Lana Kortchik grew up in two opposite corners of the Soviet Union – the Siberian town of Tomsk and the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv – before her family moved to Australia when she was a teenager. She was the winner of the Historical Novel Society Autumn 2012 Short Fiction competition and in 2019 her novel Sisters At War became a USA Today bestseller. Here are her picks of the best historical fiction.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
If you asked my 10-year-old self what the greatest book in the world was, I would not have hesitated. This made me fall in love with reading and 30 years later it is still my favourite book. This story has everything: love and betrayal, revenge and forgiveness.
Read more:
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The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
One of those rare books that stay with you forever. Simons depicts the blockade of Leningrad in all its harrowing detail. And yet, in the darkness, there is a glimmer of hope, a love story that will capture your imagination and break your heart.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Against the backdrop of 17th-century France unfolds the most iconic friendship ever written. “One for all and all for one,” proclaim the Musketeers, as they take you along on an incredible feat of self-discovery and adventure.
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” So begins this remarkable book, which paints a vivid picture of 19th century Russia, exploring themes of infidelity, family ties and obsession.
