Most Popular Historical Fiction Books

The most-read historical fiction books ranked by total number of reader reviews — a measure of how widely each title has been discovered and discussed.

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Unlike our top-rated list, which ranks by star rating, this page ranks by sheer readership. These are the historical fiction books that the most people have actually read and reviewed — the titles you're most likely to find recommended in forums, book clubs, and "what should I read next?" threads.

  1. 1
    The Help cover

    The Help

    by Kathryn Stockett

    ★ 4.95 BLT Score (3.0M ratings)
    ★ 4.47 Goodreads (3.0M)
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  2. 2
    The Book Thief cover

    The Book Thief

    by Markus Zusak

    ★ 4.73 BLT Score (2.9M ratings)
    ★ 4.39 Goodreads (2.9M)
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  3. 3
    The Nightingale cover

    The Nightingale

    by Kristin Hannah

    ★ 5.00 BLT Score (2.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.65 Goodreads (2.2M)
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  4. 4
    The Song of Achilles cover

    The Song of Achilles

    by Madeline Miller

    ★ 4.66 BLT Score (2.0M ratings)
    ★ 4.3 Goodreads (2.0M)
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  5. 5
    The Women cover

    The Women

    by Kristin Hannah

    ★ 5.00 BLT Score (1.6M ratings)
    ★ 4.59 Goodreads (1.6M)
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  6. 6
    Outlander cover

    Outlander

    Outlander • Book 1

    by Diana Gabaldon

    ★ 4.65 BLT Score (1.2M ratings)
    ★ 4.26 Goodreads (1.2M)
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  7. 7
    The Count of Monte Cristo cover

    The Count of Monte Cristo

    The Seaside Library • Book 1

    by Alexandre Dumas

    ★ 4.82 BLT Score (1.0M ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (1.0M)
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  8. 8
    A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens Complete Works) cover

    A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens Complete Works)

    by Charles Dickens, John Shuckburgh, Hablot Knight Browne

    ★ 4.15 BLT Score (1.0M ratings)
    ★ 3.88 Goodreads (1.0M)
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  9. 9
    The Pillars of the Earth cover

    The Pillars of the Earth

    Kingsbridge • Book 1

    by Ken Follett

    ★ 4.68 BLT Score (838.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.35 Goodreads (838.5K)
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  10. 10
    The Devil in the White City cover

    The Devil in the White City

    by Erik Larson

    ★ 4.21 BLT Score (764.6K ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (764.6K)
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  11. 11
    The Shadow of the Wind cover

    The Shadow of the Wind

    Cemetery of Forgotten Books • Book 1

    by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

    ★ 4.31 BLT Score (727.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (727.6K)
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  12. 12
    The Alice Network cover

    The Alice Network

    by Kate Quinn

    ★ 4.67 BLT Score (642.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.32 Goodreads (642.8K)
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  13. 13
    Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) cover

    Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist)

    by Min Jin Lee

    ★ 4.51 BLT Score (641.5K ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (641.5K)
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  14. 14
    The Frozen River cover

    The Frozen River

    by Ariel Lawhon

    ★ 4.71 BLT Score (594.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.38 Goodreads (594.0K)
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  15. 15
    All Quiet on the Western Front cover

    All Quiet on the Western Front

    All Quiet on the Western Front/The Road Back • Book 1

    by Erich Maria Remarque

    ★ 4.54 BLT Score (525.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.11 Goodreads (525.3K)
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  16. 16
    The Giver of Stars cover

    The Giver of Stars

    by Jojo Moyes

    ★ 4.77 BLT Score (515.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.29 Goodreads (515.6K)
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  17. 17
    The Other Boleyn Girl cover

    The Other Boleyn Girl

    The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels • Book 9

    by Philippa Gregory

    ★ 4.52 BLT Score (515.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (515.4K)
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  18. 18
    Winter Garden cover

    Winter Garden

    by Kristin Hannah

    ★ 4.54 BLT Score (453.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.28 Goodreads (453.3K)
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  19. 19
    Homegoing cover

    Homegoing

    by Yaa Gyasi

    ★ 4.69 BLT Score (410.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.47 Goodreads (410.6K)
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  20. 20
    The Name of the Rose cover

    The Name of the Rose

    by Umberto Eco, William Weaver - translator

    ★ 4.18 BLT Score (398.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.14 Goodreads (398.1K)
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  21. 21
    Dragonfly in Amber cover

    Dragonfly in Amber

    Outlander • Book 2

    by Diana Gabaldon

    ★ 4.79 BLT Score (387.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.34 Goodreads (387.7K)
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  22. 22
    The Rose Code cover

    The Rose Code

    by Kate Quinn

    ★ 4.85 BLT Score (381.4K ratings)
    ★ 4.44 Goodreads (381.4K)
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  23. 23
    War and Peace cover

    War and Peace

    by Leo Tolstoy

    ★ 4.34 BLT Score (369.1K ratings)
    ★ 4.17 Goodreads (369.1K)
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  24. 24
    Fall of Giants cover

    Fall of Giants

    The Century Trilogy • Book 1

    by Ken Follett

    ★ 4.25 BLT Score (349.7K ratings)
    ★ 4.33 Goodreads (349.7K)
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  25. 25
    Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet cover

    Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

    by Jamie Ford

    ★ 4.19 BLT Score (316.8K ratings)
    ★ 4.05 Goodreads (316.8K)
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How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →