I have to do a project for my class and I have to choose a historical fiction novel. Any suggestions on which book to read? Thanks
It's kind of a SciFi historical fiction novel, but Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card puts an interesting twist on Christopher Columbus and his discovery of America.
Paradise Alley, by Kevin Baker, is a phenomenal book about the draft riots in New York City, circa the civil war. It's rare that I remember that many scenes from a book, and definitely rare that I learn so much history that I'd previously not known even slightly.
Great book. To clarify, the specific genre of this book is alternative history...OP should ask the prof if this counts.
Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and Focault's Pendulum remain two of my all-time favorite books. Though Focault is not really historical.
"Blind Justice" by Bruce Alexander is the first in a series about a London Magistrate (Sir John Fielding) who really existed and essentially started the first police force in London. Very good detective fiction with excellent evocations of the time period. Highly recommended. Along similar lines, "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr looks at NYC during the time when Teddy Roosevelt was chief of police and the science of profiling was just beginning. Very good depictions of NYC in the late 1890's and a pretty good story about the hunt for a serial killer. Highly recommended.
Speaking of... Has anyone read "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss? I'm thinking about reading it over Christmas.
Idiot. It is spelled "Consperasy." The damn Merriam-Webster folks have been hiding this fact for decades.
I forgot about "The Devil in the White City". It combines the stories of America's first recognized serial killer and the Chicago World's Fair.
