Recommendations based on Through a Glass Darklyby Karleen Koen

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Forever Amber

    by Kathleen Winsor
    Epic story of a young woman's journey from poverty to becoming a courtesan in 17th century England.

    Judith Marsh has been engaged since birth to her neighbor, John Mainwaring, heir to the Earl of Rosswood. In 1644, she has her engagement broken off when her family and the Mainwarings find ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Katherine

    by Anya Seton
    A historical romance novel set in 14th century England, following the life of Katherine Swynford and her love affair with John of Gaunt.

    Katherine tells the true story of Katherine de Roet, born the daughter of a minor Flemish herald , later knight . Katherine has no obvious prospects, except that her sister is a waiting-woman to ... (Wikipedia)

  3. The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers

    by Margaret George
    The life of Henry VIII, as told through his own words and the observations of his court jester, Will Somers.

    The Autobiography of Henry VIII, is the magnificent historical novel that established Margaret George's career. Evocatively written in the first person as Henry VIII's private journals, the novel was ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. The Other Boleyn Girl

    by Philippa Gregory
    A historical fiction recounting the rivalry between two sisters vying for the love of King Henry VIII.

    In 1521 England, Queen Catherine of Aragon's failure to provide King Henry VIII a male heir has strained their marriage. Thomas Boleyn and his brother-in-law Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, plan ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Serpent's Tale

    by Ariana Franklin
    A medieval mystery novel following Adelia Aguilar, a female doctor, as she investigates a series of murders in a convent.

    Ariana Franklin combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the drama of historical fiction in the enthralling second novel in the Mistress of the Art of Death series, featuring medieval ... (Goodreads)

  6. The Dressmaker

    by Kate Alcott
    A young woman becomes a seamstress on the Titanic and must navigate the class divide while surviving the ship's tragic sinking.

    Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster ... (Goodreads)

  7. Mary Queen of Scotland and The Isles

    by Margaret George
    A historical novel about the life of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, and her tumultuous reign.

    She became Queen of Scots when she was only six days old. Life among the warring factions in Scotland was dangerous for the infant Queen, however, and at age five Mary was sent to France to be raised ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Witching Hour

    by Anne Rice
    A dark and mysterious tale of secret families and supernatural forces.

    From the author of the extraordinary Vampire Chronicles comes a huge, hypnotic novel of witchcraft and the occult through four centuries. Demonstrating, once again, her gift for spellbinding ... (Goodreads)

  9. The House of Mirth

    by Edith Wharton
    A young woman's struggle to navigate New York high society, in pursuit of financial security and true love.

    Lily Bart, a beautiful but impoverished socialite, is on her way to a house party at Bellomont, the country home of her best friend, Judy Trenor. Her pressing task is to find a husband with the ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Judge & Jury

    by James Patterson
    A ruthless and powerful mob boss is finally brought to trial, but the jury is being targeted by his hired killers.

    It's the biggest trial of the decade - big time mobster Dominic Cavello has finally been put in the dock, and there's enough evidence to make a conviction. Heavy security surrounds the courtroom , ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Virgin's Lover

    by Philippa Gregory
    Historical fiction about the turbulent relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley.

    The book opens in the autumn of 1558, just after the death of Mary I, and bells are heralding the fact that Mary's half-sister, Elizabeth, is now queen. The book is told from four main perspectives: ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Ethan Frome

    by Edith Wharton
    Tale of doomed romance set against a harsh New England winter.

    The novel is a framed narrative . The framing story concerns an unnamed male narrator spending a winter in Starkfield while in the area on business. He spots a limping, quiet man around the village, ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Helen of Troy

    by Margaret George
    An epic retelling of the classic Greek myth of Helen of Troy, exploring the power of love and war.

    A lush, seductive novel of the legendary beauty whose face launched a thousand ships Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for ... (Goodreads)

  14. Cold Mountain

    by Charles Frazier
    A Confederate soldier's homecoming journey, filled with danger and adventure.

    The novel opens in a Confederate military hospital near Raleigh, North Carolina , where Inman is recovering from battle wounds during the American Civil War . The soldier is tired of fighting for a ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Mistress of the Art of Death

    by Ariana Franklin
    In medieval Cambridge, a female doctor investigates a series of child murders. A thrilling historical mystery with a strong female lead.

    A chilling, mesmerizing novel that combines the best of modern forensic thrillers with the detail and drama of historical fiction. In medieval Cambridge, England, four children have been murdered. ... (Goodreads)

  16. When Christ and His Saints Slept

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Epic tale of medieval England, exploring the power struggles of the Plantagenet dynasty.

    A.D. 1135. As church bells tolled for the death of England's King Henry I, his barons faced the unwelcome prospect of being ruled by a woman: Henry's beautiful daughter Maude, Countess of Anjou. But ... (Goodreads)

  17. Washington Square

    by Henry James
    A woman's struggle against the expectations of her society, in pursuit of her own happiness.

    The plot of Washington Square has the simplicity of old-fashioned melodrama: a plain-looking, good-hearted young woman, the only child of a rich widower, is pursued by a charming but unscrupulous man ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Lady of the Rivers

    by Philippa Gregory
    A sweeping historical novel about a powerful female's journey of self-discovery.

    Fourteen-year-old Jacquetta, whose noble family claims descendance from the water goddess Melusine , learns the secrets of her inherited powers from her great-aunt Jehanne , the Demoiselle of ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Sunne in Splendour

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Historical fiction about the life of King Richard III, from his childhood to his death on the battlefield.

    The story begins in 1459 with Richard as a young boy, and ends in 1485 with his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field . When their father is killed, Richard's older brother Edward leads the House of ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Voyager

    by Diana Gabaldon
    A grand adventure across time and space, filled with romance, danger and mystery.

    Voyager opens on the battlefield at Culloden , where Jamie Fraser finds himself gravely wounded and his rival Jack Randall dead. Jamie is carried to a nearby farmhouse where 18 Highland soldiers have ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Imajica

    by Clive Barker
    A man embarks on an epic journey to discover the hidden truths of the universe.

    The novel opens with a man, Charlie Estabrook, hiring the mysterious assassin Pie'oh'pah to murder his estranged wife, Judith. Pie heads to New York and makes an attempt on Judith's life, but fails. ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Girl in Hyacinth Blue

    by Susan Vreeland
    A painting's journey across time, connecting with its owners and revealing its secrets.

    A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to view a painting he has kept secret for decades in Susan Vreeland's powerful historical novel, Girl in Hyacinth Blue . The ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Aviator's Wife

    by Melanie Benjamin
    A woman's emotional journey of growth and self-discovery, learning to stand on her own.

    In the spirit of, Loving Frank, and, The Paris Wife, acclaimed novelist Melanie Benjamin pulls back the curtain on the marriage of one of America’s most extraordinary couples: Charles Lindbergh and ... (Goodreads)

  24. Intensity

    by Dean Koontz
    Thriller of a young woman's race against time to save the life of an innocent child.

    Chyna Shepherd is a college student visiting the family of her friend, Laura Templeton, for a long weekend. Chyna, who was abused and neglected by her mother as a child, finds that the Templeton ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Pit and the Pendulum - an Edgar Allan Poe Short Story

    by Edgar Allan Poe
    A man is sentenced to death by a cruel Spanish Inquisition, and struggles against insurmountable odds to survive.

    The unnamed narrator is brought to trial before sinister judges of the Spanish Inquisition . Poe provides no explanation of why he is there or of the charges on which he is being tried. Before him ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Here Be Dragons

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Epic story of love, war and betrayal set against the backdrop of 13th century England.

    Here Be Dragons is the first of Penman's trilogy about the medieval princes of Gwynedd and the monarchs of England. , England's King John uses his out-of-wedlock daughter Joanna as a negotiating tool ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Flight Behavior

    by Barbara Kingsolver
    A woman's struggle to reconcile her faith and environmentalism as she faces a mysterious ecological disaster.

    Dellarobia Turnbow is a 28-year-old discontented housewife living with her poor family on a farm in Appalachia . On a hike to begin an affair with a telephone repairman, Turnbow finds millions of ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Howards End

    by E.M. Forster
    Exploration of the societal divides in early 20th century England, and the consequences of class prejudice.

    Howards End is a novel by E. M. Forster about social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships in turn-of-the-century England. A strong-willed and intelligent woman refuses to allow the ... (Goodreads)

  29. Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer

    by Sena Jeter Naslund
    A woman's journey of self-discovery, defying society's expectations and finding her own path.

    A magnificent, vast, and enthralling saga, Sena Jeter Naslund's Ahab's Wife is a remarkable epic spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. Inspired by a brief passage in Moby Dick , it is the ... (Goodreads)

  30. Year of Wonders

    by Geraldine Brooks
    A small English village grapples with the effects of the bubonic plague.

    When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of ... (Goodreads)