Twenty period dramas for fans of Hilary Mantel

At the Waterstones blog, Mark Skinner tagged twenty books for fans of Hilary Mantel, including:

The Blue Flower
Penelope Fitzgerald

Delivered with typical aplomb by one of literature’s understated geniuses, The Blue Flower chronicles the artistic and physical life of the Romantic poet Novalis. Couched in Fitzgerald’s lean, economic prose this shimmering jewel of a novel ripples with humanity and psychological truth.

Read about another entry on the list.

The Blue Flower is one of Will Eaves's ten top fictional takes on real lives, the Telegraph's ten best historical novels, William Skidelsky's ten best historical novels, Andrew Miller's top ten historical novels, Diana Quick's six best books, Sebastian Faulks' forty recommended books, and appears on Kate Blackwell's list of five books distinguished by sheer originality of language and unique vision.

--Marshal Zeringue