Best fiction books about historical women

More and more authors are giving a voice to the women overlooked by history, here are some of my favourites.

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History has not traditionally been favourable towards women, so I love that the trend for historical fiction books focused on telling women’s stories continues to grow stronger and stronger. (Incidentally, I also approve that the cover art for these books is moving away from featuring a simpering looking woman in historical dress front and centre and always looking to the side or over her shoulder.)

With just over seven weeks to go until Christmas I thought I’d share some of my recommendations in case anyone needs any inspiration for presents for the book worm in their lives, or if they just needed a treat for themselves to hunker down with as the days get darker.

So, in no particular order…

1.     Nefertiti  by Michelle Moran – it was first published in 2007 but I still love this book and it’s one of my comfort re-reads. Set in Ancient Egypt, it tells the story of the famously beautiful Queen Nefertiti, wife of the ‘heretic’ pharaoh Akhenaten who tears apart the traditional religion of his kingdom, and her sister, the narrator Mutnodjmet. The story follows the ups and downs of the sisters relationship as their family’s quest for power sets them at the heart of a heretic court that threatens the fabric and safety of Ancient Egypt’s empire.  

2.     Costanza by Rachel Blackmore – the eponymous heroine of this novel is Costanza Piccolomini, the muse and lover of the world famous sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini. She was famously rendered in stone by Bernini in a ‘scandalous’ sculpture author Blackmore compared to sharing a nude pic of someone without their permission when speaking to me for Past Matters Podcast. Even more infamously, she was maimed on his orders in an act historians have skated over as a crime of passion. In Costanza Blackmore’s finally gives this woman a voice. (You can listen to my interview with Blackmore here.)

3.      Matrix by Lauren Groff – technically the heroine of this novel is based on two historical women – the poet Marie de France and Abbess Mary of Shaftesbury, the half-sister of King Henry II, but is such a startlingly lyrical and unique book, I couldn’t not include it on this list. The Marie of this story is sent away from court to a remote abbey in England where she must rely on her cunning to survive and thrive in this secluded female world that is itself subject to the whims and avarice of its wider community.

4.     Cecily by Annie Garthwaite – this book and its sequel The Kings Mother throw a whole new light on the much written about Wars of the Roses. Cecily Neville is the matriarch of the House of York and while the men may be physically fighting to change the course of history on the battlefields, Garthwaite’s books very firmly remind you the women wield no less power as they weave their webs of influence back in their imposing castles on these warmongering men. (I had the pleasure of interviewing Garthwaite a few years ago and you can listen to that interview here.)

5.     Katherine by Anya Seton – and from Cecily Neville to her grandmother Katherine Swynford. This book was first published in 1954 and has stood the test of time as a beautiful historical novel. Katherine was the mistress of Edward III’s son John of Gaunt, and their love affair helped birth a few of the key characters that drove the events of the Wars of the Roses (she is also great-grandmother to Margaret Beaufort who schemed to put her son Henry VII on the throne).  

6.     A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago – in a break from books titled after their heroine, this beautifully written novel takes place in the court of King James I. It follows how the doomed friendship between court beauty Frances Howard, and her dresser, the socially inferior Anne Turner unfolds into a series of events that involve poison, accusations of witchcraft and an unhappy ending for one of them… (You can listen to Jago talking about her characters here.)

7.     The Boudica series by Manda Scott – this four book series powerfully evokes the world of a Britain where magic pulses through the veins of a land that is just a bit too wild for the brutal, regimented rule of the Romans. Scott’s beautiful prose and deft weaving of the various strands that make up this retelling of Boudica’s rebellion against the Romans make these books a real historical fiction masterpiece.

8.     Disobedient by Elizabeth Fremantle –  Artemisia Gentileschi was an extraordinarily gifted artist, whose feats are even more remarkable given the baroque era she lived in where women were not given the same standing as men. Fremantle’s novel reimagines the dramatic events of her early life when she was raped and forced to endure torture as part of the trial to verify she was telling the truth. This novel captures the spirit of Gentileschi and betrayal of the people around her in detailed brushstrokes the artist would be proud of.

9.     The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell – sorry if this list feels like it features a lot of books set in Italy with art involved in some way, what I can say, the culture of Italy clearly inspires a lot of novels. This one by Maggie O’Farrell focuses on Lucrezia de’Medici and her short, unhappy marriage to the Duke of Ferrara who is rumoured to have murdered her. O’Farrell deftly evokes the oppressive atmosphere that entombs Lucrezia, building heart-thumping suspense as to her fate.

10.  The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory – I started this list with a book about a pair of sisters, one of whom is married to a megalomanic monarch who rips the religion of his country apart… so it felt fitting to finish this list with another! The Other Boleyn Girl is the story of Mary and Anne Boleyn, mistress and wife of King Henry VIII respectively, and offers a fresh spin on the story of that most infamous of English queens. Gregory captures the push and pull of a relationship between sisters well and interweaves it successfully into the context of this important period in English history, so its little surprise this book has enjoyed the success it has.

One I’m currently reading: The Painter’s Daughters by Emily Howes which follows the lives of painter Thomas Gainsborough’s daughters. So far, well-written, just took a little while to get into it, but now I’m racing through.

One I’m looking forward to reading: Babylonia by Costanza Casati tells the tale of Semiramis, an Assyrian queen.