Books like 'Swimming in the Dark'
Readers who enjoyed Swimming in the Dark by Tomasz Jedrowski also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical romance action / adventure military, war & conflict historical-fiction lgbtq literary-fiction coming-of-age mlm politics
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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars · 90 ratingsIn love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are. FRANCE, 1939: In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front... -
![The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer]()
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsIn 1942, Europe remains in the relentless grip of war. Just beyond the tents of the Russian refugee camp she calls home, a young woman speaks her wedding vows. It’s a decision that will alter her destiny…and it’s a lie that will remain buried until the next century.Since she was nine years old, Alina Dziak knew she would marry her best friend, Tomasz... -
![The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken]()
The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsPerfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Beekeeper of Aleppo.In the 1930s, Stalin’s activists marched through the Soviet Union, espousing the greatness of collective farming. It was the first step in creating a man-made famine that, in Ukraine, stole almost 4 million lives...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction politics sad war 20th-century action-adventure -
![The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel]()
The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsInspired by an astonishing true story from World War II, a young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this unforgettable historical novel from the bestselling author of the “epic and heart-wrenching World War II tale” (#1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noel), The Winemaker’s Wife...Categorized as:
drama europe historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic sad war western-central-europe -
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![The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, David Thorpe]()
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, David Thorpe
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 106 ratingsGreece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles... -
![Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque]()
Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque
Rated: 4.46 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsThe year is 1928. On the outskirts of a large German city, three young men are earning a thin and precarious living. Fully armed young storm troopers swagger in the streets. Restlessness, poverty, and violence are everywhere. For these three, friendship is the only refuge from the chaos around them...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic sad war 20th-century action-adventure -
![The Storyteller's Secret: A Novel by Sejal Badani, Soneela Nankani]()
The Storyteller's Secret: A Novel by Sejal Badani, Soneela Nankani
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsAn Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller.From the bestselling author of Trail of Broken Wings comes an epic story of the unrelenting force of love, the power of healing, and the invincible desire to dream.Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction realistic war action-adventure -
![Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys]()
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsWhile the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic sad war 20th-century -
![Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys]()
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 42 ratingsLina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known...Categorized as:
coming-of-age communism drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction realistic sad -
![Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy]()
Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsWhen Kendra first visits her ailing grandmother, Ella has only one request: that Kendra write her story down, before she forgets…In 1937, seventeen-year-old Ella’s life changes forever when she is sent to spend the summer on the beautiful Île de Ré and meets the charismatic, creative Christophe...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction sad season-summer war 20th-century -
![From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon]()
From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsItaly, 1943—Germany occupies much of the country, placing the Jewish population in grave danger during World War II.As children, Eva Rosselli and Angelo Bianco were raised like family but divided by circumstance and religion. As the years go by, the two find themselves falling in love. But the church calls to Angelo and, despite his deep feelings for Eva, he chooses the priesthood... -
![A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman]()
A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn unforgettable story of love, hope and betrayal, and a testament to the courage of humanity in history’s darkest days. As Nazis occupy his beloved city, Professor Josef Held feels helpless. So when he discovers his former pupil Michael Blum is trying to escape the Gestapo, he offers Michael a place to hide in his attic... -
![Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque]()
Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIt is 1939. Despite a law banning him from performing surgery, Ravic – a German doctor and refugee living in Paris – has been treating some of the city’s most elite citizens for two years on the behalf of two less-than-skillful French physicians...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction politics war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris]()
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 84 ratingsA tale based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov.In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau... -
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![Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon]()
Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
Rated: 4.34 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsIn this epic and haunting love story set on the Oregon Trail, a family and their unlikely protector find their way through peril, uncertainty, and loss. The Overland Trail, 1853: Naomi May never expected to be widowed at twenty. Eager to leave her grief behind, she sets off with her family for a life out West...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction sad season-summer war -
![The Cypress Maze by Fiona Valpy]()
The Cypress Maze by Fiona Valpy
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn this haunting tale from the bestselling author of The Storyteller of Casablanca, Beatrice kept a wartime secret to protect the innocent. Now, could telling it set her free?Tuscany, 1943. Stranded in war-ravaged Italy, Beatrice’s dream of an escapist year teaching English is shattered... -
![The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman]()
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsA glorious novel of the controversial Richard III - a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history...Categorized as:
drama europe historical-fiction literary-fiction politics realistic war 20th-century -
![Return to the Island by Kate Hewitt]()
Return to the Island by Kate Hewitt
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhat would her life look like without her beloved island in it? Where would she go? Ellen had come back here—to the place she felt she belonged—thinking she would stay here. But was it home… or just a place to hide?1918, Canada: The First World War is over and those who have been fighting in Europe are heading for home, forever changed... -
![Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar]()
Take What You Can Carry by Gian Sardar
Rated: 4.35 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsAn aspiring photographer follows her dreams and faces her fears in a poignant novel about finding beauty, promise, and love amid the chaos of war-torn Kurdistan.It’s 1979. Olivia Murray, a secretary at a Los Angeles newspaper, is determined to become a photojournalist and make a difference with her work...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Eternal by Lisa Scottoline]()
Eternal by Lisa Scottoline
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsWhat war destroys, only love can heal.Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist; Marco the brash and athletic son in a family of professional cyclists; and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy, kind-hearted and thoughtful, the son of a lawyer and a doctor...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama europe historical-fiction journey literary-fiction war 20th-century -
![These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean]()
These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsFrom the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a sweeping and captivating tale of one woman’s journey to the lush vineyards of Tuscany—and into the mysteries of a tragic family secret.If Fiona has learned anything in life, it’s how to keep a secret—even from the father who raised her...Categorized as:
drama europe historical-fiction journey literary-fiction season-summer war action-adventure -
![The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys]()
The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsA portrait of love, silence, and secrets under a Spanish dictatorship.Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama europe historical-fiction journey literary-fiction politics realistic -
![My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie]()
My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction politics realistic war 20th-century action-adventure -
![The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman]()
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThere on her forearm, next to a small brown birthmark, were six tattooed numbers. 'Do you remember me now?' he asked, trembling. She looked at him again, as if giving weight and bone to a ghost. 'Lenka, it's me,' he said. 'Josef. Your husband.' During the last moments of calm in prewar Prague, Lenka, a young art student, falls in love with Josef...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction realistic war 20th-century action-adventure -
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![Axios: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn]()
Axios: A Spartan Tale by Jaclyn Osborn
Rated: 4.36 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsI am Axios of Sparta, and I was born to kill. At age seven, I left home to train with other boys where we were taught obedience, solidarity, military strategy, and how to withstand pain. My harsh upbringing stripped me of my weaknesses and forced me to become strong. Ruthless.But, I craved something greater—a life I could never have... -
![Daughter of the Reich by Louise Fein]()
Daughter of the Reich by Louise Fein
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFor fans of The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See, a spellbinding story of impossible love set against the backdrop of the Nazi regime. She must choose between loyalty to her country or a love that could be her destruction… As the dutiful daughter of a high-ranking Nazi officer, Hetty Heinrich is keen to play her part in the glorious new Thousand Year Reich...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook -
![America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray]()
America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsIn a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph—a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction literary-fiction politics realistic war action-adventure -
![House of Glass by Pramoedya Ananta Toer]()
House of Glass by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsWith House Of Glass comes the final chapter of Pramoedya's epic quartet, set in the Dutch East Indies at the turn of the century. A novel of heroism, passion, and betrayal, it provides a spectacular conclusion to a series hailed as one of the great works of modern literature...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction politics war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Two Captains by Veniamin Kaverin]()
Two Captains by Veniamin Kaverin
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsTwo Captains is the most renowned novel of the Russian writer Veniamin Kaverin. The plot spans from 1912 to 1944. For more than half a century the book has been loved by children and adults alike. The novel has undergone more than 100 printings, including translations into other languages. Based on its story, plays have been staged and an opera has been written...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama europe historical-fiction literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery]()
Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 31 ratingsAnne's children were almost grown up, except for pretty, high-spirited Rilla. No one could resist her bright hazel eyes and dazzling smile. Rilla, almost fifteen, can't think any further ahead than going to her very first dance at the Four Winds lighthouse and getting her first kiss from handsome Kenneth Ford...Categorized as:
bildungsroman coming-of-age drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic sad war -
![The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough]()
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 74 ratings“Beautiful….Compelling entertainment.”—New York Times“A heart-rending epic…truly marvelous.”—Chicago TribuneOne of the most beloved novels of all time, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough’s sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback, returns to enthrall a new generation...Categorized as:
bildungsroman coming-of-age drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction realistic war -
![The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali]()
The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsRoya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink.Then Mr...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction politics realistic war -
![Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler]()
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsCalling Me Home by Julie Kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship. Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser Dorrie Curtis. It's a big one... -
![The Book of Fate by Parinoush Saniee]()
The Book of Fate by Parinoush Saniee
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsA bestselling novel in Iran, despite being banned twice by the government, The Book of Fate follows a teenage girl in pre-revolutionary Iran through five turbulent decades, from before the 1979 revolution, through the Islamic Republic, and up to the present in this powerful story of friendship, passion, and hope...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction politics war action-adventure -
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![Into the North by Amber Huxley]()
Into the North by Amber Huxley
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAs enemies unite, every path leads into the storm. Marcus When Marcus’s legion is decimated and he’s taken prisoner at the hands of the barbarians, he has one thought on his mind—escape. But the man who has claimed him, the warrior with the gray eyes that seem to bore into his soul, has no intention of letting him go... -
![Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams]()
Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives comes another riveting novel of the Schuyler sisters—where the epic story of star-crossed lovers in pre-war Europe collides with a woman on the run in the swinging '60s...In the autumn of 1966, Pepper Schuyler's problems are in a class of their own...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction season-summer war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper]()
Into Deep Waters by Kaje Harper
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsFor Jacob and Daniel, two young gay men aboard a Navy ship in WWII, the risks were high. Not just the risks of injury and death from Japanese planes and submarines, but the risk of discovery, of discharge, imprisonment or worse. Only a special kind of love was worth taking that chance. But from the moment Daniel met Jacob's eyes across a battle-scarred deck, he knew he had to try... -
![When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin]()
When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsMunich, 1938. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent as determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession as she is to expose the growing tyranny in Nazi Germany. To do so, she must walk a thin line. If she offends the government, she could be expelled from the country--or worse... -
![A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon]()
A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFour extraordinary stories featuring characters from the bestselling OUTLANDER series. In Lord John and the Plague of Zombies Lord John Grey is posted to Jamaica to assist the Governor as he faces a most unusual kind of uprising among the colony's slave population... -
![Jessica by Bryce Courtenay]()
Jessica by Bryce Courtenay
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratings'A superb storyteller ... it is impossible not to be impressed by Courtenay's talents' - The Times JESSICA is based on the real life of a remarkable young Australian woman who defied the conventions of her time. She had a stubborn streak and the courage to act out her convictions ... in spite of the consequences...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction literary-fiction realistic sad war action-adventure -
![The Black Moon by Winston Graham]()
The Black Moon by Winston Graham
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsThe birth of a son to Elizabeth and George Warleggan seems to make the rift between the Poldark and Warleggan families worse. When Morwenna Chynoweth, governess to Elizabeth's son, grows to love Drake Carne, Demelza's brother, things get worse...Categorized as:
drama europe historical-fiction literary-fiction politics war 20th-century action-adventure -
![Masque of Honor: A Historical Novel of the American South by Sharon Virts]()
Masque of Honor: A Historical Novel of the American South by Sharon Virts
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIn this coming-of-age tale set in early 19th century America, two sons of the Virginia aristocracy risk it all to defend their dreams and determine their own destinies. General Armistead Mason and John “Jack” Mason McCarty are brothers-in-law, second cousins and descendants of founding father George Mason IV...Categorized as:
historical-fiction coming-of-age war politics historical fiction young-adult mental-illness -
![On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss, Helen MacCormac]()
On the Wings of Hope by Ella Zeiss, Helen MacCormac
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsAs World War II draws to a close, can two young people find love, hope—and freedom?February 1942: Terrifying reports of the Wehrmacht’s advance across the Soviet Union spread like wildfire, striking new fear into the already oppressed German families living there.Harri Pfeiffer, now sixteen, is summoned to the forced labour camp in Chelyabinsk...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction politics war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio]()
The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsJulianne Westcott was living the kind of life that other Protestant girls in prewar Liverpool could only dream about: old money, silk ball gowns, and prominent young men lining up to escort her. But when she learns of a blind-and-deaf brother, institutionalized since birth, the illusion of her perfect life and family shatters around her...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book -
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![The island of missing trees by Elif Shafak, Rūta Razmaitė]()
The island of missing trees by Elif Shafak, Rūta Razmaitė
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 57 ratingsA rich, magical new book on belonging and identity, love and trauma, nature and renewal, from the Booker shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. Two teenagers, a Greek Cypriot and a Turkish Cypriot, meet at a taverna on the island they both call home... -
![A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute]()
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsNevil Shute's most beloved novel, a tale of love and war, follows its enterprising heroine from the Malayan jungle during World War II to the rugged Australian outback.Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman living in Malaya, is captured by the invading Japanese and forced on a brutal seven-month death march with dozens of other women and children...Categorized as:
drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
![La regina eretica: Il romanzo di Nefertari by Michelle Moran]()
La regina eretica: Il romanzo di Nefertari by Michelle Moran
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsIn ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history.The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family–with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names...Categorized as:
coming-of-age drama historical-fiction journey literary-fiction politics war action-adventure -
![The Fragile Hour by Rosalind Laker]()
The Fragile Hour by Rosalind Laker
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAfter successfully bridging 40, Anna is shattered by a paragraph in a newspaper. Leaving for Bergen, she spectates at the raising of a wartime aircraft from a lake - the pilot of which had subsequently effected her life with passion and destruction - and faces what happened when she was a spy... -
![Unbroken by Carolynn Amara]()
Unbroken by Carolynn Amara
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Alex Ramirez returns home from Afghanistan, his wife is thrilled to have her husband back. But the man that returns isn't the same fresh-faced eager soldier that boarded the plane so many months ago. He may have left the war in another country but the one that brews inside follows him everywhere he goes... -
![The Assyrian by Nicholas Guild]()
The Assyrian by Nicholas Guild
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsIn ancient Assyria, Tiglath Ashur and Esarhaddon, half-brothers, best friends, and rivals for the throne, share their women, secrets, and dreams as together they seek a destiny that will change the course of the empire...Categorized as:
historical-fiction politics war romance fiction historical ancient-civilization epic
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