Top Sapphic Historical Fiction Recommendations

I grew up inhaling a strict diet of historical fiction.

The books I read were full of the kind of women and girls I wanted to be. There were girls who travelled in time, who crushed empires under chariot wheels, flew planes and jumped horses over high hedges, snuck out to sea dressed as men, lived life after life. They were warriors, and blacksmiths, and birthed whole lineages of kings.

They were me. They were who I wanted to be.

All except for one thing.

Then in 2002 (I’m giving away my age, maybe) I read Fingersmith for the first time. It had been shortlisted for the Orange and Man Booker prizes, and my mum’s book group had read it.

“Here,” she said. “They’re lesbians, but you can skip over those pages. It’s not too in-your-face.”

You know I did not, in fact, skip those pages. Instead, they sent me on a lifelong quest for more books just like it. A quest that’s taken me to even write and publish my own.

But the fact is, whatever we’re calling it - sapphic, lesbian, wlw - despite more than 20 years since Sarah Waters’ seminal debut novel, Tipping the Velvet, hit the mainstream, there’s still not enough historical stories out there about girls who like girls. There’s even less where no-one dies or ends up alone or with a man.

And I’m over sad and straight endings. This is 2024!

Our Lord and saviour Chappell Roan didn’t lay down her Pink Pony Club for Ruth and Idgie to just be good pals.

So here are my go-to sapphic historical fiction recs, straight from my bookshelves to yours (and no - Seven Husbands doesn’t make it, don’t @ me on this!).

Enjoy!

Lucy x