10 Historical Fiction Retellings From Austen to Shakespeare
I don’t often consider whether a retelling is historical or not when I’m first reading it. I’m drawn to it simply because it’s a retelling. Retellings that set a story in modern day can be fascinating in how they map stories from and about different times onto our current surroundings. I’m drawn to retellings not only because of my love for the original stories, but because I love seeing stories and characters explored in innovative ways. Doing that doesn’t mean a story has to be divorced from the time period it was originally told in. In fact, sometimes a retelling set in the same time as the original can give you more context for what was going on at the time than the original story did. Maybe that’s one reason historical fiction retellings appeal to me.
Historical fiction retellings can be just as creative as modern retellings, too. Among the historical fiction retellings featured here, there are stories told from different points of view, gender-bent retellings (which I can never get enough of), and what-ifs that take the stories down wildly different paths. Some of the stories are set in the exact same time period as the original while others deviate, expanding the scope of the story that was originally told. But all of these historical fiction retellings are sure to leave you satisfied with a story well told.
Adult
Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
Retelling: Romeo and Juliet
Before Juliet, there was Rosaline. After the plague takes her mother, Rosaline’s father finally decides to move the family to the countryside. It’s here she discovers her days are numbered. In less than a week’s time, she’ll be sent to a nunnery to live out the rest of her life. Devastated, Rosaline sneaks into a Montague party in disguise to make the most of her last days of freedom. Meeting Romeo seems like fate and a second chance at freedom. But Romeo’s fancies are fickle, and he soon sets his sights on Rosaline’s young cousin. With only days left before she’ll be cloistered, will Rosaline be able to save Juliet from Romeo’s deadly attentions? Or is it already too late?
James by Percival Everett
Retelling: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Percival Everett reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s point of view in this action-packed take on the American classic. When Jim hears he is about to be sold away from his wife and daughter, he hides out on Jackson Island, where he soon runs into young Huck Finn. The two set off on a raft down the Mississippi River on a quest to reach the elusive promise of the Free States. It’s very much like the story you know, but Everett imbues Jim with all the intelligence and agency he always deserved to have.
The Water Outlaws by S. L. Huang
Retelling: The Water Margin
In this reimagining of the classic Chinese martial arts story, an arms instructor for the Emperor is accused of treason and banished by a corrupt government official. Lin Chong has always believed in the law, but now for the first time, she finds herself on the wrong side of it. When she’s rescued by a former student who introduces her to the Bandits of Liangshan, she is forced to reckon with everything she thought she believed about honor and justice.
The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Retelling: The Norse Myth of Angrboda
When Angrboda refuses Odin’s request to tell his future, she’s burned. But her story doesn’t end there. Wounded, Angrboda escapes into the forest to recover, her powers dreadfully weakened. It’s there she meets Loki, and, though she distrusts him at first, the two go on to have three unusual children. She is determined to keep her family safe from the world. But as her powers begin to return, she realizes it may be the world that needs saving from her family.
Wild and Distant Seas by Tara Karr Roberts
Retelling: Moby Dick
Evangeline Hussey has made a life for herself running a Nantucket inn after her husband was lost at sea. Her unique gift for seeing into the recent memories of everyone she meets has always helped her in her endeavors. At least, that’s been the case until she meets a man named Ishmael about to set sail with Ahab to hunt a legendary whale. The choices she makes after reverberate down through the generations that follow her, even as they set out across the world to forge their own paths.
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Retelling: The Great Gatsby
Nghi Vo’s distinctive take on The Great Gatsby follows Jordan Baker, a queer Vietnamese adoptee in 1920s America. Othered and treated as “exotic” by her peers, Jordan has learned to use every advantage at her disposal to help her fit in. That includes her family’s wealth and her gift for magic. But as the increasingly fraught love affair between herself, Nick, Daisy, Gatsby, and Tom begins to fall apart, even magic may not be enough to save them from their fates.
Young Adult
Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa
Retelling: Pride and Prejudice
The second-eldest Bennett, who privately goes by Oliver, is not impressed with Fitzwilliam Darcy upon their first meeting at a ball. When the two meet again, with Oliver appearing as himself this time, they finally hit it off. Darcy and Bingley show Oliver all the fun London has to offer. But with Oliver trying to maintain a secret double life and interacting with two very different versions of Darcy, will they be able to find the ardent love and admiration they’re each seeking?
This isn’t a retelling that tracks too closely to the original and for good reason. But purists may begrudge the fact that Most Ardently is less enemies to lovers and more friends to lovers. Nonetheless, it’s a really fun retelling that provides an interesting look into life during Regency England.
Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher
Retelling: Robin Hood
Robin Hood’s granddaughter knows the Merry Men aren’t what they once were. It’s not until she and her team kidnap a talkative healer that she realizes they may have completely lost their way. The group that once fought for the common people is now more concerned with territory skirmishes and rank. But what will it take to change a fully formed militia run by a man she respects more than almost anyone: her father.
Travelers Along the Way by Aminah Mae Safi
Retelling: Robin Hood
Another Robin Hood retelling, but this one is set in the Holy Lands during the Crusades—the third ones, to be precise. Rahma al-Hud would follow her sister anywhere, including into war. But when their entire company is killed, she agrees to take on one final mission with her sister. This time, they’re not just facing off against the Faranji invaders, though. They’re taking on Richard the Lionheart and Queen Isabella herself.
Escaping Mr. Rochester by L. L. McKinney
Retelling: Jane Eyre
Mr. Rochester is not who he seems. Even as he tries to charm Jane, his newly hired governess, he cannot hide his mercurial moods. Jane has no interest in a husband. But Mr. Rochester’s temper isn’t all he’s hiding. Locked away on the top floor, his wife Bertha is trapped after refusing to give away her inheritance. Rochester’s patience is growing thin. Bertha and Jane are both in terrible danger and their only chance of escape may lie in each other.
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