Historical fiction book · Curated
Days Without End
Sebastian Barry · historical fiction
An Irish immigrant and his partner fight in the Indian Wars and Civil War (Walter Scott Prize 2017).
About this historical novel
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry is historical fiction set around 1850s–1860s in the Civil War / Victorian / Gilded Age period with key settings including United States, American West. An Irish immigrant and his partner fight in the Indian Wars and Civil War (Walter Scott Prize 2017).
On HisFic we tag it under 5. Military & war, 1. Literary historical fiction, and 2. Historical romance so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include war, love, identity, and frontier. It also appears on our prize-winner shelf—useful if you like critically recognized historical novels.
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Plot summary
An Irish immigrant and his partner fight in the Indian Wars and Civil War (Walter Scott Prize 2017).
Awards
- ★ Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction · 2017 (winner)
UK’s leading HF prize (founded 2010). Often called the most prestigious award dedicated to historical fiction.
Subgenres
Eras
Browse this mix
More like this on HisFic
Curated titles that share era, story type, or themes.
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Scarlett O’Hara fights to survive the Civil War and Reconstruction in the American South.
- North and South · John Jakes
Two families—one Northern, one Southern—are torn by the approach of the Civil War.
- Cold Mountain · Charles Frazier
Wounded Confederate soldier Inman walks home across North Carolina toward Ada, who is learning to keep a mountain farm alive as the Civil War wrecks the Blue Ridge. Frazier’s National Book Award winner is Civil War historical fiction of desertion, survival, and a love story paced to the land.
- The Underground Railroad · Colson Whitehead
An enslaved woman’s escape reimagines the Underground Railroad as a literal train—and faces America’s brutal history.
- Conjure Women · Afia Atakora
A healer’s daughter navigates slavery’s end and dangerous secrets (SAH Prize 2021).
- The Song of Achilles · Madeline Miller
Patroclus narrates his bond with Achilles against the backdrop of the Trojan War.
Regions & places
North America
United States · American West
Themes
- war
- love
- identity
- frontier
Tags
award-winner