I'd recommend 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens. It's a historical fiction masterpiece that vividly depicts the French Revolution. Then there's 'Cold Mountain' by Charles Frazier, which tells a story of a Confederate soldier's journey home during the American Civil War. Also, 'Alias Grace' by Margaret Atwood is a great read. It's based on a real - life 19th - century Canadian murder case and explores themes of gender, class, and power through a fictionalized account.
One great one is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee. It's a classic that realistically portrays the racial issues in the American South during the 1930s. Another is 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak, which is set during World War II and tells the story from the perspective of a young girl in Nazi Germany. And 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker is also excellent, dealing with the life of African - American women in the early 20th century through very realistic and moving storytelling.
Some good ones are 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini. It combines elements of realism and historical fiction as it shows the life in Afghanistan before and during the Taliban regime. 'The Underground Railroad' by Colson Whitehead is another. It uses a fictionalized version of the Underground Railroad during the slavery era in the United States to tell a powerful story. And 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy is a classic historical fiction that gives a detailed account of Russian society during the Napoleonic Wars.