentions for Zeal by Morgan JerkinsMEDIA MENTIONS:Time Magazine, People, The Washington Post, Town & Country, The Boston Globe, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Electric Literature
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Book cover for The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
Christina Baker Kline and Adriana Trigiani loved this moving ode to the power of books
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • In a 1960s Virginia suburb, Margaret starts a book club to discuss The Feminine Mystique. Together, she and her attendees forge a powerful bond — and search for meaning in their lives
  • "Ideal for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoyed Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry, Kristin Hannah's The Women, or Kate Quinn's The Briar Club" (Library Journal starred review)
  • Pick this up for your book club's next read
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie BostwickMEDIA MENTIONS:People, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
Book cover for Strangers in Time by David Baldacci
An unforgettable story of found family set in a World War II bookshop
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci is "one of the best authors alive, and every page of Strangers in Time shows why" (Lisa Scottoline)
  • In London, a grieving bookstore owner finds his life transformed by two struggling teenagers — but his secrets could put all their lives in danger
  • Kate Quinn and Jodi Picoult are praising this transportive, heart-wrenching read
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Media mentions for Strangers in Time by David BaldacciMEDIA MENTIONS:The Times, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Eights by Joanna Miller
Among Oxford's first class of women students, life-changing friendships form
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • "Entertaining and moving… I came to love these four women as though they were my sisters" (Tracy Chevalier)
  • In 1920, four pioneering young women arrive at Oxford — and come of age in the aftermath of World War I
  • "A memorable tale of a fast-changing world" (Publishers Weekly)
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Media mentions for The Eights by Joanna MillerMEDIA MENTIONS:The Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, BookPage
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Amalfi Curse by Sarah Penner
On the Amalfi Coast, a centuries-old secret rises to the surface
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • An instant New York Times bestseller from the author of The Lost Apothecary
  • When archaeologist Haven arrives in an Italian village to investigate a series of mysterious shipwrecks, she also searches for her father's sunken treasure — and uncovers an ancient curse
  • "Sarah Penner transported me to the sea-swept cliffs of Positano and introduced me to characters I'll never forget. A magical read!" (Emilia Hart, author of The Sirens)
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Media mentions for The Amalfi Curse by Sarah PennerMEDIA MENTIONS:Book of the Month, People, Indie Next List, Publishers Weekly, Booklist
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
Book cover for Tough Luck by Sandra Dallas
'A rollicking western with an unforgettable heroine' (Booklist)
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • Fans of True Grit will devour this tale "full of humor, heart, and hope" (Library Journal starred review)
  • Determined to find their father, Haidie and her brother escape their orphanage — but a shocking secret awaits them
  • A New York Times bestselling author transports readers to 1863's Colorado Territory
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Media mentions for Tough Luck by Sandra DallasMEDIA MENTIONS:Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
Book cover for Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi
Travel from India to France and beyond in this sweeping, evocative mystery
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • In the 1930s, a young nurse must solve a painter's murder to prove she didn't cause the death. And she only has a cryptic note and four paintings as clues…
  • Inspired by the life and death of Amrita Sher-Gil, who has been called India's Frida Kahlo
  • From the New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist, who counts Kate Quinn and Chanel Cleeton among her many fans
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Media mentions for Six Days in Bombay by Alka JoshiMEDIA MENTIONS:Book of the Month, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
Book cover for Twelve Post-War Tales by Graham Swift
Uncover the lives of ordinary people haunted by war
WHY IT'S READWORTHY:
  • This stunning story collection "traces a tender and moving web of connections across decades" (Financial Times)
  • A Booker Prize–winning author portrays memorable characters from World War II veterans to a father living in the shadow of the Cuban Missile Crisis
  • "Brilliant, illuminating… Perhaps the author's best" (Kirkus Reviews starred review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Twelve Post-War Tales by Graham SwiftMEDIA MENTIONS:The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Literary Hub
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AmazonSee other formats and retailers
 
  

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