Historical Novels - recommendations? favourites?

I love the social and political history in the Poldark novels, combined with a good love story !

Lilygran, you beat me to it. i was reading through the posts and planning to recommend Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' Dynasty series (all 30+ of them). I read it all last year and loved it, although normally I don't go for historical novels at all. Can't get into Wolf Hall either, and so am glad to hear I'm not alone!

It`s a sizeable book Jess, well, mine is, it`s a hardback, but the paperback`s got to be pretty thick. It`s a bloomin` good read though, I must get it down from the bookcase upstairs and read it again.

bananas i thought Crimson Petal was wonderful book too.
Does that get the record number - a span of about 10,000 years isn't it? One novel!?!

About 30 years ago, I read a real tome of a book, by James A. Michener, called Alaska, about the state of Alaska from the days of the woolly mammoth up to the present day. I never would have thought it could be my sort of literature, but I couldn`t put it down. I wondered if it was your sort of thing Jess?

I didn't like that one Too sad! Love Cadfael though!
Also Peter Tremayne and David Wishart!

I loved The Heaven Tree trilogy, written by Edith Pargeter, who also writes at Ellis Peters. These books have stayed in my mind for many years after first reading them, and if you love historical fiction, you could do worse than give them a go.

Read loads of Jean Plaidy in my teens, who if I remember rightly wrote a lot of historical novels from many eras set in England, France, Italy and Spain. My husband reads Sansom and loves them and I'm told Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies are both excellent, but I had too much of the Tudors at school. I prefer Restoration Period, 18th and 19th centuries. Of late I have read The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant set in 15th century Florence that was very good. Have also read Edward Rutherford's London which starts with the Celts and goes chronologically through different times zones finishing at the end of the 20th century. My favourite novels tend to be set in the 19th century, stand out ones include Crimson Petal and the White, Star of the Sea, The American Boy and The Meaning of Night.

Norah Lofts wrote some good historical novels. Josephine Tey wrote a very good whodunit about the Princes in the tower.

Cynthia Harrod Eagles

Katherine Swynford by Alison Weir. Bit more historical and bit less novel than Anya Seton.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004URRYNA/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

Lytton Strachey wrote some good ones about Elizabeth 1, I seem to remember one called ' the prisoner in the tower '

Ah Galen the first one I ever read was Katharine. (not counting Heyer)
I read another one about her recently... hang on, back in a mo.

Amy's seton. Katherine
Sarum follett

Jess Have you read World without End also by Follett a very good read,Pillars of the Earth also one of my favourites by Follett we all read it when it first came out in the 80s passed around the office in strict order.

Pillars I have read. A marathon read but very interesting about the building of the cathedral I thought. Any other Follett recommendations anyone?

Two Dr Dee novels by Phil Rickman

Pillars of the Earth is good but read it in 80s.. Ken Follett v good.medieval

Bird Song...1st WW.

Depends how far you want to go but the 3 books by Victoria Hyslop are wonderful ...Spanish Civil War and early/ mid last century.

Heartstone ..CJ Samsom ..Tudor

Also finding Wolf hall a bit dragging.

number retires, making those face fanning movements...

Sorry, wandered off topic a bit!

Yes Jess, I do mostly read thrillers, but have the odd foray into other genres. I`ve just finished On Dublin Street, by Samantha Young, definitely out of my comfort zone, made me blush a bit, haven`t read Fifty Shades of Grey, but this must come a close second!

Oh I downloaded it and didn't get started. Will give it a try j08 .
yes the penman trilogy is pretty darn good read I'd say - King John married off an illegitimate daughter to the prince of Gwynedd.... Those people led such dramatic lives you couldn't make it up.
Cheers number you like crime normally don't you?

I read a good one, a good few years ago now, but can`t remember the author. It was called The/ A Queen`s Confession, about Marie Antoinette. Just googled it, it`s The Queen`s Confession, and it`s by Victoria Holt.

I have just started on A Plague on Both Your Houses by Susanna Gregory. One review said it fills the gap left after Sansome. Starting to get into it. Trilogy. Which is always good.

Must try the Penman trilogy.