What Are The Best Books Of 2020 For Fans Of Historical Fiction?

2026-06-20 12:14:44
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3 Answers

Finn
Finn
Favorite read: His Empire, My Exile
Book Guide Teacher
A lot of the buzzy 2020 historical fiction felt like it was chasing prestige awards to me. I gave up on 'Hamnet' after fifty pages—just too interior. What worked better was 'The City of Brass' by S.A. Chakraborty, though it's 2017, but the sequel was 2020? Anyway, it’s historical fantasy set in 18th-century Cairo, and it’s packed with politics and magic. More my speed.

Also, 'The Once and Future Witches' by Alix E. Harrow blends suffragette history with witchcraft in a way that’s clever and angry. I keep thinking about it. Maybe that’s the trend: using the past to talk about now, but with a twist. Not sure it’s 'best' in a traditional sense, but it stuck with me longer than some of the more hyped ones.
2026-06-24 14:55:01
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Dominic
Dominic
Bookworm Driver
If you want something different from the usual European settings, try 'The Mountains Sing' by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. It's a Vietnamese family saga spanning decades of war, beautifully written and devastating. It made a lot of 'best of' lists for good reason. Another 2020 one I liked was 'The Pull of the Stars' by Emma Donoghue—a claustrophobic, nurse’s-eye view of the 1918 flu pandemic in Dublin, which felt eerily relevant. Both are tight, focused, and human-scale.
2026-06-25 22:18:47
7
Ezra
Ezra
Favorite read: When the Queen Forgot
Twist Chaser Doctor
I'm a total history nerd and 2020 was surprisingly great for the genre if you knew where to look. 'Hamnet' by Maggie O'Farrell is stunning, a speculative deep-dive into Shakespeare's family life and grief, but it feels more like literary fiction with historical dressing. For pure, plot-driven historical sweep, I'd recommend 'The Evening and the Morning' by Ken Follett—it's a prequel to 'The Pillars of the Earth' and has that classic Follett epic construction saga vibe, which is comfort food.

On the quieter side, 'The Book of Longings' by Sue Monk Kidd gave me a new perspective, imagining a wife for Jesus, and the prose is beautiful even if the premise feels bold. I found 'The Mirror and the Light' a bit of a slog, honestly, but completists for Hilary Mantel's Cromwell trilogy will want it. 2020's real gift was having time to sink into these big, transportive books.
2026-06-26 20:49:17
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What are the best books by Lynn Austin for historical fiction fans?

3 Answers2025-07-16 01:57:58
Lynn Austin's books are some of the most immersive I've ever read. Her ability to weave faith and history together is unparalleled. 'Hidden Places' is a standout for me, set during the Great Depression with a strong female lead who battles adversity with grit and grace. Another favorite is 'A Proper Pursuit,' which takes readers to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair—vivid, romantic, and full of period charm. For those who love biblical settings, 'Gods and Kings' offers a gripping retelling of Hezekiah's reign. Her attention to historical detail makes every page feel alive.
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