Best Historical Fiction of 2012

Experience past eras with some of 2012's best Historical Fiction reads!

A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar by Suzanne Joinson

In 1923, Eva English and her devout sister Lizzie embark on a journey to be missionaries in the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar, while in modern-day London, a young woman's act of kindness to a Yemeni refugee results in an unexpected journey.

The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

Years after her son's crucifixion, Mary lives alone and in fear, trying to piece together the events that led to her son's brutal death.

A Dangerous Inheritance by Alison Weir

England's Tower of London was the terrifying last stop for generations of English political prisoners. Across the years, four young royals shared the same small rooms in their dark prison, as all four shared the unfortunate role of being perceived as threats to the reigning monarch; Lady Katherine Grey, Lady Jane's younger sister, Kate Plantagenet, an English princess who lived nearly a century before her, and Edward and Richard, the boy princes imprisoned by their ruthless uncle, Richard III, never to be heard from again.

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Patroclus, an awkward young prince, follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate. Set during the Trojan War.

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Depicts the downfall of Anne Boleyn at the hands of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell as Anne and her powerful family fight back while she is on trial for adultery and treason.

The Chaperon by Laura Moriarty

A novel about the friendship between an adolescent, pre-movie-star Louise Brooks, and the 36-year-old woman who chaperones her to New York City for a summer, in 1922, and how it changes both their lives.