15 of the Best Historical Sapphic Books To Read Right Now

Recently updated on July 15th, 2024 at 08:49 am

History hasn’t necessarily been kind to the LGBTQ+ Community.  But there is something so comforting about LGBTQ+ Historical fiction. I’ve compiled the best historical sapphic books to read.

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There is something so comforting about Sapphic historical fiction. As a lesbian, I love reading about  Sapphic characters  who find happiness and  live with their circumstances.

Whether you’re looking for medieval characters, Victorians or more recent history such as the seventies,  I’ve got you covered. This post is all about the best historical sapphic books to read.

Reading historical fiction gives us a unique insight into the past. And it allows us to understand what happened.

Read on for the best historical Sapphic books

The Best Historical Sapphic Books

1. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph club is an emotional profound historical fiction focusing on lesbian culture in the 1950s. We follow a Chinese American character coming of age and exploring her sexuality in 1950s San Francisco.

Lily Hu questions her identity. And she decides to visit a lesbian nightclub called the Telegraph Club. The Telegraph club offers sanctuary to anyone who needs it in an era of  disruption.

America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love. Especially inChinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone – including Chinese Americans like Lily.

This book is so well researched and it portrays the challenges of the era so beautifully. The story is heart-wrenching and takes you on such an emotional journey. Yet despite this, the book is full of such warmth.

 Lily Hu is a lovable main character and the adorable romance felt realistic for teenagers coming to terms with their identity.

Once you get into this book it’s impossible to put down. And the heartwrenching storyline will leave you in floods of tears. The found family trope is also executed perfectly with the characters in the Telegraph Club.

If you’re after books with lesbian characters, you’re in luck!  Check out my article on books with lesbian characters here.

2. Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

Looking for historical sapphic books? You need to check out Sarah Waters’ work.

If you’re a fan of wlw books for adults, historical fiction or classics then you need to read Tipping the Velvet. It also has an incredible BBC adaptation.  

It follows Nan King, an oyster girl. She is captivating by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler – a male impersonator. 

Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after  she becomes Kitty’s dresser. The pair begin a glittering career as a double act. 

 At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins

 3. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Color Purple is a modern classic about love and redemption. The book won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American Women in Georgia between the wars. Celie  is a young Black girl born into poverty and segregation.

Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie keep in touch through a series of letters.   But then she meets the glamour Shug Avery – a women who has taken charge of her own destiny.

Gradually Celie discovers the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves.

4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a hugely popular novel. This historical fiction was the #3 most read book amount GoodReads reviewers in 2021 and ranked at the Top of the Amazon bestseller list. A must read for fans of Sapphic historical fiction.

We follow ageing movie icon, Evelyn Hugo. She’s ready to tell the truth on her scandalous life. But she chooses an unknown reporter to tell the story. Why her?

Evelyn Hugo is an incredible bisexual character. This book has so much hype but it 100% lives up to it.

No combination of words I can type will accurately describe how brilliant this book is. I’m just going to leave you with a quote:

” I’m bisexual. Don’t ignore the half of me so you can fit me into a box Monique. Don’t do that.”

If you’re after historical sapphic books then you’ll love The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. 

5. The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith

The Price of Salt is another wlw classic.  If you’re a fan of historical fiction or books with adaptations you need to read The Price of Salt. 

It follows  Therese Belivet, a stage designer trapped in a department-store day job. One day her salvationa rrives in the form of Carol Aird. 

Carol is an  alluring suburban housewife in the throes of a divorce.  They fall in love and set out across the United States.

But a private investigator pursues them. He eventually blackmails Carol into a choice between her daughter and her lover.

6. The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

If you’re looking for historcial books with witches, then you need to read The Mercies.

The Mercies is about 17th Century Norweigen Sapphics. It’s set in a small Norwegian Coastal village in the 1600s. A storm kills off all the islands men.

Two women struggle to survive against both the natural forces. And the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft.

The Mercies was unlike any other books I’ve read. But I loved it.

The world-building  is incredible. The attention to detail and research in this book is exceptional. And it makes it such a treat to read. You can see all the research that has gone into this book as the details are incredible.

It was quite dark and a very emotional read. If you’re looking for historical sapphic books with witches then this is the book for you.

If you’re a fan of books with witches, I have tons of recommendations. Check out my post for fantasy books with witches.

7. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

Fingersmith is an incredible historical fiction crime novel in Victorican England. Set in London 1862,  it’s perfect if you’re looking for something similar to Charles Dickens. But sapphic.

Sue Trinder is an orphan. She’s left in the care of Mrs. Sucksby. Her house also houses a family of petty thieves (fingersmiths).

One day, the most beloved thief of all arrives—Gentleman, an elegant con man. He has an entincing proposition for Sue. If she wins a positions as the maid to Maud Lilly and helps Gentlemen, they will all share in Maud’s inheritance.

Once the inheritance is secured, Maud will be passed off as mad and made to live in a lunatic asylum.  Sue dreams of paying back the kindness of her adopted family. So she agrees.

But once in, she begins to pity Maud and care for her in unexpected ways.

8. Plain Bad Heroines by Emily Danforth

Plain Bad Heroine is a historical Sapphic book that is unlike any other book.  It features a wlw romance, gothic setting and elements of horror. It’s set at a girls boarding school in 1902 and also the present day. 

The story starts in 1902, at The Brookhants School for Girls. It follows Flo and Clara, two impressionable students. They’re obsessed with each other. And they’re also obsessed with a daring young writer – Mary MacLane.

Mary Maclane is the author of a scandalous bestselling memoir.

To show their devotion to Mary, they establish their own private club. And they call the club The Plain Bad Heroine Society. 

They meet in secret in a nearby apple orchard, the setting of their wildest happiness.

And, ultimately, of their macabre deaths.

  Where their bodies are later discovered with a copy of Mary’s book next to them. 

Over a century later, the now abandoned and crumbling Brookhants is back in the news. 

Writer Merrit Emmons publishes a book celebrating the queer history of the institution. Her book inspires a controversial horror film adaptation.  But as Brookhants opens its gates once again, and our three modern heroines arrive on set to begin filming, past and present become grimly entangled

9. She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker Chan

She Who Became The Sun is an incredible historical fantasy about a rise to power, destiny and war. Set in 14th Century China, it’s a well-written epic with complex characters and an emotionally charged plot. 

It opens in a famine-stricken village. Two children are given two fates. The boy – greatness. The girl – nothingness.

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. And for the peasants in the Central plains – greatness is only on stories.  So when Zhu Chongba is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass.

 The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

But then a bandit attack orphans the children. And Zhu Chongba succumbs to despair and dies. 

The girl uses her brother’s identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. And Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes to stay hidden from her fate. 

While there are fantasy elements, this is much more of a historical fiction. It discusses profound topics such as queer desire and gender dysphoria. 

If you’re looking for historical sapphic books, then you need to read this book.  It’s incredibly well written, with inspiring characters and beautiful, epic worldbuilding.

10. A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar

A Million to One is a historical fiction set on the Titanic’s ill-fated maiden voyage. If you’re looking for a historical heist book with LGBTQ+ characters then you need to read this. It’s equal parts Titanic and Ocean’s 8.

A thief. An artist. An acrobat. An actress.

A Million to One follows Josefa, Emilie, Hinnah and Violet. They don’t seem to have anything in common. But they’re united by one goal – stealing the Rubaiyat. A jewel-encrusted book aboard the RMS Titanic. A bookt hat might be the golden ticket to solving all their problems. 

But carless mistakes, grudges and romance threaten to ruin everything they’ve worked for. And when tragedy strikes, they’re put in incredible danger.

The odds of pulling off the heist are slim. But the odds of survival are even slimmer.

I’m a huge fan of Adiba Jaigirdar. She writes the most incredible LGBTQ+ books. The characters are always likeable and well developed. If you’re looking for historical sapphic books then you need to check this out.

11. A Little Light Mischief by Cat Sebastian

If you’re after a Sapphic regency romance then I highly recommend checking out A Little Light Mischief.  If you’re looking for a book like the phase ‘be gay do crimes’, then you’ll love this sapphic romance. 

It follows Molly Wilkins and Alice. Molly Wilkins is done with thieving, cheating and stabbing. She’s determined to keep her hands to herself. But then she finds herself tempted to seduce her employer’s prim and proper companion, Alice. How can she resist when Alice can’t seem to keep her eyes off Moll?

For the first time in her life, Alice Stapleton has absolutely nothing to do. The only thing that seems to occupy her thoughts is a lady’s maid with a sharp tongue and a beautiful mouth. Her determination to know Molly’s secrets has her behaving in ways she never imagined as she begins to fall for the impertinent woman.

But then an unwelcome specter from Alice’s past turns up unexpectedly. And  Molly volunteers to help the only way she knows how: with a little bit of mischief.

12. The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

If you’re after Sapphic regency romance then I highly recommend checking out some of Olivia Waite’s work. It’s a passionate, slow burn romance set in 1816. If you’re after Sapphic historical books you’ll love this book.

It follows Lucy Muchelney and Catherine St Day. Lucy watches her ex-lover’s wedding and wishes she were anywhere else. But then she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth. She’s looking for someone to translate  a groundbreaking French astronomy text. And Lucy knows where to escape to.

Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.

Catherine St Day is looking forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled.She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project. But then she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work. So she agrees to let Lucy stay.

But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

13.  The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

If you’re after gothic historical sapphic books with a creepy haunted manor, then you’ll absolutely love The Animals at Lockwood Manor. Set in 1939,  it’s a historical fiction with an intriguing mystery and a romance

It follows Hetty Cartwright. She’s tasked with the evacuation and safekeeping of the natural history museum’s collection of mammals. . Once she and her exhibits arrive at Lockwood Manor, however, where they are to stay for the duration of the war, Hetty soon realizes that she’s taken on more than she’d bargained for.

Protecting her charges from the irascible Lord Lockwood and resentful servants is work enough. But then some of the animals go missing. And   Hetty begins to suspect someone – or something – is stalking her through the darkened corridors of the house.

As the disasters mount, Hetty finds herself falling under the spell of Lucy, Lord Lockwood’s beautiful but clearly haunted daughter. But why is Lucy so traumatized? Does she know something she’s not telling?

14. Cantoras by Carolina de Robertis

Cantoras is a historical fiction set in 1970s Uruguay during a dictatorship. If you search for historical wlw books online, Cantoras is a beautifully written and heartbreaking book about love, friendship and freedom in an oppresive political climate.

Set in 1977 Uruguar, a military government crushed political dissant. And the everyday rights of people are under attack. Homosexuality is dangerous and to be punished. 

The book follows five queer women. Romina, Flaca, Anita “La Venus,” Paz, and Malena. Five cantoras, women who “sing”.  And they find one another.

Together, they discover an isolated, nearly uninhabited cape, Cabo Polonio. They claim  it as their secret sanctuary.

 Over the next thirty-five years, their lives move back and forth between Cabo Polonio and Montevideo, the city they call home. As they return, the women will be tested–by their families, lovers, society, and one another–as they fight to live authentic lives.

15. Infamous by Lex Croucher

Fans of Brigerton need to read Infamous. This Sapphic regency romance is set at an extended party. It deals with identify and coming of age in an era where being queer is not accepted.

We follow 22 year old aspiring writer  Edith ‘Eddie’ Miller. Eddie and her best friend Rose have always done everything together. Climbing trees, throwing grapes at boys, sneaking bottles of wine, practicing kissing . . .

But following their debutante ball Rose is suddenly talking about marriage, and Eddie is horrified.When Eddie meets charming, renowned poet Nash Nicholson, he invites her to his crumbling Gothic estate in the countryside.

The entourage of eccentric artists indulging in pure hedonism is exactly what Eddie needs in order to forget Rose and finish her novel.But Eddie might discover the world of famous literary icons isn’t all poems and pleasure.

This post was all about historical sapphic books

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