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Robert Alexander, The Kitchen Boy.
The final days of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family as seen through the eyes of a boy working in their kitchen.

Julia Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies.
A fictionalized account of the outspoken Mirabal sisters who opposed the Dominican dictator Trujillo.

Julian Barnes, Arthur and George.
George Edalji—who is half-Indian, half-Scottish—is falsely accused of a crime and is helped by the mystery writer Arthur Conan Doyle.

Max Byrd, Jackson.
During the 1828 presidential campaign, a man is commissioned to write a exposé of Andrew Jackson by his political rivals.

Deepak Chopra, Buddha.
Prince Siddhartha achieves enlightenment and becomes the Buddha.

Stephanie Cowell, Marrying Mozart.
The four daughters of a music copyist and an ambitious woman find their lives changed when they meet a young musical prodigy named Mozart.

Martin Davies, The Conjurer's Bird.
A modern-day naturalist seeks the only existing specimen of an extinct bird that vanished from the collection of Sir Joseph Banks.

David Ebershoff, The 19th Wife.
Ann Eliza Young—one of Brigham Young’s many wives—leaves her husband and embarks on a crusade to end polygamy.

Dave Eggers, What Is the What.
A fictionalized memoir of a Sudanese boy who was separated from his family by war and faced new hardships in the U.S.

Jennifer Epstein, The Painter from Shanghai.
In early 20th century Shanghai, Pan Yuliang is sold to a brothel but becomes a renowned artist.

Carolly Erickson, The Last Wife of Henry VIII.
Catherine Parr crosses paths with Henry VIII throughout their marriages to others before she becomes his sixth and final wife.

Eva Etzioni-Halevy, The Triumph of Deborah.
The Israelite Judge Deborah persuades the warrior Barak to overcome the Canaanites.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The General in His Labyrinth.
Having liberated South America from colonial rule, the dying Simon Bolivar watches in despair as the continent becomes fragmented.

Margaret George, The Memoirs of Cleopatra.
Cleopatra recounts her life story and her relationships with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.

C.W. Gortner, The Last Queen.
Juana of Castile at first finds love in an arranged marriage but becomes involved in power struggles and accusations of madness once she inherits the Spanish throne.

Robert Graves, I, Claudius.
Despite a stammer and a weak constitution, Claudius survives palace intrigues and murders to become Emperor of Rome. Sequel: Claudius the God.

Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl.
Anne, Mary, and George Boleyn are sent to King Henry VIII’s court to advance their family’s fortunes and they become involved in intrigue.

Sandra Gulland, The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
Josephine grows up in Martinique and travels to France where she meets Napoleon. Sequels: Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe and The Last Great Dance on Earth.

Marek Halter, Sarah.
Sarah avoids an arranged marriage by drinking an herbal concoction that leaves her infertile and becomes a Priestess of Ishtar before she is reunited with her childhood love Abraham.

Barbara Hambly, The Emancipator’s Wife.
Mary Todd marries Abraham Lincoln and becomes First Lady but is overcome by emotional problems and personal tragedy.

Georgette Heyer, The Conqueror.
William the Conqueror’s story is told with a mixture of history, adventure and romance.

Nancy Horan, Loving Frank.
A novel based on the true story of an adulterous love affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and a woman whose house he designed.

Douglas Kelley, The Captain’s Wife.
In 1856, Mary Ann Patten takes command of her husband’s ship after he becomes ill on a voyage around Cape Horn.

Thomas Keneally, Schindler’s List.
German industrialist Oskar Schindler saves over 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing and hiding them in his factory.

Susan Fraser King, Lady Macbeth.
Gruadh—born of Scottish royal blood—marries Macbeth after he kills her first husband and becomes involved in his schemes to rule Scotland.

James Conroyd Martin, Push Not the River.
In 1791, Anna Maria Berezowska must leave her home after her parents’ deaths while Poland undergoes a time of great turmoil. Sequel: Against a Crimson Sky.

Colum McCann, Dancer.
The son of a peasant in the Soviet Union, Rudolf Nureyev rises to prominence and celebrity as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all time.

Colleen McCullough, The First Man in Rome.
Gaius Marius rises to power in the last days of the Roman Republic. Sequels: The Grass Crown, Fortune's Favorites, Caesar's Women, Caesar, The October Horse, and Antony and Cleopatra.

Rosalind Miles, I, Elizabeth.
At the end of her long and eventful life, Queen Elizabeth I recalls her development from a frightened young girl into a shrewd, gifted ruler.

Anchee Min, Empress Orchid.
Tzu Hsi is chosen as the Emperor’s fourth wife and is caught in the upheaval of foreign invasion and domestic intrigue. Sequel: The Last Empress.

Michelle Moran, Nefertiti.
In ancient Egypt, a girl observes her sister Nefertiti’s marriage to the Pharaoh Amunhotep. Sequel: The Heretic Queen.

Jude Morgan, Passion.
The Romantic poets Byron, Keats and Shelley are viewed through the eyes of the women who defied parents, husbands and society to be with them.

Yannick Murphy, Signed, Mata Hari.
Dutchwoman Margaretha Zelle escapes a brutal marriage to become an exotic dancer but is charged with espionage during World War I.

Sena Jeter Naslund, Abundance.
Marie Antoinette, Archduchess of Austria, marries the future King of France in the years leading up to the French Revolution.

Sharon Kay Penman, The Sunne in Splendour.
A sympathetic portrayal of King Richard III of England during the War of the Roses.

Jean Plaidy, The Merry Monarch’s Wife.
Catherine of Braganza—the daughter of the King of Portugal—marries Charles II of England but has trouble bearing an heir.

Mary Renault, Fire from Heaven.
Alexander grows to manhood and becomes King of Macedon at age 20 after his father’s assassination. Sequels: The Persian Boy and Funeral Games.

Walter Satterthwait, Miss Lizzie.
When a girl’s stepmother is killed, she befriends her neighbor Lizzie Borden who was acquitted of murdering her parents 30 years before.

John Burnham Schwartz, The Commoner.
A fictionalized account of the life of the current Empress of Japan—a commoner who married the Crown Prince but struggled to adapt to royal life.

Anya Seton, Katherine.
John of Gaunt—the son of King Edward III—and Katherine Swynford become lovers though they are both married to others.

John Shors, Beneath a Marble Sky.
In 17th century India, the Shah builds the Taj Mahal in memory of his beloved wife while their eldest daughter Jahanara takes on her mother’s duties at court.

Colm Toibin, The Master.
The novelist Henry James reaches a crossroads after an unsuccessful attempt at writing a play.

Nancy Turner, These Is My Words.
Sarah Agnes Prine begins a diary recounting her life on the Arizona frontier in the late 1800s. Sequels: Sarah’s Quilt and The Star Garden.

Gore Vidal, Lincoln.
Lincoln struggles to hold the Union together despite opposition to the war, scheming cabinet members and personal troubles.

Susan Vreeland, Luncheon of the Boating Party.
The story behind one of Renoir's masterpieces featuring an eclectic group of his friends sharing lunch at a café along the Seine.

Alison Weir, Innocent Traitor.
Lady Jane Grey is maneuvered into becoming Queen of England for just nine days.