Award category archive

Kirkus Best Books of the Year – Historical Fiction Winners

Browse Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction winners and nominees by year. This archive follows one award category across the full Kirkus Best Books of the Year history.

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction Cross-year archive

2025

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction results for the 2025 award year.

View full 2025 awards

The Antidote

Russell, Karen

Standalone · Literary

Mar-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter

Jones, Stephen Graham

Standalone · Horror

Mar-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Fonseca

Kane, Jessica Francis

Standalone · Historical

Aug-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Isola

Goodman, Allegra

Standalone · Literary

Feb-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Listeners

Stiefvater, Maggie

Standalone · Historical

Jun-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

North Sun

Rutherford, Ethan

Standalone · Literary

Mar-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Sons and Daughters

Grade, Chaim

Standalone · Literary

Mar-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Wayfinder

Johnson, Adam

Standalone · Literary

Oct-2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

2024

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction results for the 2024 award year.

View full 2024 awards

The Adversary

Crummey, Michael

Standalone · General Fiction

Feb-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The American Daughters

Ruffin, Maurice Carlos

Standalone · Historical

Mar-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Clear

Davies, Carys

Standalone · Literary

Apr-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Familiaris

Wroblewski, David

Standalone · Historical

Jun-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Garden

Beams, Clare

Standalone · Women's Fiction

Apr-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Gretel and the Great War

Sachs, Adam Ehrlich

Standalone · Literary

Jun-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

James

Everett, Percival

Standalone · Historical

Mar-2024 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Voyage Home

Barker, Pat

Standalone · General Fiction

Aug-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

2023

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction results for the 2023 award year.

View full 2023 awards

Absolution

McDermott, Alice

Standalone · Literary

Nov-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Armor of Light

Follett, Ken

Kingsbridge Series · Book 4 · Historical

Oct-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Covenant of Water

Verghese, Abraham

Standalone · Literary

Jan-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The End of Drum-Time

Pylvainen, Hanna

Standalone · Literary

Jan-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Essex Dogs

Jones, Dan

The Essex Dogs Trilogy Series · Book 1 · Historical

Sep-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Frozen River

Lawhon, Ariel

Standalone · Historical

Dec-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Good Night, Irene

Urrea, Luis Alberto

Standalone · Historical

Jun-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Great Reclamation

Heng, Rachel

Standalone · General Fiction

Apr-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

McBride, James

Standalone · Historical

Aug-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Let Us Descend

Ward, Jesmyn

Standalone · Literary

Oct-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Lone Women

Lavalle, Victor

Standalone · Horror

Apr-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Loot

James, Tania

Standalone · Literary

Jun-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The New Life

Crewe, Tom

Standalone · General Fiction

Jan-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

North Woods

Mason, Daniel

Standalone · Literary

Sep-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Promise

Griffiths, Rachel Eliza

Standalone · Literary

Jul-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Sun Walks Down

McFarlane, Fiona

Standalone · Literary

Feb-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

We Must Not Think of Ourselves

Grodstein, Lauren

Standalone · Historical

Dec-2023 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

2022

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction results for the 2022 award year.

View full 2022 awards

Afterlives

Gurnah, Abdulrazak

Standalone · Historical

Sep-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Book of Goose

Li, Yiyun

Standalone · Literary

Sep-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Books of Jacob

Tokarczuk, Olga

Standalone · General Fiction

Mar-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Pollak's Arm

von Trotha, Hans

Standalone · General Fiction

Feb-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Shrines of Gaiety

Atkinson, Kate

Standalone · Literary

Oct-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Trust

Diaz, Hernan

Standalone · Historical

May-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Yonder

Asim, Jabari

Standalone · Historical

Jan-2022 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

2021

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction results for the 2021 award year.

View full 2021 awards

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch

Galchen, Rivka

Standalone · Literary

Jun-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Great Circle

Shipstead, Maggie

Standalone · Literary

May-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Great Mistake

Lee, Jonathan

Standalone · Historical

Jun-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Harlem Shuffle

Whitehead, Colson

Ray Carney Series · Book 1 · Literary

Sep-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Lincoln Highway

Towles, Amor

Standalone · Literary

Oct-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Matrix

Groff, Lauren

Standalone · Women's Fiction

Sep-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Palmares

Jones, Gayl

Standalone · Literary

Sep-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Rib King

Hubbard, Ladee

Standalone · Literary

Jan-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Zorrie

Hunt, Laird

Standalone · Women's Fiction

Feb-2021 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

2020

Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction results for the 2020 award year.

View full 2020 awards

Black Bottom Saints

Randall, Alice

Standalone · Historical

Aug-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Cold Millions

Walter, Jess

Standalone · Historical

Nov-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Exiles

Kline, Christina Baker

Standalone · Historical

Sep-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Hamnet

O'Farrell, Maggie

Standalone · Literary

Jul-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

How Much of These Hills Is Gold

Zhang, C. Pam

Standalone · Literary

Apr-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The King of Warsaw

Twardoch, Szczepan

Standalone · Literary

Apr-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Lehman Trilogy

Massini, Stefano

Standalone · Literary

Jun-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Man of My Time

Sofer, Dalia

Standalone · Literary

Apr-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Mirror & the Light

Mantel, Hilary

Anne Boleyn Series · Book 3 · Literary

Mar-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Night Watchman

Erdrich, Louise

Standalone · Literary

Mar-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

The Pull of the Stars

Donoghue, Emma

Standalone · Historical

Jul-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Utopia Avenue

Mitchell, David

Standalone · Literary

Jul-2020 Kirkus Best Books of the Year Historical Fiction *

Browse Award Categories

YA Fiction Archive Middle-Grade Fiction Archive Debut Fiction Archive YA Fantasy and SF Archive Picture Books Celebrating Family Archive Book Club Fiction Archive Short Fiction Archive Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF Archive Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction Archive Mysteries and Thrillers Archive Historical Fiction Current page Romance Archive

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