My favorite books that portray the lives, perception, and beliefs of ordinary people

I chose this because it was probably the first historical novel I read, aged 11 or 12. It deals with real events – sort of. Whether the Children’s Crusades of the early 13th century really involved children or merely the dispossessed poor, this book did bring to life the driving force of the religious fanaticism of the time. And whipping up young people to leave their homes and head for a war zone in the hope of dying or killing for God is a horribly contemporary theme, though it was written in the 1950s. An excellent introduction to historical fiction for young people, but also thought-provoking for adults.

Judith Arnopp has written many excellent and well-researched books about the kings and queens of Medieval and early Tudor England, but I particularly like the ones that deal with ordinary people caught up in events, rather than the movers and shakers. This one deals with a group of nuns struggling to deal with the confusion, distress, and violence of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and the Pilgrimage of Grace.

Yes, I know the Poldark books are presented as bodice-ripping romances in TV adaptations, but the books are a far more convincing exploration of the politics, economics, law, social structure, and mores of the late eighteenth century. With the exception of Ross himself, who has a suspiciously modern tendency to psychoanalytical introspection, the characters are properly of their time. And it is rare to find a male author who can get inside the heads of a wide range of female characters convincingly.

I prefer books about fictional rather than real historical figures, but this is an exception – only fair as Katherine Swynford (Chaucer’s sister-in-law), the mistress and then wife of John of Gaunt, was obviously an exceptional woman. I am willing to forgive the occasional “Prithee buxom wench, I trow” phrases, because the depiction of the time, in all its itching, seeping, nauseating grubbiness, is thoroughly convincing, and because, despite being a love story, marriage amongst the landed is present as what it was: a purely business arrangement, having nothing to do with love or personal preference – unless you are an aging royal duke, of course.

The ultimate choice for me, even if it is an embellished biographical account of a real person (not my usual preference). It is an exploration of the life and times of a man of “humble birth”, who hasn’t exactly gone down as a glamourous hero and is often regarded as a villain, but who laid many of the foundation stones of modern Britain. It’s written in the third person but through the thoughts and perceptions (but never feelings) of Thomas Cromwell, and its style either fascinates or repels readers. In my case it fascinates, to the point that it was almost like learning to read all over again. A real book for adults. Exciting.