Welcome to my not-quite-monthly post on all things historical fiction! This month, I want to highlight the HWA Crown Award longlists which were announced last Wednesday by the Historical Writers Association. There are three separate awards – one for debut novels, one for non-fiction and the other (the Gold Crown) for authors who have previously published. The shortlists are announced in October and the winner in November. I have no plans to try to read all of these books, but thought it would be interesting to look at what I’ve read so far from each list.
Gold Crown Award 2023 longlist
River Spirit by Leila Aboulela
Bad Relations by Cressida Connolly
Trust by Hernan Diaz
The Colour Storm by Damien Dibben
The Weather Woman by Sally Gardner
Spear by Nicola Griffith
The Walled Garden by Sarah Hardy
The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
The Great Reclamation by Rachel Heng
The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry
A Wild & True Relation by Kim Sherwood
Dark Earth by Rebecca Stott
I’ve only read two of these – The Colour Storm and The Dance Tree – and although I liked them both, neither of them are favourites. Of the others, The Chosen is already on my TBR after it appeared on the Walter Scott Prize shortlist earlier this year, but the rest don’t really appeal.
Non-fiction Crown Award 2023 longlist
The Treasuries: Poetry Anthologies and the Making of British Culture by Clare Bucknell
The Siege of Loyalty House by Jessie Childs
Woman’s Lore: 4,000 Years of Sirens, Serpents and Succubi by Sarah Clegg
Courting India by Nandini Das
The Captain’s Apprentice by Caroline Davison
China After Mao by Frank Dikötter
Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine by Lawrence Freedman
The Age of Uncertainty by Tobias Hürter, translated by David Shaw
After the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport
Super-Infinite by Katherine Rundell
The Holocaust: An Unfinished History by Dan Stone
The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes by Kate Strasdin
I haven’t read any of these – in fact, apart from the Helen Rappaport, I haven’t even heard of them. However, I’ve investigated some of the titles and I like the sound of The Siege of Loyalty House, about a siege during the English Civil War, and The Dress Diary of Mrs Anne Sykes, which traces the life of a Victorian woman through her textile scrapbook.
Debut Crown Award 2023 longlist
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
The New Life by Tom Crewe
Theatre of Marvels by Lianne Dillsworth
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Weyward by Emilia Hart
The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys by Jack Jewers
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead
The Circus Train by Amita Parikh
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer
Bonny & Read by Julie Walker
I’ve read five of these and particularly enjoyed Clytemnestra and Death and the Conjuror (I’m hoping to read the sequel to that one soon). Again, the Paterson Joseph came to my attention through the Walter Scott Prize and I’m interested in reading The Circus Train and Bonny & Read.
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Have you read any of these? If not, are there any you would like to read?
She Reads Novels 
Added ‘Woman’s Lore’ to my Wish List! Looks very interesting. Anything by Helen Rappaport is a must for me… and I have ‘Super-Infinite’ by Katherine Rundell in a book pile because of a random impulse buy… [grin]
Woman’s Lore does sound interesting. I really need to read more non-fiction!
I can heartily recommend Super-Infinite by Katherine Rundell, which went down well with our book group too. Kate Strasdin came and gave us a wonderful talk at our local bookshop recently, so of course I bought the book. Which has now reached the top of my TBR pile. I agree, the Dance Tree, though I enjoyed it, wouldn’t have made any award list I was constructing.
I hadn’t even heard of Super-Infinite until now, but it’s clearly a book I need to investigate! I hope you enjoy the Kate Strasdin, which also sounds fascinating.
Yes in both counts! I’ve only just started the Strasdin, but first impressions are excellent.
I’ve read Trust by Hernan Diaz (winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2023), The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry (which was about my favorite writer, Thomas Hardy), After the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport (love anything about Russia and the 1917 Revolution), Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati (ancient Greece is my thing!), The New Life by Tom Crewe, and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I enjoyed all of them, especially Trust and The New Life.
Courting India is in my TBR pile, as Indian history fascinates me.
I’m glad you’ve enjoyed so many of these books, Margaret. Thomas Hardy is one of my favourite authors too, so I’m looking forward to reading The Chosen.
Super-Infinite is absolutely beautiful—I highly recommend it.
It’s probably not a book I would have chosen to read, but you’re the third person to mention it here so I’ll have to investigate!
From the first list I read Trust, which was excellent. I’ll be reading The Great Reclamation towards the end of this year. From the third list, I have Clytemnestra and Weyward to read at the start of next year.
I’m glad you liked Trust. I still haven’t decided whether I want to read it or not, but will probably try it eventually!
Some interesting novels to check out. Only additional comment is that I read Cressida Connolly’s previous novel which made it on to the long list (?) for the Sir Walter Scott prize and really enjoyed it (more than you I think looking at your review). I will have a look at her latest.
No, I didn’t really like After the Party, although it hasn’t put me off possibly trying another Cressida Connolly book.