Fiction for Non-Fiction Readers

The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham
A dutiful daughter struggles to find herself within the confines of her conservative Hasidic Jewish family.

The Trial of Elizabeth Cree: A Novel of the Limehouse Murders by Peter Ackroyd
Psychological historical crime set in late Victorian London with vivid descriptions of life in the theatre and social conditions.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
15-year old Nigerian girl tells a gripping story of growing up amidst family and political tensions.

Rasputin’s Daughter by Robert Alexander
This account of the final week of the notorious mystic's life in 1916 Petrograd is narrated by Rasputin's fiery teenage daughter, Maria.

The Birthday Boys by Beryl Bainbridge
Tale of courage told by doomed members of Scott’s 1912 Antarctic expedition.

China Run by David Ball
Thriller centered on Chinese black market adoptions.

Mr. Timothy by Louis Bayard
The imagined life of Tiny Tim after “A Christmas Carol.”

City of Light by Lauren Belfer
A thriller/romance set against backdrop of harnessing Niagara Falls for electricy in 1900s Buffalo, NY.

The Amber Room by Steve Berry    
What might have happened to the famed room in Russia’s Catherine Palace which disappeared during WWII
(see also The Amber Room: The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure,  940.5405 SCO).

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
Moving story of a young girl who contracts leprosy and is quarantined on an island in 1890s Hawaii
(see alsoThe Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Molokai, 614.546 TAY).

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks
Set in 1666 England, explores how one small town reacts when citizens contract the plague.

An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance
Blends fast-paced suspense & historical fiction as it explores the difficulties and consequences for independent women in late 19th century New York.

Hottentot Venus by Barbara Chase-Riboud
The shocking and tragic life of an African bushwoman, exploited in 1810 England.

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Based on historical legend, tells the story of a secret female Pope set in 830s Rome.

The Chili Queen by Sandra Dallas
Set in 1860s New Mexico, a tale of secrets, revenge, justice, and the search for happiness. (Large Print only)

The Queenmaker: A Novel of King David’s Queen by India Edgehill
A behind-the-scenes imagining of the uneasy life of Michal, the first wife of David.

Hell at the Breech by Tom Franklin
Dramatic story of poor share-croppers at war against wealthy land-owners; based on a violent Alabama feud in the 1890s.

The Last Jew by Noah Gordon
Young man must stay true to his Jewish faith during the 1492 Spanish Inquisition.

The Binding Chair, or, a Visit from the Foot Emancipation Society by Kathryn Harrison
Set primarily in late 1900 Shanghai, an independent Chinese woman fights the restrictions of convention and her bound feet.

The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman
England’s cholera epidemic of 1831 is the backdrop for this often dark historical thriller.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
A story of fathers and sons, friendship and betrayal, revolving around Afghanistan in the 1990s.

A Case of Curiosities by Allen Kurzweil
The tale of a young mechanical genius in 18th century France told with wry humor and filled with arcane facts.

The White by Deborah Larsen
Recounts a young girl’s life after she is captured by American Indians in 1758.

The Lightning Keeper by Starling Lawrence
A penniless immigrant invents a revolutionary water turbine to harness electricity in this blend of historical fiction and romance in the early 20th century.

The Coffee Trader by David Liss
Historical intrigue and commodity trading in 17th century Amsterdam.

Tell Me No Lies by Elizabeth Lowell
A story of smuggling and international tension centered on the famous Chinese terra cotta warriors.

1916 by Morgan Llywelyn
Gripping tale of the Irish rebellion through the eyes of a young man.

Le Colonial by Kien Nguyen
Three French missionaries try to survive in 18th century Vietnam.

The Revenant by Michael Punke
Based on true incidents, a tale of dramatic heroism and survival during the 1820s in the American West.

Your Mouth is Lovely by Nancy Richler  
A woman is incarcerated in a Siberian Prison for revolutionary activities in early 1900s.

Lying Awake by Mark Salzman  
A Carmelite nun known for her visions struggles with choices between faith and medicine.

“…And Ladies of the Club” by Helen Hooven Santmyer  
An epic, warm-hearted story that provides insight into women’s lives and American history from post-Civil War to early Depression.

Beneath a Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal by John Shors
Fascinating story of 17th century India and the eldest daughter of the emperor who built the Taj Mahal.

Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith
It’s 1898 and an amateur female botanist has unexpectedly joined the Smithsonian expedition for botanical research in Wyoming's Yellowstone Park.

Angle of Repose by Wallace Earle Stegner
Pulitzer-prize winning novel about a historian who researches his grandparents’ pioneer lives, revealing a portrait of four different generations of Americans.

Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan
Court life in royal 17th century India provides the background for this tale of the rise and fall of the wife of the Mughal emperor.

The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe
Adventurous tale of two brothers searching for their idealistic brother lost in the American Indian territories in the late 1800s.

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd
A young Scotswoman in1903 China is ostracized by the European community and must learn how to survive in Asia on her own.