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Best Period Fiction Books

December 2024

Remarkable Creatures

Mary Anning’s keen eye and relentless curiosity unearth extraordinary fossils along England’s Jurassic Coast, challenging 19th-century scientific beliefs. As she forms an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster, their shared passion for paleontology defies societal norms. Chevalier’s vivid prose brings to life the salty sea air and the thrill of discovery, while exploring themes of female friendship, class divide, and the struggle for recognition in a male-dominated field. A captivating tale of two remarkable women who dared to challenge the world’s understanding of prehistoric life.

The Light Between Oceans

Tom Sherbourne, a lighthouse keeper haunted by his wartime past, finds solace in the isolated beauty of Janus Rock. His wife Isabel’s longing for a child seems answered when a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a living baby. Their decision to keep her sets off a chain of heart-wrenching events, testing the limits of love and morality. Stedman’s prose shimmers like the ocean, drawing you into a world where right and wrong blur like the horizon at dusk. A deeply moving tale that will linger in your thoughts long after the last page.

Girl With a Pearl Earring

Delving into the enigmatic world of 17th-century Delft, Tracy Chevalier’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring” breathes life into Vermeer’s famous painting. Through the eyes of young Griet, a maid in the artist’s household, we witness the delicate dance of creativity and desire. Chevalier’s prose is as luminous as Vermeer’s canvases, capturing the play of light and shadow in both art and human relationships. I found myself completely immersed, feeling the grit of pigment and the weight of unspoken longings. A masterful blend of historical fiction and artistic imagination.