Popular European Historical Fiction Books
Find historical fiction books written by authors from Europe for the next part of the Read Around The World Challenge. (413)
1.
1914 The Red Wheel by Aleksandr Isaevič Solženicyn EN
RussiaDescription:
In his monumental narrative of the outbreak of the First World War and the ill-fated Russian offensive into East Prussia, Solzhenitsyn has written what Nina Krushcheva, in The Nation , calls "a dramatically new interpretation of Russian history." The assassination of tsarist prime minister Pyotr Stolypin, a crucial event in the years leading up to the Revolution of 1917, is reconstructed from the alienating viewpoints of historical witnesses. The sole voice of reason among the advisers to Tsar Nikolai II, Stolypin died at the hands of the anarchist Mordko Bogrov, and with him perishe... continue
2.
A Ballad for Georg Henig by Viktor Paskov EN
BulgariaDescription:
The poignant story of an elderly, impoverished violin maker, a master craftsman who refuses to trim his values for the modern age, as seen through the eyes of his young prot�g�. A best-seller in Bulgaria, this is one of Paskow's major works.
3.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens EN
Country: Europe / 
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
From the bustling, snowy streets of 19th-century London to the ghostly apparitions of Christmases past and future, award-winning artist Roberto Innocenti vividly renders not only the authentic detail but also the emotional impact of Charles Dickens's beloved Christmas tale. In both crowded urban scenes and intimate portraits of familiar characters, we gain a sense of the timeless humanity of the tale and perhaps catch a glimpse of ourselves.
4.
A Death in Vienna by Frank Tallis EN
Country: Europe / United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
“[An] elegant historical mystery . . . stylishly presented and intelligently resolved” set at the dawn of psychoanalysis (The New York Times Book Review). In Vienna at the turn of the twentieth century, Max Liebermann, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud’s, is at the forefront of psychoanalysis, practicing the controversial new science with all the skill of a master detective. Every dream, inflection, or slip of tongue in his “hysterical” patients has meaning and reveals some hidden truth. When beautiful medium Charlotte Löwenstein dies under extraordinary circumstances, Max’s good friend, Detecti... continue
5.
A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare EN
AlbaniaDescription:
Longlisted for the International Booker Prize The Wall Street Journal, A Best Book of the Year Using a sophisticated and literary version of the ever-popular game of telephone to examine the relationship of writers with tyranny, Ismail Kadare reflects on three particular minutes in a long moment of time when the dark shadow of Joseph Stalin passed over the world In June 1934, Stalin allegedly called Boris Pasternak and they spoke about the arrest of Osip Mandelstam. A telephone call from the dictator was not something necessarily relished, and in the complicated world of literary politics it w... continue
6.
A Guided Tour Through the Museum of Communism by Slavenka Drakulić EN
CroatiaDescription:
A wry, cutting deconstruction of the Communist empire by one of Eastern Europe's exceptional authors. Called "a perceptive and amusing social critic, with a wonderful eye for detail" by The Washington Post, Slavenka Drakulic-a native of Croatia-has emerged as one of the most popular and respected critics of Communism to come out of the former Eastern Bloc. In A Guided Tour Through the Museum of Communism, she offers a eight-part exploration of Communism by way of an unusual cast of narrators, each from a different country, who reflect on the fall of Communism. Together they constitute an Orwel... continue
Ireland8.
A Perfect Waiter by Alain Claude Sulzer EN
Country: Europe / 
Switzerland
Switzerland
Description:
It is 1966. Erneste works in a grand hotel in Switzerland. He is the 'perfect waiter', a model of order in every way. But inwardly this polite, withdrawn man has been caught in the grip of an overwhelming passion that began in the summer of 1935. Going down to the lakeside back then to meet new staff members off the boat, Erneste sees a tall young man, Jakob, and falls hopelessly in love. For Jakob the affair is just a fling, but for Erneste it is true love. When the great German writer Julius Klinger arrives at the hotel, seeking sanctuary from Hitler's Germany, his gaze, too, lights on Jakob... continue
9.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens EN
Country: Europe / United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
Just before France's bloody revolution, watch the drama unfold through the eyes of Lucie, Charles and Sidney, three people whose lives are about to change forever.
10.
A Thousand Ships : A Novel by Natalie Haynes EN
Country: Europe / United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
"With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War."--Madeline Miller, author of Circe Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, a gorgeous retelling of the Trojan War from the perspectives of the many women involved in its causes and consequences--for fans of Madeline Miller. This is the women's war, just as much as it is the men's. They have waited long enough for their turn . . . This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . . In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to... continue