Literary
Macbeth: A Novel
Few readers will come to this novel without at least a sketchy memory of the Shakespeare play, whether it was…
Walaschek’s Dream
Editors' choice
Forget structure; forget run-of-the-mill plots, and logic. Think James Joyce and then, if that doesn’t scare you, plunge into Walaschek’s…
Maleficium
Purported to be the scandalous confessional of Vicar Jerome Savoie, this novel tells the story of seven men as they…
Jezebel
In 1930s Paris, beautiful socialite Gladys Eysenach is accused of murdering her 20-year-old lover. The story begins with Eysenach’s trial…
Big Breasts & Wide Hips
No matter who holds the rifles in China—invading Japanese, nationalist Kuomintang or the Communists—the problem is the same for “Mother”:…
The Laurels of Lake Constance
Nazi sympathizers – especially Nazi sympathizers in war-torn France – are atypical protagonists in historical novels. Albert B. is a…
Bring Up the Bodies
Editors' choice
It is 1535, and Henry VIII has become bored with Anne Boleyn. After upheaving the country and the Church in…
Syncopation: A Memoir of Adèle Hugo
This novel is billed as Adèle Hugo’s personal memoir, written only as Adèle could write it: scattered, sometimes tortured, passionate…
The White Shadow
According to my library book group, readers either liked or hated The White Shadow. I can understand that. It is…
John Saturnall’s Feast
Editors' choice
Let me not beat about the bush. Lawrence Norfolk’s The Pope’s Rhinoceros is one of the best books I have…
About our Reviews
Over the last 15 years The Historical Novels Review (the society’s print magazine for our members) has published reviews of some 12,000 historical fiction books. We plan to upload them all and make them searchable here.
