Books Like The Silence of the Girls

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Kristin Atherton and Michael Fox narrate The Silence of the Girls across two voices — Briseis's first-person witness and Achilles's third-person heroism — and the acoustic contrast deliberately works against the epic's usual hierarchies, with Atherton's quiet authority insisting on register and space against Fox's more traditionally heroic delivery over 11 hours. Six of the picks here are highly rated, and readers drawn to feminist historical fiction that repossesses canonical narratives from their margins will find that same thematic and formal seriousness in the recommendations throughout this list.

10 books for fans of The Silence of the Girls

  1. 1
    Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure cover

    Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

    Constable Evan Mystery

    by Rhys Bowen

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    After thirty years of marriage, Ellie Endicott's husband demands a divorce in 1938 England—giving her the perfect excuse to finally live for herself.

    4.46 Goodreads (25.5K ratings)
  2. 2
    Where the Sky Begins cover

    Where the Sky Begins

    Constable Evan Mystery

    by Rhys Bowen

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    Blitz victim Josie Banks loses her London home and discovers her husband's betrayal, then finds unexpected purpose evacuating children to the countryside. Bowen explores women's resilience during World War II's home front battles.

    4.34 Goodreads (34.4K ratings)
  3. 3
    The System of the World cover

    The System of the World

    The Baroque Cycle #6–8 • Book 8

    by Neal Stephenson

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    Natural philosophers and political schemers collide in early 18th-century London as the modern world takes shape through scientific revolution. Stephenson concludes his massive historical cycle with intellectual fireworks and adventure.

    4.34 Goodreads (24.6K ratings)
  4. 4
    The Sunflower House cover

    The Sunflower House

    by Adriana Allegri

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    In 1939 Germany, bookshop worker Allina Strauss is torn from her peaceful life and forced into a Nazi breeding facility, where survival means finding ways to resist the unthinkable.

    4.34 Goodreads (19.6K ratings)
  5. 5
    The Paris Assignment cover

    The Paris Assignment

    Constable Evan Mystery

    by Rhys Bowen

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    An English mother married to a French journalist joins the Resistance during Nazi occupation, risking everything to save downed Allied pilots.

    4.32 Goodreads (24.3K ratings)
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    The Immigrant's Wife cover
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    The Chosen: Come and See cover

    The Chosen: Come and See

    The Chosen • Book 2

    by Jerry B. Jenkins

    4.78 Goodreads (624 ratings)
  8. 8
    The Colonel's Daughter: Prequel to the Senator's Wife cover

    The Colonel's Daughter: Prequel to the Senator's Wife

    The Senator's Wife • Book 4

    by Jen Lyon

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    Before becoming the powerful Catharine Cleveland, Cate Brooks was a scholar and rower at Oxford who fell in love, her privileged youth spanning from ancient halls to French vineyards.

    4.74 Goodreads (674 ratings)
  9. 9
    For Crew and Country (April, 2014) cover

    For Crew and Country (April, 2014)

    by John Wukovits

    4.35 Goodreads (452 ratings)
  10. 10
    When Blood Lies cover

    When Blood Lies

    Sebastian St. Cyr • Book 17

    by C.S. Harris

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    Viscount Devlin confronts his family's tragic past while investigating murders in post-Napoleonic France. Harris weaves historical detail with personal revelations in her seventeenth mystery.

    4.31 Goodreads (4.7K ratings)