Big Easy Does It: 10 Historical Novels set in New Orleans
There’s no other city like New Orleans. I feel like I’m writing the first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities when I write about it. It’s a city that’s both incredibly alive and inexorably steeped in death. It’s deeply historical and also on the cutting edge. Natural and artificial. A place of people living out fantasies and nightmares both.
So who doesn’t want to read historical fiction set there? You can’t dream up better settings, events, and characters than ones that have already existed in New Orleans. If you’re a reader who loves sensory detail, you’ll revel in everything fictional New Orleans has to offer. The food (king cake, anyone?), the music, the fashion. I’m honestly so excited for you to dive into this list. There’s mystery, there’s romance, and so much more.
I focused on novels set in New Orleans and rooted in history, but you should also read about New Orleans’ own literary history. And you should also visit neighboring states to read the best Southern Gothic fiction. That certainly has some overlap with historical fiction, but it’s also doing its own thing. Before all of that, however, you’ll need to load up your TBR with the books below, because they are simply too enticing, just like New Orleans itself.
The Seamstress of New Orleans by Diane C. McPhail
It’s 1900, and things are changing for women. This year, in fact, marks the debut of an all-female krewe, Les Mysterieuses, for Mardi Gras. Les Mysterieuses are throwing a ball, and that’s how Alice and Constance meet. Alice’s husband disappeared, and she’s starting over as a seamstress in New Orleans. Constance, a young widow, needs a gown for the ball. This historical mystery follows the two women as they unravel the mysteries behind their husbands against this festive backdrop.
The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
This novel chronicles the life of Ady, a young woman enslaved in New Orleans. When she gets separated from her mother, Ady meets a free Black woman who introduces her to the Daughters, a network of spies working against the Confederacy. If you relish the story of a spirited woman finding her place in life, you’ll enjoy this gripping tale.
Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende
Isabel Allende is undoubtedly one of our greatest authors, so you simply must read her book with a New Orleans setting! Allende’s trademark magical realism is on display in this saga that spans four decades and takes readers from 18th-century Haiti to early 19th-century New Orleans. The story traces the interwoven lives of Tété, an enslaved woman and voodoo practitioner, and Toulouse Valmorain, the young man tasked with running his father’s plantation.
This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
Here’s a wonderful dose of historical Southern Gothic horror. In 1962, Jemma, who can see spirits, leaves Chicago for a chance to work for a mysterious and eccentric family in New Orleans. The family believes they are under a curse and that Jemma can break it. And Jemma has to learn all the family’s deep, dark secrets before she can figure out what to do.
Season of the Swamp by Yuri Herrera, translated by Lisa Dillman
Benito Juarez served as president of Mexico from 1858 to 1872 as the country’s first Indigenous president. This novel imagines his life before his presidency when he spent 18 months living in New Orleans. The actual historical record contains little information about this chapter of Juarez’s life, so Herrera fills in the gaps with imagination. The story is alive with all sorts of characters trying to make their way—enslaved people, sex workers, pirates, and fellow migrants like Juarez. It’s a short novel with big impact.
Pelican Girls by Julia Malye
In the 1720s, the French were colonizing what became Louisiana, and the government wanted to grow the population. So, they sent women from an asylum in France to marry the colonists. This is all true! This novel, however, imagines the lives of these women who had previously been hospitalized or imprisoned. Now making their way in a swampy place with unfamiliar men, these women’s lives and relationships are both heartbreaking and richly compelling.
The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore
Wouldn’t be a list of books set in New Orleans without something in the death industry, right? The book stars Effie, a formerly enslaved woman who escaped to the North as a child. As an adult, she returns to New Orleans during the Reconstruction Era to become an embalmer. In New Orleans, Effie could live a quiet life surrounded by death. Instead, she meets new people who open so many doors to her, and she can find out who she truly is.
The Thread Collectors by Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman
This novel follows the intersection of two brave women’s lives. Stella lives in New Orleans, embroidering secret maps that help enslaved people get to freedom. Meanwhile, Lily, a Jewish woman, contributes to the war effort from her home in New York City. She decides to embark on a perilous journey to Louisiana in search of her husband, a missing soldier. This story of two women joined by their love of textile crafts is loosely inspired by the authors’ own family histories.
Through the Storm by Beverly Jenkins
I’m never not shouting about Beverly Jenkins. This book kicks off the author’s LeVeq series, so this one recommendation comes with many companions. You don’t necessarily have to read them in order, but this one is set in New Orleans. Sable is an enslaved woman, on the run from the man who forced her to betray Raimond LeVeq, her true love. Of course, because this is a romance, she encounters LeVeq again and they end up in an ARRANGED MARRIAGE. I love romance so much.
The Physicists’ Daughter by Mary Anna Evans
The World War II historical fiction shelf is a very big one indeed, but this book brings something new to bear with its New Orleans setting. Justine is a Rosie-the-Riveter-style welder in a factory, but she suspects something strange is going on. Namely, that German spies are sabotaging the operation. She doesn’t know who she can trust, so she has to dig deep and rely on her knowledge and instincts in order to protect herself and her country.
If you’re still looking for more books set in New Orleans, there’s a list of six choices and another with eight more. The only overlap is with the Beverly Jenkins novel, which is just further proof that it should be top of your list. So find yourself a little café that serves coffee with chicory and sugar-dusted beignets, sit down with a book, and laissez les bons temps rouler!
