The deadline for publishers to submit books published in 2022 for The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2022 has now passed. The prize is open to novels written in English and first published in 2022 in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. The majority of the storyline, i.e. over 50%, must take place at least 60 years ago.
Like other historical fiction fans, I shall be eagerly awaiting the announcement of the longlist in February 2023 and the shortlist a month or two after that. As in previous years, I’ll try (but probably fail) to read all the longlisted novels I haven’t already read.
It seems to me 2022 has been a spectacular year for historical fiction. Below are some I’ve read that I think might make the longlist, some books in my TBR pile which judging from reviews deserve a place, and a few others which look like possible contenders (subject in each case to them meeting all the eligibility criteria). Links from the titles will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads.
Check back when the longlist is announced to see if any of my picks match the judges’ choices.
Books I’ve read
- The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho by Paterson Joseph
- The Man in the Bunker by Rory Clements
- Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
- Essex Dogs by Dan Jones
- All the Broken Places by John Boyne
- The Iron Way by Tim Leach
Books in my TBR pile
- Mother’s Boy by Patrick Gale
- Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson
- Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris
- The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
- The Dance Tree by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
Books on my RADAR
- Limberlost by Robbie Arnott
- The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
- The Romantic by William Boyd
- Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
Are any of your favourites on my list? What other historical fiction novels published in 2022 do you think deserve to be on the longlist?
What Cathy Read Next... 
I’d love to see Kate Atkinson on the list.
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I’ve just finished reading The Romantic by William Boyd and I definitely think it deserves to be on the list! I would expect to see the Kate Atkinson, Maggie O’Farrell and Robert Harris books on there as well, although I haven’t read the first two yet. I’m not good at making predictions, though, and the longlist usually turns out to be mainly books I haven’t even heard of!
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I’m not good at predictions either and the Walter Scott Prize always seems to throw up books and authors I’ve never even heard of.
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I’ve read only The Marriage Portrait from your list. Highly likely we will see that in the long,sit though I don’t think it’s as strong as Hamnet.
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