The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
A girl steals books in Nazi Germany; Death narrates a story of words and survival.
World War II era · Military & war · Literary
World War II era · Literary · ~1939–1945
Literary historical fiction books: World War II era
Looking for historical fiction in the literary lane set during the World War II era (~1939–1945)? Literary historical fiction books: World War II era collects historical novels that match both filters—Global war, resistance, Holocaust, home fronts. Character- and prose-forward novels set in the past HisFic is a free historical fiction discovery app: open a full reading journey with the same era and story-type filters, then add region, themes, or audience. Shelves mix curated historical fiction picks with Open Library titles so even thin combinations still have books to explore.
Shelf · 17 titles
Curated HisFic picks first, plus Open Library fills for this era + story type.
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
A blind French girl and a German boy’s paths converge in occupied Saint-Malo during World War II.
World War II era · Interwar · Literary · Adventure & epic
Pachinko
Min Jin Lee
Four generations of a Korean family navigate life under Japanese rule and in Japan.
World War II era · Cold War · Family saga · Literary
A Gentleman in Moscow
Amor Towles
Count Alexander Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel as the Soviet century remakes the world outside. Over three decades he builds a life of friendship, purpose, and quiet resistance within the hotel’s walls.
Interwar · World War II era · Literary
Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden
A girl sold into Kyoto’s geisha world navigates art, rivalry, and war.
Interwar · World War II era · Literary · Family saga
Hungry Ghosts
Kevin Jared Hosein
A Trinidadian epic of hunger, ambition, and a missing boy (Walter Scott Prize 2024).
World War II era · Cold War · Literary · Family saga
The Garden of Evening Mists
Tan Twan Eng
A judge in Malaya tends a Japanese garden and confronts wartime memory (Walter Scott Prize 2013).
World War II era · Cold War · Literary
The Matchbox Girl
Alice Jolly
A nonverbal girl’s life in Nazi-era Austria, told with unusual power (Walter Scott Prize 2026).
Interwar · World War II era · Literary
The Plot Against America
Philip Roth
Alternate America where Lindbergh wins the presidency (SAH Prize 2005).
World War II era · Literary · Time-slip
These Days
Lucy Caldwell
Two sisters endure the Belfast Blitz over four devastating days (Walter Scott Prize 2023).
World War II era · Literary · Military & war
Tightrope
Simon Mawer
A female SOE agent’s wartime courage and Cold War aftershocks (Walter Scott Prize 2016).
World War II era · Cold War · Literary · Military & war
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah
Civilians in war · Fiction · FICTION / Contemporary Women · World War (1939-1945) fast (OCoLC)fst01180924
World War I era · World War II era · Romance · Military & war · Open Library
Meet Molly
Valerie Tripp
Halloween · Brothers and sisters · World War, 1939-1945 · Fiction
World War I era · World War II era · Military & war · Open Library
Suite française
Irène Némirovsky
Correspondence · Fiction · World War, 1939-1945 · History
World War I era · World War II era · Military & war · Open Library
Twenty and Ten
Claire Huchet Bishop
Fiction · Jews · World War, 1939-1945 · History
World War I era · World War II era · Military & war · Open Library
The Winds of War
Herman Wouk
Fiction in English · Fiction · World War, 1939-1945 · Classic Literature
World War I era · World War II era · Military & war · Open Library
Salt to the Sea
Ruta Sepetys
World War II · Juvenile fiction · refugees · fiction
World War I era · World War II era · Military & war · Adventure & epic · Open Library
Other story types in World War II era
Looking for a broader list? See World War II era historical fiction or literary historical fiction.