Your view on historical fiction books.

[Kiboko1]

What makes you get seduced to read historical fiction books?

[Camille Turner]

I absolutely love historical fiction books. I would say this is one of my favorite genres because I become so attached and invested in the characters which then translates into me feeling so moved for real people who went through whatever historical event/social issue was going on at the time. I love that the characters and storyline are based on real people, places and events.

[elinadsy]

I'm hesitant to pick it up, if only because if it isn't very well researched and written very very very nicely, i find it hard to get into.
i'm more likely to get into it though if the main characters aren't historical figures.

[Kibet Hillary]

History itself is sweet. I find that I am more interested in events and actions that appear more real than some science fiction hence the books that bring this closer are historical fiction books.

[Kibet Hillary]

I absolutely love historical fiction books. I would say this is one of my favorite genres because I become so attached and invested in the characters which then translates into me feeling so moved for real people who went through whatever historical event/social issue was going on at the time. I love that the characters and storyline are based on real people, places and events.

Wow, I like this. It explains why I also do love historical fiction books.

[Kibet Hillary]

I'm hesitant to pick it up, if only because if it isn't very well researched and written very very very nicely, i find it hard to get into.
i'm more likely to get into it though if the main characters aren't historical figures.

True. The amount of effort invested in the research also makes the books some amount of value.

[Helpme71]

I'm hesitant to pick it up, if only because if it isn't very well researched and written very very very nicely, i find it hard to get into.
i'm more likely to get into it though if the main characters aren't historical figures.

I am the same way. I love historical fiction books, but if it isn't heavily and thoroughly researched, it is off-putting to me, especially if it is a period of history that I know a lot about. I also agree with you on the issue of main characters being historical figures. If the main character is George Washington (for example), I am not inclined to read the book. However, if famous historical figures are simply mentioned or referenced instead of being a main character, I am more willing to read the novel.

[Tbunde5]

For me, historical fiction is more enjoyable if the historical period or event is one I am interested in. I especially love Ken Follett’s books. Pillars of the Earth is a classic epic.

[lbhatters]

I think that even though they are not real stories, learning something about the past is better than learning nothing at all. That is what I think about historical fiction novels.

[Heidi Finger]

I think that even though they are not real stories, learning something about the past is better than learning nothing at all. That is what I think about historical fiction novels.

I agree. I feel like I am getting a tiny bit of a history lesson or at least learning how people lived and reacted in certain eras.
But, its not like I am going to pass my kids high school history exam.

[mvobispo]

What makes you get seduced to read historical fiction books?

I salute them on how they dig all the informations and add a little imagination on their work. I always wondering If what inspired them to write a historical fiction and Everytime I read a historical fiction, it made me back to the oldtimes thought that I am the lead character of the story.

[tcastillo]

Historical fiction is by far my favorite genre. I like that I can be taken to the past and put in a setting that is both familiar and unfamiliar. I appreciate the chance to learn little interesting tidbits rather than just the broad overview that you might get in other historical texts. I always read the research notes first! The best authors of historical fiction teach about the time period while telling the story and make connections to the present.

[kjs237]

Historical fiction is one of my favorites. I can get totally immersed in the time period and I always seem to learn something I didn't know before. One of the best historical fiction novels I've ever read was Across Five Aprils. The author escapes me at the moment. Anyway, its about a family struggling through life during the Civil War and its aftermath. One brother fought for the North and another for the South. This created trauma for the family and it was interesting to see how they came to terms with this dynamic. I seem to gravitate towards stories about people in the 1800's. Its an exciting time period with so many things to discover.

[Irene C]

I love historical fiction. I could easily go without reading any other fiction, although I won’t.

I love being set into the world of another time period, and learning about the characters’ worldview. Human nature itself doesn’t change, but human nature is adaptable to basically anything. Were the people dealing with a civil war? Or a modern total war? Were they in the heart of an empire, or on its edge? What social class were they? And so on.

I’ve become more and more interested in historical fiction that isn’t set during the big name wars and other events, because I want to experience both places I haven’t read about and the in-between parts of history. What happened after the huge war? What slow trends build up to the next one? What is “normal” peaceful life like in this time and place? What happened in the less-known, more ordinary settings?

[Dael Reader]

It's not my favorite genre, but some of them are excellent. What I despise is fictionalized history, that is to say, a novel that is based on the life of a historic character or a historic event. It's fake news. I wouldn't want someone writing a fictional story about my life. Chances are, they're going to get a lot of things wrong. Historical fiction should only cover books about fictional characters in historic settings. The author has no business rewriting reality.