I’ve been a history buff for a long time and have always been particularly fascinated with European history. One era that I really enjoy learning about is World War II. Historical fiction books set during World War II have become increasingly popular. These inspiring books educate us further about the atrocities that happened around the world during that time. There are so many lessons to be learned from World War II historical fiction books. I feel incredibly lucky and grateful to never have lived through a war or suffering. I have learned so much from these World War II historical fiction books, and I hope that you will love them as much as I do!
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
My favourite historical fiction novel of any subject that I have read to date. The Nightingale is the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, living in France during WWII. Vianne’s husband leaves for the front and when the Nazi’s invade, a soldier is assigned to live in her home. Meanwhile, rebellious Isabelle joins the Resistance. You won’t want to put this one down!
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Talk about a tear-jerker. All the Light We Cannot See weaves the stories of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a young blind girl in France and Werner Pfennig, a young orphan in Germany during WWII. You’ll have to read the book to find out how their stories relate and how they cross paths!
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Lilac Girls has three narrators: Caroline Ferriday; a wealthy New York socialite (and real-life heroine) working at the French Consulate during WWII, Kasia Kuzmerick; a polish teenager who is sent to Ravensbrück, the notorious Nazi concentration camp for women, and Herta Oberheuser; a young German doctor who takes a job for a “government medical position” at Ravensbrück. An eye-opening account of what should be a well-known story from WWII.
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
This is the most heart-wrenching book I’ve ever read. Ten-year-old Sarah and her family are arrested during the 1942 Nazi-directed mass arrest of Jews in Paris. Before the police come to take them, Sarah locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family’s apartment. She keeps the key, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. In 2002, Julia, an American journalist living in Paris, is asked to write about the infamous mass arrest on its sixtieth anniversary. As she investigates and learns about Sarah’s story, she also discovers hidden family secrets that connect the two women.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Sage Singer works alone on the night shift at a small bakery to avoid anyone seeing her facial scar. However, she forms an unlikely friendship with 95-year-old Josef Weber, a beloved member of the community. She is utterly shocked when he reveals that he was a guard at a Nazi concentration camp and he asks her for an extraordinary favour. Both the confession and the request turn Sage’s world upside down, but eventually give her new insights into herself, her family, and the nature and purpose of forgiveness.
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan
Beneath a Scarlet Sky is based on the incredible true story of Pino Lella, an Italian teenager who helped Jewish people escape over the Alps into Switzerland during World War II. When Pino is forced to enlist in the army, he is injured and hired as the personal driver of General Hans Leyers, Hitler’s right hand man in Italy. This true story is thrilling and inspiring.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
While we all know the disasters of the Titanic and the Lusitania, Salt to the Sea tells the tragic true story of the German military transport ship, the Willhelm Gustloff. Author Ruta Sepetys creates four fictional characters who are all desperately trying to board the Willhem Gustloff, along with 10,500 other refugees, to flee Germany as the Russian army approaches in 1945. I enjoyed learning about this relatively unknown historical event, it was quite different from the typical WWII story.
The Last Green Valley by Mark T. Sullivan
Because I loved Beneath a Scarlet Sky so much, I had to read Mark T. Sullivan’s next historical fiction novel and it did not disappoint. The Last Green Valley tells the mind-blowing true story of the Martel family. Emil and Adeline Martel have been through hell and back growing up in Ukraine under Stalin’s rule. When the Soviets start deporting Ukranians to Siberia in 1944, the Martel’s know that they have to escape. Since both of their families are of “pure-blood” German ancestry, the Nazi’s offer them protection and a new home in Germany. Caught between two horrific forces, the Martel’s follow the Nazi’s to Germany but are determined to continue west to freedom. I honestly cannot believe everything that this family went through and neither will you!
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean
I love this book because it surprisingly has several thriller-esque twists. After a betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape. But when she finds an old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian’s life gets even more complicated. Gillian and her father try to unravel the mystery of her grandmother’s past. In 1939, England is on the brink of war as Vivian Hughes, Gillian’s grandmother, falls in love with a handsome British official, but bombs begin to fall and Vivian’s happy life is destroyed in the blitz…or is it?
The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
This is such a unique story, I was instantly hooked! Parisian architect, Lucien Bernard, has little empathy for the situation of the Jewish people in Nazi-occupied Paris. But when a rich businessman offers him a large sum of money to create secret hiding places for Jews around the city, Lucien has to make the biggest decision of his life. Should he risk his own life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in? Ultimately, he can’t resist the challenge, and begins creating incredibly innovative hiding places in different homes. When one of his hiding places is discovered, he can no longer remain apathetic as he witnesses first hand the horrible suffering of the Jewish people.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Book Thief is a well-known WWII historical fiction novel, and I finally got around to reading it. This story is close to my heart since the main character is a little girl who loves books and reading (just like me!). After Liesel endures tragedy, she is placed with a foster family. When her foster father teaches her how to read, she loves it so much that she begins stealing books around town. When her foster family hides a Jewish man in the basement, her world is both opened up and closed down.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Another popular WWII historical fiction novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, is one of my favourite love stories that I’ve ever read – and it’s a true story! In 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. When the guards find out that Lale speaks several languages, he is put to work as the Tattooist, and he is forced to permanently mark his fellow prisoners. Lale witnesses horrific acts, risks his life by using his privileged position to help keep his fellow prisoners alive, and falls in love.
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blume
For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier. Trudy’s sole evidence of the past is a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald. Trudy begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother’s life.
The Girl From the Train by Irma Joubert
Six-year-old Gretl Schmidt is on a train bound for Auschwitz. Jakób Kowalski is planting a bomb on the tracks. When Jakób discovers that Gretl is the only survivor, guilt and compassion prompt him to take her in. For three years, the young man and little girl form a bond, but she can’t stay with him forever. Jakób arranges for Gretl to be sent to South Africa, where German war orphans are promised bright futures with adoptive Protestant families – so long as Gretl’s true roots are never discovered.
White Rose Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey
It’s a cold winter in 1943, Germany. Franka Gerber is contemplating life during World War II at her family’s secluded cabin in the Black Forest. Then she discovers an unconscious airman lying in the snow wearing a Luftwaffe uniform. Despite her hatred of the Nazi’s and all that they have taken from her, she saves his life by taking him back to her cabin. As she begins to discover his true identity, they form a bond that becomes dangerous for them both.
BONUS:
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Schindler’s List by Thomas Keaneally
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
These books were all adapted into amazing movies. However, I watched the movies before reading any of the books. These books are very highly rated, so I plan to read them eventually (along with countless others of this genre)! Stay tuned.
I hope you enjoyed this list of my top ten historical fiction books set during World War II!
To read my blog post, “My Top 10 Fiction Books for History Lovers,” click here.
To read my blog post, “My Top 10 Thriller/Mystery Books,” click here.
