The best historical fiction about unconventional women who disregarded expectations to follow their dreams

Based on the true story of Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was compelled to hide her identity and pass as white to work as J P Morgan’s personal librarian, this book contains everything I love about historical, biographical fiction and more.

It’s about a woman who defied convention and whose life story is fascinating, relevant, and inspiring. Belle is an intelligent, driven woman, who can hold her own in any company, and yet, to realize her ambitions and protect her family, she must conceal who she really is.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about her, and the lengths she had to go to pursue the career she loved. It’s a stunning tribute to an exceptional woman in history.  

Reading should be fun, and this is fun! Margery Benson is a woman after my own heart. She’s impulsive, stubborn, and independent.

I cheered her on as she gave up her frustrating job and boring life in England to go on an expedition to the other side of the world in search of a beetle, which may or may not be a myth. Along with her lively assistant, Enid Pretty, Miss Benson encounters some hair-raising challenges that compel her to break rules and discover a new self.

Miss Benson’s Beetle is a rollicking adventure story, which explores what it is to be an unconventional woman. It’s full of unexpected turns but is also a gentle study of a friendship that flouts convention. Everyone needs friends like Miss Benson and Enid.

Great Circle tells the story of Marian Graves who, born in 1914, falls in love with flight at a young age and, despite difficult circumstances, is determined to chart her own course in life as one of the world’s earliest female aviators.

I loved Marian’s passion for planes and flying and her determination to circumnavigate the world by flying over the North and South Poles. It’s an epic novel, which weaves in the present-day story of actor, Hadley Baxter who is cast to play Marian in a film about her disappearance in Antarctica.

I thoroughly enjoyed following the lives of the two very driven, liberated, and adventurous women, and was particularly fascinated—sometimes gobsmacked—by the history of female aviation. 

Having owned a business and after working as a business journalist, I’m fascinated by stories of entrepreneurs—particularly females.

I enjoy reading about how they came up with ideas, what drove them to establish businesses, and how they overcame challenges. A Beautiful Rival covers all this and more. It tells the story of cosmetic dynasts Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein, who not only endured personal hardship to establish the first global beauty brands but were also embroiled in an all-consuming rivalry that spanned decades.

It’s written by one of my favorite historical fiction authors, Gill Paul, whose meticulous research, detailed eye, and lively writing have a way of immersing one in the story. 

Three very different women are thrown together when they’re recruited to work at Bletchley Park during World War II. Unlikely friendships—aren’t those the best?—are formed and then put to the test.

I loved the detail, characters, and intrigue in The Rose Code, and how the mystery unravels in different timelines. Kate Quinn is a masterful author of historical fiction, melding fact and fiction together in such a convincing way that she had me searching to separate the two when I finally closed the book. For me, that’s a mark of great historical fiction.