Historical Novels - snooze fest or underrated?

Historical fiction can be a powerful tool for exposing people or perspectives that have been kept quiet by the minimal coverage in nonfiction historical material. Stories distant enough from modern day allows for narratives to strive for emotional accuracy over historical, avoiding the careful watch of the accuracy police.

The stereotype around historical novels being quite literally stuck in the dark ages is put to bed by the rich narratives of royal scandals in the book series by Phillippa Greggory. The saviour of my lockdown boredom was reading her six part series exposing the scandalous lives of the original womaniser himself, Henry VIII, and his succession of wives. Greggory blended rumours and facts to create a somewhat historically accurate representation of life under Tudor rule. Her most acclaimed novel, The Other Boleyn Girl , delves into the lives of the two Boleyn sisters involved with the King. The revival of this narrative through sex, scandals and secrets rippling through the court makes for a gripping and insightful read on the dynamics of the two women, bringing the 1500s to life.

The Plantagenet years have also been famously covered by Greggory writing a series based on the women integral to the period. The deadly wars of the Roses are brought to life by revealing the intimate story of Elizabeth Woodville in The White Queen who secretly marries the newly crowned King. She fights for her family to be central to the royal court, resulting in the infamous story of the two princes in the Tower of London - pushy mum alert. The Kingmaker’s Daughter, another Gregory masterpiece, brought the story of Anne Neville to the bookshelves of Waterstones, which was my personal favourite. The relatively unknown powerhouse of a woman escapes her fate by marrying Richard III in a tale that makes you love and defend the man who is widely suspected to be the prisoner of the princes in the tower.

Leo Tolstoy also famously sparks life into an often dry period of history with War and Peace. Famous for its doorstop size, once you conquer the daunting 1,400 plus pages you discover gripping narrative whilst also subconsciously absorbing a lot of historical facts about the Napoleonic wars that you history teacher would be proud of. Who knew a history degree would be so much easier if you spent the majority of your time with your head in a novel? This is your sign to head to the fiction section.