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Celebrate Historical Fiction Week!
While some scientists are searching for a wormhole to travel back in time, fans of historical fiction have already discovered their own personal time machines, conveniently located on their bookshelves!
With the simple turning of a page, historical fiction readers are transported to a different place and time, whether that's Tudor England, 18th century Scotland, or America at the start of the Second World War.
We're celebrating our love for historical fiction by featuring authors, groups, giveaways, and Listopia lists throughout the week. To kick it all off, we asked a few bestselling historical fiction writers this question:
Ask Diana Gabaldon a question!
Ask Philippa Gregory a question!
Ask Sara Gruen a question!
Ask Isabel Allende a question!
Ask John Boyne a question!
There are many more writers participating—check out which of your favorite historical fiction writers are taking questions during Historical Fiction Week, and ask them a question!
We're celebrating our love for historical fiction by featuring authors, groups, giveaways, and Listopia lists throughout the week. To kick it all off, we asked a few bestselling historical fiction writers this question:
Ask Diana Gabaldon a question!
Ask Philippa Gregory a question!
Ask Sara Gruen a question!
Ask Isabel Allende a question!
Ask John Boyne a question!
Comments Showing 1-50 of 161 (161 new)
message 1:
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Lysergius
(new)
Aug 03, 2015 07:38AM
The years between 1870 and 1914.
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750 - 1250 , because during that period of years, the greatest empire ever throughout the history exist. And I really want to live in that timeline
Id love to go back in time to the wars of the roses or 1900s or 1920s.
I would love to visit Ancient Greece. But generally, I'm good when I am. :)
Part of me would like to have been born 10-15 years earlier than I was. No man has stepped foot on the moon during my lifetime. Being born five years earlier would change that. Being born 10 years earlier and I'd actually remember it. Being born 15 years earlier and I'd actually appreciate it.Otherwise, I look around... internet, electricity, indoor plumbing with hot water, tv, video games, automobiles, computers, ebook readers, smartphones... I'm happy to be living right now.
Now, if we are talking about visiting instead of living, then that opens up a whole new discussion.
Would I want to live in another time period? I do… every time I open a book.
Going into Historical times had dangers from War, brutes, disease and very bad hygiene. I would need an escape route ready. This well in place, I would take any medieval time.
between 1900 and 1925, a pivotal time in Irish History. Wish I could have been there to experience it firsthand
I'd live during the Outlander time... won't they just love little ol' feminist ME! lol
Roseanne wrote: "between 1900 and 1925, a pivotal time in Irish History. Wish I could have been there to experience it firsthand"I'd love to debate with Padraig Pierce on the wisdom of seeking help from the German government.
Between 1800-1825--Regency England
Ptolemaic Egypt would be a pretty cool time to live in.
I like the idea of visiting another time, but the modern world is pretty great. And what time frame, hard to narrow it down....
None of those times in the past would have been fun unless someone was very rich--and then think about having something like breast cancer during the Regency. I'll take today and save history for my reading and daydreams!
If only I could take back the freedom that us women have now, I'd love to go back to outlander time.
i would only visit the past if i was rich nobility and a man. then i could have some fun. otherwise life sucked.
I want to go to a time where people lived in the jungle.I know it sounds crazy and stupid but i want to know what it was like trying to survive without all the luxuries we have today. :)
Richard wrote: "Would I want to live in another time period? I do… every time I open a book."Good one :)
I agree with Philippa Gregory 100%.
If i could I would travel back to the 1900's and be apart of the women's rights movement. Also, if i could I would like to travel back to 1290's Scotland and see William Wallace take on the English for Scotland's freedom. What an amazing experience that would be:)
I'd say in Ireland during the Iron Age on a crannog.
Totally agree with Sara Gruen. Mostly Daisys in the kitchen not Lady Mary or Mr. Darcy.
Why would I want to live in any other time? Women in western civilizations have it best now - maybe I'd want to live in the future where things are even less bleak. Philippa Gregory and Isabel Allende had it right.
There has never been a better time to be a woman. Of course, this truism is not equally distributed around the world, or even across the US. But the fact we know it SHOULD BE SO, is part of the reason there has ... never been a better time to be a female human being on planet earth.
Ancient Rome or Ancient Greece -- only if I were in the upper class. I'm sure 95% of the people back then had it bad.
I love the renaissance period. Especially the years between 1415 and 1500.
Janet wrote: "...think about having something like breast cancer during the Regency."I would love to be able to visit any time period, just for the fun of it, but thanks to my own brush with cancer, I need my meds - something even twenty, thirty years ago would be difficult or even impossible to get.
So, I guess I'll have to make to with books and daydreams, and making my own story as I go along.
I think fitting in would be most people's biggest challenge, though. So many independent, free thinking people today, makes almost anything possible - even time travel?
I love the regency era but Lord knows if I went back in those times it definitely wouldn't be as fun as the romance books I love reading(I'm black and a woman)
Much as I admire and am fascinated by ancient Rome - who could not be - and build on their values and systems in my own writing, I'll settle for now. My life has seen some amazing history: the death of George VI, the accession of his daughter, the space programme, the technological and sexual revolutions of the 1960s, the shock at the death of Kennedy and Winston Churchill, decolonisation, the Cold War, the European movement, women's liberation, the erection and destruction of the Berlin Wall, the first woman prime minister in the UK, the fall of the Soviet system, the first UK peacetime coalition government.
I think that's probably enough history for me...
I think the reason why I enjoy historical fiction so much is because I know I wouldn't want to live it. I am very much a product of my times and glad of it, actually. My health, my family, and many other things would make living in a by-gone time very difficult. I think of historical fiction much like a popular vacation spot, "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." :-)
Oh, I think I'd live to live in Edwardian times but not as Daisy in the kitchen. I'm much more suited to be Mary in the estate. ;) When I watch Downton Abby, I'm fascinated by how much time they spend dressing and changing clothes during the course of the day.
I think I would like to have been a young woman in the 1950's, post WWII era, and would have liked to be a strong self confident lady with high expectations and goals to break the glass ceiling.
The problem with going back in time is that it really only works if you go back as a rich, male, property-owner, otherwise your life is going to be miserable with a capital "M." But I find the ancient world endlessly fascinating so if I could arrange it that way, I'd go back to ancient Rome or Egypt.
1907 Los Angeles a la THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC
Jennifer wrote: "1907 Los Angeles a la THE SECRET LIFE OF ANNA BLANC"Jason wrote: "Part of me would like to have been born 10-15 years earlier than I was. No man has stepped foot on the moon during my lifetime. Being born five years earlier would change that. Being born 10 years ..."
The trouble would be that you now would have five or ten less years ahead of you. I was already very grown up when they landed on the moon and truly it was exciting. But still I'd like to have those years still ahead of me.
I would love to visit late ancient Rome and Europe in the 1700's but only in a time machine bubble craft so I could observe and not participate. After I saw the movie Timeline, starring Gerard Butler, and based on Michael Crichton's best-selling novel, it gave me a reality check about what it would really be like to live in the past, which several people have mentioned already. However, I do travel back in time through historical novels and my own stories.
I would love to visit Ancieng Greece. You know because of all that Percy Jackson fandom affecting me I'm all over Greece now. And percy
Although back in historical times mannerisms were used, and natural beauty was adored, for the most part and for most people it was so so very hard, although we see the romantic part of it in books, it wasn't like that for everyone and all the time, so the safest way to travel back in time would be through lovely historical books, and I'd still go through the stones in outlander.
I've always love the medieval time. I wonder what it would be like to live around King Arthur times.
Elizabeth wrote: "I've always love the medieval time. I wonder what it would be like to live around King Arthur times."Ooh that's a good one.
I prefer the now. I wouldn't give up my technology and modern conveniences for any other time period. Plus being a women back in most of those time periods was hell.
If I were to live back in time, I would wish to be a man in the 1450s-early 1500s. Despite the plague, and the confusion in everything, there were lots of good philosophers in Renaissance Italy - and painters, and statesmen, and other such ... men.
maybe 1960-1970 love that music era
