Women of WW2… In 12 Historical Novels

Here are twelve historical novels I’ve read that highlight the different ways women contributed to the war effort at home and abroad. Follow the link from each title to read my full review.

The Woman with the Map by Jan Casey – Plotting the location of bombs falling during the Blitz as part of the ARP
The Letter Reader by Jan Casey – Censoring letters to and from service personnel
Transcription by Kate Atkinson – Transcribing conversations between British Nazi sympathisers and an MI5 agent posing as a German spy
Ike and Kay by James MacManus – Acting as aide and driver to General Ike Eisenhower
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Simon Mawer – Performing undercover missions in wartime France
The Girl from Bletchley Park by Kathleen McGurl – Codebreaking at Bletchley Park
A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear – Ferrying planes between airfields as a member of the Air Transport Auxilliary
To All the Living by Monica Felton – Working in a munitions factory 
Julia Sleeps by Zoe Caryl – Entertaining troops overseas as a member of ENSA
Green Hands by Barbara Whitton – Working on a Northumberland dairy farm as part of the Women’s Land Army
Shelter by Sarah Franklin – Being a ‘lumberjill’ in the Women’s Timber Corps
The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn – Sniper in the Russian army

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 Longlist

WalterScottPrize

The longlist for the The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2026 was announced yesterday. As a huge fan of historical fiction, this is always an exciting moment, seeing books I’ve loved appear on the list or discovering new titles.

This year I’ve read eight of the twelve books on the list. One (The Artist) is in my TBR pile and the remaining three (Boundary Waters, Edenglassie and Once the Deed Is Done) have gone straight on my wishlist.

Here are the twelve books on the longlist. Links from the titles will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads.

As in previous years, I’ll attempt to read all the longlisted novels I haven’t already before the shortlist is announced in April.

Have any of your favourites made the longlist?