Monday, February 11, 2019

A gallery of forthcoming 2019 historical novels set before the 20th century

What I've been finding lately: new historical novels set earlier than the 20th century are getting to be rare beasts. WWII (and to a lesser degree, WWI) is still trending, and fiction evoking the 1950s and '60s is blossoming, too. One advantage of 20th-century settings is that they can seem modern enough to hook in contemporary fiction readers, thus reaching a wide audience beyond the historical fiction crowd.  But what about readers who enjoy, even prefer, an earlier time frame?  This post is for you. 

Here are ten upcoming historical releases, with US publication dates in the first half of 2019, and set at least 119 years in the past.  (Also note: small press and indie novels do a great job of covering pre-20th century eras.  As in past years, I'll be doing a special focus on them in March.)


The Irishman's Daughter by V S Alexander

A young woman and her farming family face hardship during Ireland's Great Hunger in 1845 County Mayo.  Kensington, Feb 26th. [see on Goodreads]


The Almanack by Martine Bailey

In looking into the mystery of her mother's drowning death, a young woman in 18th-century England discovers curious notes she'd left in her almanack.  Severn House, May. [see on Goodreads]

Courting Mr Lincoln by Louis Bayard

A literary portrait of the young Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois, in the 1840s, seen through the eyes of his future wife, Mary Todd, and his best friend, Joshua Speed.  Algonquin, April. [see on Goodreads]


An Unconditional Freedom by Alyssa Cole

The third book in Cole's award-winning Loyal League series follows a newly freed Black man, an enterprising young woman, and their dangerous lives as covert spies for the Union during the Civil War. Kensington, February 29. [see on Goodreads]


The Parting Glass by Gina Marie Guadgnino

Mary Ballard, a lady's maid to wealthy Charlotte Walden in 1820s New York City, holds many secrets, including her Irish heritage and her secret passion for her mistress.  Atria, March. [see on Goodreads]


Woman 99 by Greer Macallister

A young woman in late 19th-century San Francisco goes undercover in an insane asylum to rescue her sister, who their parents had unjustly placed there.  Sourcebooks, March. [see on Goodreads]


The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse

Heading further back in time, Kate Mosse's newest epic, set in mid-16th-century France during its religious wars, opens as a young woman receives a mysterious note. Minotaur, June. [see on Goodreads]

Blackberry and Wild Rose by Sonia Velton

This debut features two ambitious young women in the Spitalfields district of mid-18th-century London, where Huguenot silk-weavers ply their trade and seek to perfect their designs.  Blackstone, May. [see on Goodreads]


The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr

A Victorian gothic mystery set in the world of post-mortem photography, romantic poetry, ghosts, and lost love.  Atria, April. [see on Goodreads]


Anna of Kleve by Alison Weir

A new look at Henry VIII's fourth queen, and the newest in Weir's Six Tudor Queens series; the title refers to her as she would have called herself. Ballantine, May. [see on Goodreads]

18 comments:

  1. Too much hf is set during the world wars- it’s getting tiresome. And settings in the 50s and 60s don’t seem like hf to me, although technically I guess they are. I don’t like this new trend. I’m looking forward to some of these novels you posted. Thanks!

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    1. I agree with you 100%, there seems to be so many war books just lately. My idea of historical fiction goes back much further.

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    2. I wonder how long the WWII trend will last, but authors are still finding new angles to explore. I'd like to see more novels set further back in time, too.

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    3. I've avoided WWI/WWII books for the last four years because they seemed all the same (save for Mary Robinette Kowal's spiritualist army take) -- have you done a post of some favs from those two wars that aren't the same old? Would take your recs very seriously!

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    4. Great idea, Audra - I'll have to give some thought to a post, pulling in some older titles as well for a favs list (I haven't read all of the new ones - it's hard to keep up with them). And thanks!

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    5. Anonymous3:20 PM

      It's the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the liberation of Paris, so there are titles coming out about that (fic and NF). Several espionage women titles - Pam Jenoff, Leila Meacham, etc. etc. But fortunately some WWI ones with Russian settings which we haven't seen much of.

      Sarah OL

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  2. I've read Blackberry and Wild Rose, I loved it. A couple more of these are on my tbr list.

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    1. I've had a copy of Blackberry & Wild Rose to read for a while... just need to find the time. Glad you enjoyed it!

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  3. I'm always interested in a new Kate Mosse - love the focus on France.

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    1. Me too - I've read her novella Winter Ghosts and enjoyed it. One of these days I'll read Labyrinth!

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    2. I just read Labyrinth, and loved it. I'm looking forward to her new novel.

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  4. Sarah, I always love your assessments of trends in historical fiction!

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  5. This is a great list -- half of these are already on my TBR so I'll just be adding the other half! With the popularity of Hamilton and all that, surprised more presidential fic isn't popping up...

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    1. Coincidentally, I just finished Stephanie Marie Thornton's American Princess, which would fit (though is set in the 20th c).

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    2. That popped into mind as soon as I posted this comment. I'm dying to read it.

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  6. Thanks for this list. Some of the titles are already on my TBR. I'm still reading novels set during WWI and WWII but am now looking for those written from a different perspective like A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan, a tale of spies and industrial espionage set in 1917.

    Anything from the 50s onwards doesn't feel like historical fiction to me because I'm a baby boomer and remember too much about those times. I prefer to read historical fiction set much further back in time. At the moment I'm picking up books set during the 17th and 18th centuries.

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    1. I haven't come across A House of Ghosts before - it sounds good!

      There does seem to be a real hunger for novels set before the 20th century.

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