Historical Fiction bestsellers

James

A Novel

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 7 hours 48 minutes

“Loved this book and didn't want to leave it. James is a great character, and Percival Everett does an equally great job creating his world - the constant fear and vigilance, the pain, the power of the river and the land. I listened to the audiobook - excellent narrator - and am already looking forward to coming back to.it and reading again.... Read more

Circe

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes

“Unlike most of my peers, I did not learn about mythology in school. Circe intimidated me for far too long before I finally took the plunge to read it. How glad I am that I faced my fear! Even to my untrained mind, the chronicles of Circe were easy to follow, and with Perdita Weeks’ sublime narration, soon I was engrossed. Ostracized and outcast,... Read more

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

A Novel

By: James McBride
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
Length: 12 hours 21 minutes

“I fell in love with James McBride's narrative style reading Deacon King Kong. His most recent novel, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, has confirmed him as one of my all-time favorite authors. McBride creates an intricate tapestry for us, of people, of a community, of the many forms of struggle enveloping his cast of characters. Every thread... Read more

Weyward

A Novel

By: Emilia Hart
Narrated by: Aysha Kala, Helen Keeley & Nell Barlow
Length: 10 hours 51 minutes

“This feminist take on a family whose women show an uncanny connection with wild creatures from damsel flies to crows is both stellar historical fiction and an ode to the natural world. Three parallel narratives follow generations of Weyward women, Altha, accused of witchcraft in the 15th century; Violet, living under the cruel control of an... Read more

The Familiar

A Novel

By: Leigh Bardugo
Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
Length: 12 hours 57 minutes

“Luzia and Santángel, a duo for the ages! A scullion and an immortal familiar team up to win the king’s competition in the Spanish Golden Age as the Inquisition looms. The Familiar will lead you down new paths you won’t ever forget. Read more

North Woods

A Novel

By: Daniel Mason
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Mark Deakins, Jayne Entwistle, Billie Fulford-Brown, Arthur Morey, George Newbern, Kirsten Potter & Simon Vance
Length: 11 hours 5 minutes

“North Woods is an extraordinary tale told in an extraordinary voice. The history of one home in the wilds of Massachusetts through generations of inhabitants from a Puritan couple to a modern-day professor. The story is told by the living, the dead, and even some lovelorn beetles. The cast narration (Simon Vance and Mark Bramhill are two... Read more

The Frozen River

A Novel

By: Ariel Lawhon
Narrated by: Jane Oppenheimer & Ariel Lawhon
Length: 15 hours 5 minutes

“A compelling story and perfect narrating combine to make Frozen River an amazing audiobook! Inspired by a real life midwife delivering babies in the 18th century, this novel combines history and mystery perfectly. Read more

Babel

Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of The Oxford Translators' Revolution

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Chris Lew Kum Hoi & Billie Fulford-Brown
Length: 21 hours 45 minutes

“IMHO, the best fantasy books give a reader new insights into our own world. Babel passed that test for me with its grounding in Britain's colonial history with an overlay of magic. I loved R.F. Kuang's The Poppy War trilogy, but this finely wrought novel surpasses it. Highly recommended. Read more

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

A Novel

By: Shannon Chakraborty
Narrated by: Lameece Issaq & Amin El Gamal
Length: 16 hours 59 minutes

“I didn’t know I could love a book so much. Chakraborty gives us a pirate adventure with a charming and sarcastic female lead, the most lovable crew, and ancient magic. Sheer perfection from start to finish — this is a guaranteed five star read! Read more

Gods of Jade and Shadow

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Yetta Gottesman
Length: 11 hours 3 minutes

“When she accidentally frees the Mayan god of death from imprisonment, Casiopea Tun, armed only with her wits and her dreams of the future, is forced to leave her tiny village in southern Mexico and join an otherworldly battle of life and death alongside treacherous gods, hungry ghosts, and quick-talking demons. Journeying from the southern... Read more

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

By: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 17 hours 9 minutes

“Schwab has a masterpiece on her hands with this title. I loved it from the beginning, and that love grew until the very end. Addie needed to find a way to escape the life she is supposed to live as a woman in France, 1714. “No matter how desperate or dire, never pray to the gods that answer after dark.” As the sun sets, she is praying to any god... Read more

The Postcard

By: Anne Berest
Narrated by: Barrie Kealoha
Length: 13 hours 5 minutes

“A powerful personal account of a family’s history over multiple generations with a stunning ending that resolves the mystery of the postcard’s sender! The author launches her family research and investigation of who could have written the anonymous, unsigned postcard a decade earlier when her daughter experiences an anti-semitic incident at... Read more

Mexican Gothic

By: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

“Delightfully creepy. Dread builds steadily throughout the book. As a listener, you know that something is wrong but it’s hard to put your finger on it. Like the main character, you will doubt everything: the characters, their motivations and even your own deductive abilities. This book keeps you on your toes, flitting from one theory to the... Read more

Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By: Hernan Diaz
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Jonathan Davis, Mozhan Marnò & Orlagh Cassidy
Length: 10 hours 20 minutes

“Hernan Diaz does things I've never seen in a novel before. Trust ties up threads of money and art, family and history, lies and truth. Think historical fiction turned meta, with a beating heart and spectacular writing. Read more

A Gentleman in Moscow

A Novel

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Nicholas Guy Smith
Length: 17 hours 51 minutes

“I believe A Gentleman In Moscow is without dispute a modern day masterpiece. Towles uses exquisite language to tell the story of Count Rostov, a charming and witty "man of intent", who is confined to a fabulous hotel in Moscow for all his days. But that doesn't stop the count from living a sumptuous and meaningful life and he, in turn, ... Read more

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen

The Doomsday Books: Book #1

By: KJ Charles
Narrated by: Martyn Swain
Length: 11 hours 16 minutes

Abandoned by his father, Gareth Inglis grew up lonely, prickly, and used to disappointment. Still, he longs for a connection. When he meets a charming stranger, he falls head over heels?until everything goes wrong and he's left alone again. Then Gareth's father dies, turning the shabby London clerk into Sir Gareth, with a grand house on the... Read more

The Song of Achilles

A Novel

By: Madeline Miller
Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
Length: 11 hours 14 minutes

“In this beautiful retelling of the classic Greek myth, Madeline Miller writes one of the most compelling and heart-wrenching love stories of the 21st Century. It is an ode to the past while also incorporating modern understanding, and I was continuously blown away by the emotions Miller was able to evoke in me while I was reading. For those of... Read more

Don't Want You Like a Best Friend

A Novel

The Mischief & Matchmaking Series: Book #1

By: Emma R. Alban
Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells & Morag Sims
Length: 10 hours 47 minutes

“What a vibrant beginning to a new historical romance series! Full of intrigue, stolen kisses, and London drama, this sweet queer love story follows two women who dare to hope in a world not built for them. Read more

The Paris Novel

By: Ruth Reichl
Narrated by: Kiiri Sandy
Length: 9 hours 25 minutes

A “mouthwatering” (The New York Times) adventure through the food, art, and fashion scenes of 1980s Paris—from the bestselling author of Save Me the Plums and Delicious!

“An enchanting and irresistible feast . . . As with a perfect meal in the world’s most magical city, I never wanted this sublime novel to end.”—Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of... Read more

The Poppy War

A Novel

The Poppy War

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 19 hours 27 minutes

“This book is pure rage. The Poppy War is full of violence, revenge, and ambition. It is cut throat in its brutality, but it never feels unjustified. The main character searches to rise above her station and eventually seeks revenge for the genocide of her people. The book asks us, what would we be willing to do to hurt those that have hurt us?... Read more

The Fox Wife

A Novel

By: Yangsze Choo
Narrated by: Yangsze Choo
Length: 14 hours 36 minutes

“A moving, deeply emotional story about a woman seeking vengeance for the death of her daughter. Snow is a Fox spirit, an almost immortal being who feeds off qi and are both revered and feared, especially in early 20th century China, at the end of the Qing dynasty. As she seeks her daughter's murderer, a detective with a mysterious tie to foxes... Read more

Horse

A Novel

By: Geraldine Brooks
Narrated by: James Fouhey, Lisa Flanagan, Graham Halstead, Katherine Littrell & Michael Obiora
Length: 14 hours 5 minutes

“Another well researched historical fiction by Brooks. This time she writes about race and horse racing, transporting the reader to the Antebellum South. The book is written from the point of view of several people in the life of the famous race horse and sire named Lexington. We follow his life primarily through the eyes of his enslaved groom... Read more

Cloud Cuckoo Land

A Novel

By: Anthony Doerr
Narrated by: Marin Ireland & Simon Jones
Length: 14 hours 51 minutes

“Spanning from the final days of Constantinople to the distant space-exploring future, this is about how stories resonant across space and time. I know that readers will emerge from its pages grateful: for our connections with each other, how great art outlasts all of us, how together we are all writing one big story, imperfect and hopeful. Read more

The Lincoln Highway

A Read with Jenna Pick (A Novel)

By: Amor Towles
Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland & Dion Graham
Length: 16 hours 38 minutes

“An eighteen year-old is released from a juvenile work farm. But he doesn’t go home alone. Two escapees traveled with him. Soon they’re on another journey to New York. A road trip audiobook narrated by multiple characters. Read more

We Could Be So Good

A Novel

By: Cat Sebastian
Narrated by: Joel Leslie
Length: 11 hours 45 minutes

“Everything Cat Sebastian writes is pure joy, and her latest queer historical romance is no exception. Nick and Andy - reporters and best friends in 1950s New York - find a way to navigate their complicated pasts to a future together. This is a book I wanted to speed through and savor at the same time - a perfect respite from the world. Read more

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons

By: Kate Khavari
Narrated by: Jodie Harris
Length: 8 hours 11 minutes

London, 1923. Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh is the first woman to hold the position at University College of London. When she attends a dinner party for the school, she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon. What she doesn’t expect is for Mrs. Henry, one of the professors’... Read more

The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

By: Axie Oh
Narrated by: Rosa Escoda
Length: 8 hours 50 minutes

“I absolutely loved this book! It is enchanting, complex, and rich with magic, myths, and the cozy vibes and world of the spirit realm. Korean mythology meets Spirited Away - what more could you want! The story and characters captured my heart. The audiobook is awesome - give it a listen to on Libro.fm! Read more

The Sicilian Inheritance

A Novel

By: Jo Piazza
Narrated by: Rachel F. Hirsch & Carlotta Brentan
Length: 11 hours 53 minutes

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

From bestselling author and award-winning journalist Jo Piazza, comes a transporting novel rooted in the author’s own family history about a long-awaited trip to Sicily, a disputed inheritance, and a family secret that some will kill to protect . . .

Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business... Read more

The Complete Poppy War Trilogy

The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic, The Burning God

The Poppy War

By: R. F. Kuang
Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller
Length: 66 hours 28 minutes

From R. F. Kuang, the #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of Babel, this collection features the novels in her historical military fantasy trilogy—The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic, and The Burning God—a complete epic inspired by the bloody history of China’s twentieth century and filled with treachery and magic.The Poppy... Read more

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

By: Lisa See
Narrated by: Jennifer Lim & Justin Chien
Length: 13 hours 15 minutes

“If you enjoy historical fiction, and particularly if you’ve enjoyed Lisa See’s other historical fiction about China, this book won’t disappoint. Based on the true story of a 15th century female physician, See brings the reader into the grand compounds where multiple generations of elite families lived. Her story focuses on the wives, children... Read more

The Diamond Eye

A Novel

By: Kate Quinn
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 12 hours 51 minutes

“Ukrainian-born sharpshooter Mila Pavlichenko, or 'Lady Death' was credited with over three hundred confirmed kills during WW2. She is sent to America on a goodwill tour where she becomes a lifelong friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. A student, a mother, a soldier, and a hero, she is a force to be reckoned with. Based on a true story. Read more

She Who Became the Sun

The Radiant Emperor Duology: Book #1

By: Shelley Parker-Chan
Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
Length: 14 hours 36 minutes

“Zhu’s tooth-and-nail fight for her destiny merges hero and antihero into a transcendent figure with an incomparably strong will. She Who Became the Sun carves out a bold and bloody new genre of epic fantasy. Read more

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

A Novel

By: Kim Michele Richardson
Narrated by: Katie Schorr
Length: 9 hours 25 minutes

“I loved this wonderful story about Cussy Mary, a pack horse librarian in eastern Kentucky in the 1930s and one of the last of the blue-skinned people of that area. As Cussy faces pressure to marry and difficulties maintaining her arduous book route through twisty and dangerous mountain passes, she earns the respect of the mountain people she... Read more

Lincoln in the Bardo

A Novel

By: George Saunders
Narrated by: George Saunders, Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, Carrie Brownstein, Don Cheadle, Lena Dunham, Bill Hader, Kirby Heyborne, Keegan-Michael Key, Julianne Moore, Megan Mullally, Susan Sarandon, Ben Stiller & Various
Length: 7 hours 24 minutes

“Saunders' first novel has a steep entry curve. It's not a novel that reveals itself quickly and easily, but if you give it your attention, if you burrow deep into the book, you'll be eminently rewarded. There is a richness and depth of humanity here. There is the strange and wonderful. There is love and grief and mystery all brought together in... Read more

The Fraud

A Novel

By: Zadie Smith
Narrated by: Zadie Smith
Length: 12 hours 24 minutes

“An exuberant story based on historical characters and events in Victorian England and Jamaica, this novel is even better as an audio book! Zadie Smith reads it herself and she is an absolutely amazing voice-actor, able to take on the lilt, intonation and brogue of the novel’s characters, whether they are from Scotland, London or Jamaica. Read more

The Alice Network

A Novel

By: Kate Quinn
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
Length: 15 hours 6 minutes

In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women—a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947—are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption. 1947. In the chaotic... Read more

A Botanist's Guide to Flowers and Fatality

Saffron Everleigh Mystery: Book #2

By: Kate Khavari
Narrated by: Jodie Harris
Length: 11 hours 18 minutes

1920s London isn’t the ideal place for a brilliant woman with lofty ambitions, but research assistant Saffron Everleigh is determined to beat the odds in a male-dominated field at the University College of London. She embarks on her first research study alongside the insufferably charming Dr. Michael Lee, traveling the countryside with him in... Read more

The Personal Librarian

A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By: Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 12 hours 22 minutes

“I dearly loved this historical fiction based on the life of J.P. Morgan's personal librarian. My favorite combination of entertaining and educational! Read more

The Marriage Portrait

A novel

By: Maggie O'Farrell
Narrated by: Genevieve Gaunt & Maggie O'Farrell
Length: 13 hours 21 minutes

“Fans of historical fiction will love this latest by Maggie O’Farrell. She is a master at providing detailed description of distant times and places, allowing the reader to feel they are not just witnessing the past but inside the heads of her characters. In this case, we are transported to Renaissance Italy, to the marriage of a very young... Read more

The Night Circus

A Novel

By: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Jim Dale
Length: 13 hours 38 minutes

“A modern classic and the book that dragged me back into the magical realism genre. I've listened to this book multiple times and still enjoy it on the umpteenth time around. Morgenstern captures that same wonder that you remember from whimsical children's fantasy, but matures it into a complex and emotional tale. Read more

The Starless Sea

A Novel

By: Erin Morgenstern
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman & Various
Length: 18 hours 36 minutes

“Love, ghosts, libraries, presents, pasts, finding and losing, seeking and discovering, all intertwined in a puzzle-ring through which narrative lines twine and weave, until the reader's delight at knowing the characters and seeing the world bursts with glorious epiphany. Not since "Little, Big" have I read a book that so caught my fancy, nor... Read more

The Secret Book of Flora Lea

A Novel

By: Patti Callahan Henry
Narrated by: Cynthia Erivo & Patti Callahan Henry
Length: 12 hours 24 minutes

“A dual-timeline historical mystery based on World War II's Operation Pied Piper. The story centers around Hazel and Flora, two children sent as evacuees to the countryside in England at the start of the war. Flora goes missing one day on the banks of the River Thames, and is presumed drowned. Twenty years later Hazel, who now works in a rare... Read more

A Girl Called Samson

A Novel

By: Amy Harmon
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
Length: 13 hours 14 minutes

From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound... Read more

The Four Winds

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Julia Whelan
Length: 15 hours 20 minutes

“This is one of the best books I’ve listened to in a long time. The historical time period is the backdrop to an outstanding story about the evolution of a woman. The character development is incredibly heartfelt and the words that flow through each narration are beautifully expressed. This book, and the main character Elsa, has stayed with me... Read more

The Nightingale

A Novel

By: Kristin Hannah
Narrated by: Polly Stone
Length: 17 hours 37 minutes

A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

A #1 New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year, and soon to be a major motion picture, this unforgettable novel of love and strength in the face of war has enthralled a generation.

With courage, grace, and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of World War... Read more

The River We Remember

A Novel

By: William Kent Krueger
Narrated by: CJ Wilson
Length: 13 hours 33 minutes

“Krueger delivers a complex mystery that exposes the attitudes and pain of small town America. Read more

Heartless Hunter

The Crimson Moth: Book #1

By: Kristen Ciccarelli
Narrated by: Grace Gray
Length: 12 hours 8 minutes

"A steamy game of cat and mouse between witch and witch-hunter, played out against a backdrop of opulence, secrets, and bloody history. I couldn't look away." - Kendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Champion of Fate

Enemies-to-lovers doesn't get more high stakes than a witch and a witch hunter falling in love in bestselling... Read more

A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

The Doomsday Books: Book #2

By: KJ Charles
Narrated by: Martyn Swain
Length: 10 hours 39 minutes

When Major Rufus d’Aumesty unexpectedly becomes the Earl of Oxney, he finds himself living in a remote Norman manor on the edge of Romney Marsh with his noble, hostile, and decidedly odd family. His position is contested both by his greedy uncle and by unexpected claimant Luke Doomsday, a dashing member of the local smuggling clan. They should... Read more

The City of Brass

A Novel

By: S. A. Chakraborty
Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
Length: 20 hours 1 minute

“S.A. Chakraborty introduces a fantasy set in the Middle East that thrusts us into the magical world of Daevabad. The City of Brass follows, in parallel, Nahri, a con artist and naturally gifted healer, and Ali, prince of Daevabad and fiercely trained soldier. Nahri and Ali find themselves learning new lessons on how to survive changing... Read more

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

By: Alix E. Harrow
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Length: 12 hours 20 minutes

“I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January with my eyes and my ears... both were literary nirvana experiences. Alix E. Harrow's tale of a young girl who finds a mysterious book that tells of doors that lead to fantastical worlds reminded me of what story telling is all about. I was transported to the early 1900's and the life of January Scaller,... Read more