Best Historical Fiction Books, by Enneagram Type

It’s safe to say that historical fiction is having a moment. Long viewed as a twee literary niche, books set in different eras are now barnstorming books awards, the bestseller lists and the book clubs of Oprah, Jenna, Reese and all your friends.  Whether it’s the very 2024 need to escape into another era or just the abundance of award-winning historical fiction authors coming up at the moment, we are here for the genre’s explosion in popularity. 

Fans of historical fiction are happily spoilt for choice. In its fall 2023 round-up of the best historical fiction, the New York Times went so far as to say, “this year, there have been dozens of first-rate historical novels — so many that choosing even the 25 best would have been a chore.”  So how to winnow down the options for the best historical fiction books that will transport you, change your life, have you sobbing to the last page?

Your Enneagram type might help with the sorting! The Enneagram reveals the innermost motivations and fears that drive your own personal story, and therefore can be an excellent guide in finding stories that resonate with you. Here’s our guide to the historical fiction that will thrill you, pull at your heart-strings and truly light you up, by Enneagram type.

Not sure of your Enneagram type? Take our free test here. 

Enneagram Type 1: The Perfectionist

Enneagram Ones, with their strong sense of purpose and drive to be honorable, will be drawn to historical fiction that features main characters with strong principles and which explore themes of justice, integrity and ethical dilemmas. Given the type’s name, the Perfectionist, Ones will also be sticklers for meticulous historical detail that reflects the author's commitment to "getting it right."  Some great historical fiction reads for ones include: 

• The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: A gripping, beautifully written WWII-set tale that explores themes of morality during the war.
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead: In this Pulitzer Prize Winner and National Book Award Winner, young Cora faces one moral dilemma after another as she tries to escape from slavery in the pre-Civil War America south.
• Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan: Based on a true story, this thrilling tale follows the courageous journey of Italian teenager Pino Lello, who spied against the Nazis in occupied Europe. 

Enneagram Type 2: The Helper

Enneagram Twos, known as “the Helper,” are motivated by their desire to belong and to be loved by others. They will enjoy historical fiction that is character-driven and which highlights self-sacrifice, especially protagonists who go to great lengths for their loved ones. Some great historical fiction reads for Twos include: 

•  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: Beautifully written by page-turner par excellence Kristen Hannah, the story chronicles two sisters' almost unfathomable sacrifices in occupied France.
• Beloved by Toni Morrison: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and one of the most acclaimed works of fiction of all time, Beloved follows the tale of the slave Sethe and serves up one of literature’s greatest examples of self-sacrifice. 
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: Set in England’s West Country in the 1950s, this restrained, gorgeously heartbreaking story tells the tale of a butler who has dedicated his life to caring for others, while failing to find his own true love.

Enneagram Type 3: The Achiever 

Enneagram Threes are motivated by success and their need to be seen as significant in the world. They will thrill to historical fiction that features protagonists who rise to prominence or achieve great things against the odds. Some great historical fiction reads for threes include: 

• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory: Written by one of the grande dames of historical fiction – Phillipa Gregory, the book is a ripping account (bodices included) of unchecked ambition, sexuality and intrigue in the court of Henry VIII.
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel: Winner of the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction, Wolf Hall is the fictionalized account of the rise of Thomas Cromwell – the charming, ambitious, brilliant, and notorious adviser to Henry VIII, a man who is not just at the center of some of western civilization’s major changes, but who is quite literally turning the cranks of history.
• The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: Centering on the painter Vermeer's prosperous Delft household during the 1660s, the story’s heroine makes her haunting and permanent mark on history and art.

Enneagram Type 4: The Individualist

Enneagram Fours seek depth and authenticity and prefer unconventional historical fiction that delves into the emotional and psychological depths of characters who are unique, misunderstood, or set apart from society. Some great historical fiction reads for Fours include: 

• The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride: Set in the 1970s, the book unravels – in gorgeous prose – the mysteries of the residents of Chicken Hill, a dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side at the margins of society.
• Trust by Hernan Diaz: Partly set in New York during the roaring 20s, this ambitious novel takes on the puzzle of our shared histories and the nature of truth itself. 
• 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: This Nobel Prize winner tells the story of the Buendia family, and chronicles the irreconcilable conflict between the desire for solitude and the need for love. 

Enneagram 5: The Investigator

Enneagram Fives are motivated by their need to conserve their energy and protect against the demands of others. Because they prize knowledge and intellectual growth, they may look for historical fiction that is rich in facts, theories, complex plots and puzzles – often with a scientific or philosophical angle. Some great historical fiction reads for Fives include: 

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: Set in a Benedictine Abbey in the year 1327, this book follows the story of an isolated monk who uses science and philosophy to solve a murder mystery. 
• The Summer Before the War by Helen Simons: Set in East Sussex England in 1914, this novel follows the story of a freethinking, educated Latin teacher who arrives in a small community. She wants to be left alone to her writing and academic pursuits, but is soon immersed in the debates and controversies of a rural village in the year before the outbreak of WWI.
• An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears: A historical mystery that involves a murder in 17th-century Oxford.

Enneagram 6: The Skeptic 

Motivated by safety and security, Enneagram Sixes prefer historical fiction books that highlight the importance of allegiance and community during challenging times. Some great historical fiction reads for Sixes include: 

• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows: A bestseller made into a movie, this novel follows the quirky, but true-blue community of people in the Guernsey Islands under Nazi occupation during WWII. 
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr: A Good Reads choice award and now a TV series, this novel features characters who rise to the occasion to help others, while navigating the intense dangers of occupied France in WWII.

Enneagram 7: The Enthusiast

Enneagram Sevens have a strong desire to enjoy everything life has to offer and will prefer historical fiction with a fast-paced plot, vivid new worlds and a pervading sense of excitement. Some great historical fiction reads for Sevens include:

• Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter: Set in a gloriously sensual Italian resort in the early 1960s, this bestseller chronicles the past lives of movie stars and almost-movie stars and is hedonistic heaven.
• Shogun by James Clavell:  A tale of adventure and intrigue in feudal Japan.
• Blood & Beauty by Sarah Dunant: Chronicling the ambitions and intrigues of the son and daughter of the new pope, this novel immerses you entirely in the sex, violence, art, beauty and intrigue of Renaissance Italy.

Enneagram 8: The Challenger

Enneagram Eights are motivated by being powerful and are therefore attracted to historical fiction that features strong, decisive leaders or rebels – including those who overcome adversity and challenge the status quo. Some great historical fiction reads for Eights include:

• The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende: One of the most beloved works of Latin American fiction of the 20th century, this book chronicles three generations in a family rocked by politics, triumph and tragedy – leading to a gifted granddaughter who will lead the family and their country into a revolutionary future.
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid: A bestseller (and now TV series), this rollicking book takes you deep into the world of 70s rock stars in California, and introduces a powerful heroine who always goes her own way – the indomitable Daisy.
• The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict: The incredible tale of 1940s screen siren Hedy Lamarr, who escaped Nazi-controlled Europe to go on to become one of the femme fatales of the golden age of cinema and an accomplished scientist. Based on Hedy’s true story, the novel takes you on a ride with a rebel who charted her own course through WWII, Hollywood, and even the male-dominated scientific community.

Type 9: The Peacemaker

Enneagram Nines seeks harmony in their lives and their fiction, gravitating towards soothing stories that emphasize the resolution of conflict. Some great historical fiction reads for Nines include:

• Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonsen: Set in an English village in the 1950s, this book tells the tale of how a starched, straight-laced Major and a Pakistani shopkeeper fall in love and bring their village along with them. 
• The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen: Set in the 1970s and WWII Europe, this novel written by bestselling and beloved author Rhys Bowen unravels a decades-old war-time mystery that ultimately heals her and multiple families.

There you have it — our, by no means exhaustive, list of some great historical fiction by Enneagram type. Explore the books for your own type, delve into the ones for other types, and tell us, which ones are your favorites?