Simon at Stuck in a Book has a series of posts in which he revisits his old reviews. I think it’s a good idea and thought I’d do something similar, because one of my reasons for writing this blog is to help me remember what I’ve read.
Like Simon I’ve been writing a blog since 2007 so I’m kicking off by looking back into my archives at Historical Fiction books – one from each year, with links to my posts, a short summary and a quotation from my review:
1) Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve – an adventure story, set in Britain in AD 500, telling the story of King Arthur.
From my review: ‘The picture Reeve paints is of a turbulent and harsh world, with Arthur as a war-leader in a land where opposing war-bands fight for supremacy.’
2) Winter in Madrid by C J Sansom – set in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and the first two years of the Second World War.
From my review: ‘an action packed thrilling war/spy story and also a moving love story and historical drama all rolled into this tense and gripping novel.’
3) The Company of Liars by Karen Maitland – Set in England in 1348 it tells the tale of a group of people fleeing across the country as the plague moves inland from the ports.
From my review: ‘As you would expect from the title the members of the group, a conjuror, a one-armed storyteller, a musician and his apprentice, a young couple on the run, a mid-wife and a strange child who can read the runes are all liars, with secrets that gradually exposed as they journey on. ‘
4) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – the story of Thomas Cromwell, the son of a blacksmith, and his political rise, set against the background of Henry VIII’s England.
From my post: ‘What I found most enjoyable was the way this book transported me back to that time, with Mantel’s descriptions of the pageantry, the people, the places and the beliefs and attitudes of the protagonists.’
5) Fair Exchange by Mich̬le Roberts Рset in England and France in the late 1700s/early 1800s during the French Revolutionary period.
From my post: ‘there is a fair bit in this book about women’s rights and their place in society, and about the question of nurture versus nature in bringing up children.’
Over to you now – which great historical fiction books have you enjoyed?
BooksPlease 
Great idea for a category, and I love that you’ve picked one from each year of blogging. I hardly ever read historical fiction, and almost none set before the Victorian era, so I’d have to go with the only one I can remember – Frenchman’s Creek!
LikeLike
Simon, I loved Frenchman’s Creek when I was a teenager, but I’m not so sure I would now.
LikeLike
Historical fiction was my staple when I was at school – Jean Plaidy, Margaret Irwin, Mary Renault and so on – but the two authors who really got started me were Rosemary Sutcliff with her wonderful books about the Romans in Britain, and T.H. White. I’m not sure you could ever class The Once and Future King as historical, but he got me reading Malory and Spenser and early Arthurian legends.
I’ve got to read Company of Liars!
LikeLike
Jean Plaidy and Mary Renault were two authors whose books I borrowed from the library – I must have read all the stock. I read some of Rosemary Sutcliff’s books as well but haven’t read any of Margaret Irwin’s or T H White’s. I’ll look out for them. At one time Historical fiction was all that I read.
LikeLike
Margaret – Oh, this is a terrific idea for a post! I like this particular category too, and it’ll be very interesting to go back through your posts and remind myself of your reviews. Thanks for going to this effort.
LikeLike