Learn something new from the best WW2 historical fiction books. These novels will shock and surprise you, yet give you hope, and allow you to be a witness to the stories of others. You’ll find only the books I’ve read and recommend to you on this important topic. Pick your next great read below.
List of the Best WW2 Historical Fiction Books
TOP 3 PICKS
Beneath a Scarlet Sky: popular with readers of The Literary Lifestyle
Lilac Girls: one of my all-time favorite books
The Nightingale: popular with readers worldwide
Popular WW2 historical fiction authors include Kristin Hannah, Anthony Doerr, Kate Quinn, Martha Hall Kelly, and Heather Morris. Their works depict the War’s challenges, resilience, and human spirit through compelling and well-researched narratives. Find their best books below:
- The Alice Network by Kate Quinn: ★★★☆☆
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: ★★★☆☆
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan: ★★★★☆
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: ★★★★☆
- Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly: ★★★★★
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: ★★★★★
- Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay: ★★★☆☆
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: ★★★★★
- The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris: ★★★★☆
- We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter: ★★★☆☆
Reviews of the Best Historical Fiction Books Set During WW2
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
In The Alice Network, two women’s lives intertwine across decades. In 1947, Charlie St. Clair, pregnant and unmarried, searches for her cousin Rose, missing in Nazi-occupied France. In 1915, Eve Gardiner becomes a spy in the Great War, trained by the enigmatic Lili. Their paths collide, revealing secrets with lasting consequences.
What’s best about this book is the characters! It’s very female-centric and shows their unique strengths in wartime circumstances. Like most of the best historical fiction books of the time, the twists will surprise you.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
All the Light We Cannot See is an extremely popular and well-loved literary historical fiction novel about two people. Marie-Laure is a blind French girl who flees Paris with her father and carries a precious jewel, and Werner is a young German soldier with a talent for radio engineering.
As their paths inch closer amidst the chaos of the War, their personal struggles, the impact of their choices, and the complexities of human nature are unraveled. Beauty meets tragedy in this special book.
Reading Tip: It’s a dense read that works best in print or digital format and is best for fans of literary fiction.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan
Beneath a Scarlet Sky is consistently one of the bestselling books with readers of The Literary Lifestyle, especially as a book for men to read.
Based on a true story, Pino Lella plays two major roles in World War II. First, in the Italian Alps, he joins the underground railroad and helps Jews escape.
Second, Lella’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier to avoid being drafted to the front lines for Italy and to operate as an Italian spy. He then becomes the personal driver for Adolf Hitler’s left-hand man in Italy.
Lella endures shocking horrors during World War II as he dreams of a peaceful future. It’s a suspenseful and emotional story of family and love in the face of War.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
In Nazi Germany 1939, a young foster girl named Liesel makes a meager living by stealing books, and her foster father teaches her to read. She shares her stolen books with the Jewish man hidden in her basement whom she befriends.
The Book Thief is a uniquely crafted work, complete with illustrations that form one of the most unforgettable stories of World War II. It’s a modern classic that’s become a “must-read” for avid readers, and it is not to be missed.
The characters in this one are so special, and I love how the narrative explored the theme of books and information in relation to the War.
Tip: The movie adaptation is also very good.
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Lilac Girls is my favorite book on this list. It centers on the lives of women known as “Ravensbruck Rabbits,” who are captive in a concentration camp, and American heroine Caroline Ferraday, who breathes life and hope into an extremely grim tale.
The narrative completely shocked me to my core and made me realize that there must be countless World War II stories that remain to be told.
It’s both well-researched and beautifully told by one of the best historical fiction authors. If you like learning about female heroines, put the Lilac Girls historical fiction book series at the top of your list.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
A standalone novel, The Nightingale is the best Kristin Hannah book. It’s the story of two sisters during World War II in France. Teacher Vianne and her young daughter Sophie say goodbye as their patriarch goes off to fight. Then, a Nazi soldier takes shelter in their home, putting Vianne’s life at constant risk as life’s necessities dwindle.
Meanwhile, Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, a rebel and a spitfire, quickly falls in love with the partisan Gaetan. After Gaetan betrays her, she joins the underground resistance and, like her sister, continually faces danger.
That’s just the beginning of this epic women’s historical fiction book, which is filled to the brim with emotional twists and tearful tragedies. What happens will both touch your heart and shock your conscience at the same time. The Nightingale is a must-read that readers have loved for years.
Related Post: Authors Similar to Kristin Hannah
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Sarah’s Key is told by two female narrators: Sarah and Julia. Ten-year-old Sarah’s story centers on the “Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup” by French police, of French Jews, in Paris in July 1942. In the roundup, 13,152 Jews were arrested in Paris, deported, and assassinated. In the Vélodrome d’Hiver, 1,129 men, 2,916 women, and 4,115 children were first packed in inhumane conditions.
After the French police enter Sarah’s family’s apartment and arrest them, she locks her younger brother in a cupboard with a key, assuming that she will return in a few hours to retrieve him.
Julia’s story begins in Paris on the 60th anniversary of Vel’ d’Hiv’ as she writes an article about the roundup. She stumbles upon her husband’s secrets, which connect her to Sarah and make her reevaluate her own life.
Sarah’s Key brings the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup to light, and the author reminds us that it is important to talk about a painful past.
Tip: The movie adaptation is also very good.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five was one of my favorite high school reads. It’s a satirical novel that explores the horrors of the War, particularly focusing on the firebombing of Dresden.
It’s centered around Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who becomes “unstuck in time.” He experiences different moments in his life, including his time as a soldier and his abduction by aliens from the planet Tralfamadore.
Through this strange and non-linear narrative, Vonnegut famously shows the absurdity of war. He also explores fate, free will, and human connection in unique ways that have resonated with generations of readers.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Tattooist of Auschwitz is about hope and courage, based on interviews with Holocaust survivors and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew.
This story of love in the face of atrocity is set in April 1942, when Lale is transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. He is put to work as a tattooist, permanently marking his fellow prisoners.
Over two and a half years, he witnesses both horror and compassion, and he even risks his own life. When prisoner 32407 comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm, Lale vows to survive and marry her.
It’s a testament to the endurance of love under the most atrocious conditions. Read this one for the type of love story that makes an impact.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
At the outset of We Were the Lucky Ones, the Kurc family gathers for dinner, unaware of what WW2 has in store for them. According to the book, just 300 of the 30,000 Jews from Radom, home of the Kurcs, survived.
World War II ensues and the Kurcs endure bombings, hidings, captures, imprisonments, and every other atrocity you may imagine.
We Were the Lucky Ones gives the reader a deeper understanding of Poland during World War II. It also leaves the reader with another “unimaginable” — what it was like not to speak to the family for years on end. Beauty remains for the survivors, and it’s just as beautiful to hear what becomes of them.
Reading Tips: I recommend the written version (so you can more easily track the many characters). The adaptation also does it justice
Related Post: Review of We Were the Lucky Ones
Popular Read-a-Likes
If you read and loved The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, consider reading The Alice Network by Kate Quinn or Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. These novels also offer compelling women’s stories set during WWII.
If you already read and loved Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan, consider reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, or The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. These books also offer gripping WWII tales of bravery and resilience.
Recap
3 BEST WW2 HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS
Get started learning about WW2 from various perspectives with these popular books:
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky: popular with readers of The Literary Lifestyle
- Lilac Girls: one of my all-time favorite books
- The Nightingale: popular with readers worldwide
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
I agree wholeheartedly with your list!! I’ll be checking back here for future recommendations.
I’d add “From Day to Day: One Man’s Diary of Survival in Nazi Concentration Camps
Nansen” by Odd, Boyce, Timothy J., as well as “The White Mouse” by Nancy Wake.