A comparison of my favourite Historical Fiction authors

I am back after taking some time off to redesign and move my blog to self-hosted! It was a challenge but I ultimately enjoyed learning more about WordPress and how to use it to optimise my blog. I hope you like the new design and would be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

I have decided to start a new series comparing some of my favourite authors from different genres as part of Studious Saturdays. Historical Fiction is one of my favourite genres and the perfect choice for the first edition!

---

Some of Jeffrey Archer’s books are quite controversial and have been criticised for his somewhat extreme political beliefs. If you are able to look past this then I would highly recommend looking into his books as his storytelling is excellent and few authors are able to weave such intricate tales.

---

Kristin Hannah

Today’s young people want to know everything about everyone. They think talking about a problem will solve it. I come from a quieter generation. We understand the value of forgetting, the lure of reinvention. – The Nightingale

I read The Nightingale in one sitting and still remember the range of emotions I felt after each major highlight of the book. I was determined that Kristin Hannah would become one of my favourite authors and was keen to discover her other books. The Great Alone was one of my highlights in 2019 and I am hoping to also soon read The Four Winds.

Perhaps the most iconic feature of Kristin Hannah’s books is the superb descriptions of the setting. She is a master at transporting the reader to both the time and place at each chapter and this alone creates a very authentic reading experience.

---

Diane Chamberlain

Perhaps now that she’d told the story, it would lose its power over her. She hoped she would never have to repeat it to anyone ever again. – Big Lies in a Small Town

I stumbled upon Diane Chamerblain’s writing when I was looking for books written in a similar style to Jodi Picoult. Although there are similarities between the two authors, I find Diane’s writing to be more versatile and her books often follow two timelines which is an interesting characteristic in many Historical Fiction books.

I highly recommend The Dream Daughter and Big Lies in a Small Town to Historical Fiction fans and also readers who enjoy strong narration and compelling and emotional storytelling.

---

Characters

Character development is one of the most important aspects of Historical Fiction. Personally I prefer books with a strong protagonist and several multidimensional secondary characters. In this area I must give credit to Diane Chamberlain as I believe that her characters are always very relatable and real. I often find it difficult to relate to characters whose struggles are too detached from every day life but Diane is an expert at pacing out her characters’ development where by the end of the book the main protagonist feels like a completely different person. This also happens somewhat in Jeffrey Archer’s The Clifton Chronicles series although to a lesser extent.

---

Plot and storytelling

One of the most powerful mechanisms in Historical Fiction is good storytelling and a plot which is exciting yet relatively easy to follow. Diane Chamberlain often has books with dual timelines which I thoroughly enjoy. However, Kristin Hannah and Jeffrey Archer both use simple yet effective language in a confident manner and in such a way that the reader is automatically drawn to the storyline. Their books are based on intricate and fascinating plots in time periods which are very well researched and implemented therefore creating a unique and engaging experience for the reader.

---

Setting

No author can paint a picture in terms of setting as well as Kristin Hannah can. I was amazed by her ability to describe the settings in her books with such beautiful language and bring in the character’s emotions into the atmospheric surroundings. She does this particularly well in The Great Alone to the point that it is almost overwhelming.

---

Overall feel

All three authors have different strengths that set them apart from others in the Historical Fiction genre. However, they all left me with different feelings and emotions. Character development always defeats plot for me and both Jeffrey Archer and Diane Chamberlain triumph in this area. More recently I have begun to admire setting in Historical Fiction as it is a genre where this can be very powerful and there is no doubt that Kristin Hannah has successfully demonstrated her talent in this field.

---

Question time

Who are some of your favourite Historical Fiction authors? Do you agree with my comparison of these three authors?