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)
261.
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón EN
SpainDescription:
From the author of the international phenomenon "The Shadow of the Wind" comes "The Angel's Game" comes a new page-turner about the perilous nature of obsession, in literature and in love. Through a dizzingly constructed labyrinth of secrets, the magic of books, passion, and friendship blend into a masterful story.
262.
The Apology and the Last Days : A Novel by Borislav Pekic EN
Country: Europe / 
Montenegro
Montenegro
Description:
Originally published in 1975, The Apology and the Last Days is the final volume in a trilogy of novels—also including The Rise and Fall of Icarus Gubelkian and How to Quiet a Vampire—about the aftermath of World War II, by Borislav Pekić, one of the former !--?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /--Yugoslavia’s most important postwar writers. The narrator tells his story from prison, where he is serving time for the murder of a former Nazi official. As the novel unfolds, we learn that the victim was the same person whom the narrator, while a lifeguard d... continue
263.
The Art of Losing : A Novel by Alice Zeniter EN
FranceDescription:
A gripping, multigenerational tale of a French Algerian woman, her family's past, and the legacies of colonialism Naïma’s family comes from Algeria, but she knows it only from what she experiences in her grandparents’ tiny apartment in Normandy: the food her grandmother cooks, the precious things they carried when they fled. Naïma’s father claims to remember nothing, has made himself French. But now, one of them is going back; Naïma will see for herself what was left behind—including the family secrets. How do we protect our families and choose the right side of war, revolution? What price wil... continue
264.
The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman by Andrzej Szczypiorski EN
PolandDescription:
Reissued with an introduction by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a stunning and disquieting novel of heroism and cowardice A masterful novel that was a huge bestseller in Europe, The Beautiful Mrs. Seidenman is a testament to the power of literature. Now with an introduction by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who named it her "favorite book no one else has heard of" in the New York Times, the novel follows Irma Seidenman, a young Jewish widow in Nazi-occupied Warsaw in 1943, who possesses two attributes that can spell the difference between life and death: blue eyes and blond hair. With these features, an... continue
265.
The Beholders by Hester Musson EN
Country: Europe / 
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
'Held me completely in its thrall until the very last line’ SUSAN STOKES-CHAPMAN, bestselling author of Pandora SOME HOUSES ARE HAUNTED BY THE LIVING June, 1878. The body of a boy is pulled from the depths of the River Thames, suspected to be the beloved missing child of the widely admired Liberal MP Ralph Gethin. Four months earlier. Harriet is a young maid newly employed at Finton Hall. Fleeing the drudgery of an unwanted engagement in the small village where she grew up, Harriet is entranced by the grand country hall; she is entranced too by her glamorous mistress Clara Gethin, w... continue
266.
The Bell in the Lake : A Novel by Lars Mytting EN
NorwayDescription:
"As long as people could remember, the stave church's bells had rung over the isolated village of Butangen, Norway. Cast in memory of conjoined twins, the bells are said to ring on their own in times of danger. In 1879, young pastor Kai Schweigaard moves to the village, where young Astrid Hekne yearns for a modern life. She sees a way out on the arm of the new pastor, who needs a tie to the community to cull favor for his plan for the old stave church, with its pagan deity effigies and supernatural bells. When the pastor makes a deal that brings an outsider, a sophisticated German architect, i... continue
267.
The Betrothed : I Promessi Sposi by Alessandro Manzoni EN
ItalyDescription:
“The great plague novel.” —The New Yorker Set in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters—the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister "Unnamed"—in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed... continue
268.
The Birth of Venus : A Novel by Sarah Dunant EN
Country: Europe / United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Description:
Turning fifteen in Renaissance Florence, Alessandra Cecchi becomes intoxicated with the works of a young painter whom her father has brought to the city to decorate the family's Florentine palazzo.
269.
The Black Sheep by Honore de Balzac, Honore Balzac EN
Description:
Philippe and Joseph Bridau are two extremely different brothers. The elder, Philippe, is a superficially heroic soldier and adored by their mother Agathe. He is nonetheless a bitter figure, secretly gambling away her savings after a brief but glorious career in Napoleon’s army. His younger brother Joseph, meanwhile, is fundamentally virtuous - but their mother is blinded to his kindness by her disapproval of his life as an artist. Foolish and prejudiced, Agathe lives on unaware that she is being cynically manipulated by her own favourite child, but will she ever discover which of her sons is t... continue
270.
The Blue Fox : A Novel by Sjón EN
IcelandDescription:
An elusive fox leads a hunter on a transformative quest, while a naturalist endeavors to build a life for a young woman with Down syndrome whom he rescued from a shipwreck years earlier.