Fiction inspired by real figures from history

Peggy

Rebecca Godfrey, Leslie Jamison

A 'beautifully imagined and superbly written' (Jenny Offill) novel about Peggy Guggenheim, a story of art, family, love, and becoming yourself, by the award-winning author of Under the Bridge, soon…

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Paperback

The Tower

Flora Carr

A fiery feminist retelling of Mary, Queen of Scot's darkest hour for fans of Matrix and The Silence of the Girls

Available to order, ships in 3-5 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

Saltblood

Francesca de Tores

Breathing life into the Golden Age of Piracy, Saltblood is a wild adventure, a treasure trove, weaving an intoxicating tale of gender and survival, passion and loss, journeys and transformation…

In stock at 4 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 4 shops

Paperback

Jackie: A Novel

Dawn Tripp

The intimate life story of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, one of the world's most iconic women, told from the point of view of Jackie herself. If you loved Curtis Sittenfeld's American…

In stock at 6 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 6 shops

Hardback

The Naturalist of Amsterdam

Melissa Ashley

At the turn of the 18th century, Amsterdam is at the centre of an intellectual revolution, with artists and scientists racing to record the wonders of the natural world. Of…

In stock at 3 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 3 shops

Read review

Paperback

Rapture

Emily Maguire

An imaginative and audacious historical novel from the best-selling author of Love Objects and An Isolated Incident.

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Read review

Paperback

Butter

Asako Yuzuki, Polly Barton (trans.)

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story.

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Read review

Paperback

Hamnet

Maggie O'Farrell

Two extraordinary people. A love that draws them together. A loss that threatens to tear them apart.

In stock at 7 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 7 shops

Paperback

The Instrumentalist

Harriet Constable

A dazzling historical debut set in eighteenth-century Venice, about the woman written out of the story of history's greatest musical masterpiece

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Read review

Paperback

The Death of Dora Black: A Petticoat Police Mystery

Lainie Anderson

Summer, Adelaide, 1917. The impeccably dressed Miss Kate Cocks might look more like a schoolmistress than a policewoman, but don't let that fool you. She's a household name, wrangling wayward…

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Read review

Paperback

The Fraud

Zadie Smith

The chronicler of contemporary London, acclaimed and bestselling author Zadie Smith, returns with her first historical novel

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Read review

Paperback

Iris

Fiona Kelly McGregor

Acclaimed and bestselling literary novelist Fiona Kelly McGregor dives into the criminal underground of 1930s Sydney and the life of petty criminal, prostitute and murderer Iris.

In stock at 3 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 3 shops

Read review

Paperback

The Art of Breaking Ice

Rachael Mead

In 1960, when the legendary icebreaker Magga Dan set sail for Antarctica, it contained a secret. Hiding on board was Nel Law, who would become the first Australian woman to…

Available to order, ships in 5-9 daysAvailable to order

Hardback

A Dictator Calls

Ismail Kadara, John Hodgson (trans.)

A fascinating meditation on Soviet Russia, authoritarianism, power structures and a period of great writers.

Available to order, ships in 3-5 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

American Wife

Curtis Sittenfeld

A novel in which the unexpected becomes inevitable, and the pleasures and pain of intimacy and love are laid bare.

In stock at 7 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 7 shops

Paperback

Burial Rites

Hannah Kent

Based on a true story, Burial Rites is a profoundly moving novel about the ultimate price of freedom and the risks we take for love.

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Paperback

Booth

Karen Joy Fowler

A major new novel from million-copy bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

In stock at 2 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 2 shops

Paperback

The Joyce Girl

Annabel Abbs

Inspired by a true story, The Joyce Girl is a compelling and moving account of thwarted ambition and the destructive love of a father. A mesmerising and original debut.

Available to order, ships in 5-9 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

Rosalind

Jessica Mills

Inspired by the true story of a woman so many tried to silence, Rosalind is a tale of hope and perseverance, love and betrayal.

Available to order, ships in 5-9 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

Rodham

Curtis Sittenfeld

What if Hillary Rodham has turned down Bill Clinton's proposal of marriage? ‘Awfully opinionated for a girl’ is what they call Hillary as she grows up in her Chicago suburb.

In stock at 4 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 4 shops

Paperback

The Paris Bookseller

Kerri Maher

The captivating story of a trailblazing young woman who fought against incredible odds to bring one of the most important books of the twentieth century to the world.

In stock at 5 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 5 shops

Paperback

Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, Book 1)

Hilary Mantel

The first book in Hilary Mantel’s award-winning Wolf Hall trilogy, with a new cover design to celebrate the publication of the much anticipated The Mirror and the Light.

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Paperback

The Birdman’s Wife

Melissa Ashley

A woman overshadowed by history steps back into the light … Artist Elizabeth Gould spent her life capturing the sublime beauty of birds the world had never seen before. But…

In stock at 4 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 4 shops

Paperback

Alias Grace

Margaret Atwood

Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer, Thomas Kinnear, and Nancy Montgomery, his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others…

In stock at 3 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 3 shops

Paperback

The Bee and the Orange Tree

Melissa Ashley

B format of bestselling novel about the woman who invented fairy tales.

In stock at 3 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 3 shops

Paperback

Joan

Katherine J. Chen

Girl. Warrior. Heretic. Saint? A stunning feminist reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc, perfect for fans of Cecily and Alison Weir.

In stock at 2 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 2 shops

Paperback

The Language of Food

Annabel Abbs

Eliza Acton, despite having never before boiled an egg, became one of the world’s most successful cookery writers. Her story is fascinating, uplifting and inspiring. With recipes that leap to…

Available to order, ships in 10-14 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

The Girl with the Leica

Helena Janeczek

The story of the first female photographer to report from-and who died on-the battlefield. The woman who was one half of Robert Capa.

Available to order, ships in 3-5 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

The Other Boleyn Girl

Philippa Gregory

The acclaimed international bestseller set around the Tudor court, during the years when Henry VIII traded his mistress Mary Boleyn for courtship of her sister Anne - and tracing the…

Available to order, ships in 10-14 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Tie-in)

Heather Morris

This internationally bestselling novel is now a six-part drama series streaming on Stan in 2024, starring Harvey Keitel.

In stock at 8 shops, ships in 3-4 daysIn stock at 8 shops

Paperback

Still Alice

Lisa Genova

A moving story of a woman with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, now a major film starring Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore and Kristen Stewart.

Available to order, ships in 10-14 daysAvailable to order

Paperback

The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd

The No. 1 New York Times bestseller from the author of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

Available to order, ships in 5-9 daysAvailable to order

Books, books & more books.

Straight to your inbox.

Fiction inspired by real figures from history

Peggy

The Tower

Saltblood

Jackie: A Novel

The Naturalist of Amsterdam

Rapture

Butter

Hamnet

The Instrumentalist

The Death of Dora Black: A Petticoat Police Mystery

The Fraud

Iris

The Art of Breaking Ice

A Dictator Calls

American Wife

Burial Rites

Booth

The Joyce Girl

Rosalind

Rodham

The Paris Bookseller

Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, Book 1)

The Birdman’s Wife

Alias Grace

The Bee and the Orange Tree

Joan

The Language of Food

The Girl with the Leica

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Tie-in)

Still Alice

The Invention of Wings