In honor of Women’s History Month this March, we’ve created a list of women’s historical fiction novels for you to reflect on their characters’ remarkable achievements. While some of the women you’ll meet in these pages are fictional, their stories are rooted in real experiences. So while a name may be invented, the struggles, triumphs, and resilience you’ll find on every page are anything but.
Make sure you scroll to the bottom and put yourselves on hold for the 4 new women’s historical fiction novels that are coming out later this year! We hope you discover something new and inspiring in the pages.
In 1950 Washington, D.C., a mysterious widow brings together the guarded women of a boardinghouse until violence forces them to confront their secrets.
In Renaissance Italy, young Lucrezia is forced into a political marriage and must navigate a dangerous court while her survival depends on producing an heir.
In 1964, the seemingly perfect Newman family sees their hit TV show unravel. When a crisis forces them to confront the truth, they must risk everything to redefine themselves.
An Austrian woman escapes the Nazis and reinvents herself in Hollywood as a film star. She secretly develops an invention that could help defeat the Nazis.
A jewel thief who once helped fund the French Resistance is haunted by her mother’s and sister’s death during WWII. When a lost diamond bracelet resurfaces, Colette must uncover the truth.
In 1960s suburban Virginia, four housewives are inspired by The Feminine Mystique to confront their dissatisfaction and imagine new possibilities.
In 1920, four of the first women admitted to University of Oxford form a fierce friendship as they chase equality and guard personal secrets in the shadow of World War I.
After catching her husband’s betrayal in 1962, Beverly Diamond reinvents herself by joining an underdog Senate campaign and proving she has the political instincts her ex never recognized.
A modern playwright and her ancestor both defy a male-dominated theater world, one even allegedly using William Shakespeare as a front, to see their work performed.
Three women across centuries fleeing danger, facing witchcraft accusations, and defying societal limits are linked by a mysterious cottage.
Mennonite women secretly gather after learning their attackers were men from their own colony and must decide whether to stay or flee.
A young Chinese woman fleeing an arranged marriage in WWI France befriends a French woman with secrets of her own.
A mail-order bride discovers secrets about her new husband on the eve of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Three women in 1980s East Harlem unite and fight for justice after a young boy’s murder.
A young maid in a Colorado mining town is caught between a wealthy marble family and the labor movement rising against them.
During a deadly flu outbreak, a nurse and two women volunteers navigate an understaffed Irish hospital over three intense days.
An archaeology tragedy in 1936 Egypt connects with a missing artifact at the 1978 Met Gala. A young assistant and a curator team up to recover the priceless relic.
A 17th century woman imprisoned in a Paris asylum and a Jewish family aided by a medical student during WWII navigate danger together.
4 New Women’s Historical Fiction Coming This Year
Evelyn Talbot rises from shopgirl to America’s first self-made female celebrity, facing fame, scandal, and a murder that forces her to take control of her destiny.
Coming March 10
In 1938 New York, two young Jewish women, an aspiring artist and a political activist, team up to find a missing mentor amid rising antisemitism, navigating danger and unlikely friendship.
Coming April 7
Marjorie Lennox, a rebellious daughter of Detroit’s elite, enrolls in a mysterious arts program where women begin disappearing, forcing her to confront secrets and reclaim her sense of self.
Coming May 26
A charming con artist in 1940s Mexico targets a boardinghouse owner, only to be outwitted by her sharp niece. What begins as a simple scheme quickly turns into a web of secrets.
Coming July 14
