- 1
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
Narrated by Polly Stone
★ 5.00 ABR Score (2.3M ratings)★ 4.65 Goodreads (2.2M) ★ 4.84 Audible (116.4K)More about this pick
Two French sisters choose vastly different paths of resistance during Nazi occupation, with Polly Stone capturing both their desperation and courage.
- 2
The Women
by Kristin Hannah
Narrated by Julia Whelan, Kristin Hannah
★ 5.00 ABR Score (1.7M ratings)★ 4.59 Goodreads (1.6M) ★ 4.84 Audible (56.8K)More about this pick
Following nurse Frankie McGrath from suburban comfort to Vietnam's chaos, Julia Whelan captures the protagonist's evolution with raw emotional authenticity.
- 3
The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Jenna Lamia, Octavia Spencer, Bahni Turpin
★ 4.95 ABR Score (3.1M ratings)★ 4.47 Goodreads (3.0M) ★ 4.81 Audible (46.3K)More about this pick
1960s Mississippi comes alive through the voices of black maids and the white woman who wants to tell their stories. Four narrators create authentic, distinct perspectives on this dangerous collaboration.
- 4
The Things We Cannot Say
by Kelly Rimmer
Narrated by Ann Marie Gideon, Nancy Peterson
★ 4.86 ABR Score (319.9K ratings)★ 4.54 Goodreads (284.0K) ★ 4.76 Audible (35.9K)More about this pick
A modern woman discovers her Polish grandmother's wartime secrets while struggling with her own family crisis involving her autistic son. The dual timeline structure works beautifully in audio format, connecting past trauma to present-day healing through intimate family bonds.
- 5
The Rose Code
by Kate Quinn
Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
★ 4.85 ABR Score (406.9K ratings)★ 4.44 Goodreads (381.4K) ★ 4.8 Audible (25.6K) - 6
Beneath a Scarlet Sky
by Mark T. Sullivan
Narrated by Will Damron
★ 4.81 ABR Score (445.7K ratings)★ 4.43 Goodreads (396.0K) ★ 4.73 Audible (49.7K)More about this pick
Teenager Pino Lella guides Jews over the Alps then becomes a Nazi general's driver, spying for the Italian resistance. Will Damron captures both Pino's youthful innocence and his growing courage throughout the war.
- 7
The Giver of Stars
by Jojo Moyes
Narrated by Julia Whelan
★ 4.77 ABR Score (565.5K ratings)★ 4.29 Goodreads (515.6K) ★ 4.75 Audible (49.9K)More about this pick
Julia Whelan's narration gives each of the five packhorse librarians their own distinct voice and personality, turning what could be a sprawling ensemble story into something intimate and deeply human. This is one of those rare audiobooks where the performance transforms the experience entirely.
- 8
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942
The Pacific War Trilogy • Book 1
by Ian W. Toll
Narrated by Grover Gardner
★ 4.75 ABR Score (14.5K ratings)★ 4.61 Goodreads (10.4K) ★ 4.82 Audible (4.2K)More about this pick
Grover Gardner's measured, authoritative narration transforms Toll's meticulous battle accounts into a gripping you-are-there experience—22 hours that feel essential, not exhausting.
- 9
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Narrated by Allan Corduner
★ 4.73 ABR Score (2.9M ratings)★ 4.39 Goodreads (2.9M) ★ 4.64 Audible (34.7K)More about this pick
Narrated by Death himself, this follows young Liesel as she discovers the power of stolen books during Nazi Germany. Allan Corduner balances the narrator's otherworldly perspective with deeply human emotion.
- 10
The Frozen River
by Ariel Lawhon
Narrated by Jane Oppenheimer, Ariel Lawhon
★ 4.71 ABR Score (610.2K ratings)★ 4.38 Goodreads (594.0K) ★ 4.7 Audible (16.2K)More about this pick
Maine, 1789: midwife Martha Ballard investigates a body frozen in the Kennebec River, using her detailed diary of births, deaths, and town secrets. Jane Oppenheimer's narration captures the cold grip of frontier justice.
- 11
Code Name Hélène
by Ariel Lawhon
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik, Peter Ganim
★ 4.70 ABR Score (90.4K ratings)★ 4.41 Goodreads (82.5K) ★ 4.77 Audible (7.9K) - 12
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
Narrated by Dominic Hoffman
★ 4.69 ABR Score (421.5K ratings)★ 4.47 Goodreads (410.6K) ★ 4.67 Audible (10.9K)More about this pick
Gyasi traces three centuries from Ghana to America through two family lines, with Dominic Hoffman's narration honoring each generation's distinct voice and struggle.
- 13
A Land Remembered
by Patrick D. Smith
Narrated by George Guidall
★ 4.69 ABR Score (20.2K ratings)★ 4.48 Goodreads (14.8K) ★ 4.79 Audible (5.4K)More about this pick
Three generations of the MacIvey family transform from dirt-poor Florida crackers into real estate tycoons, starting in 1858 with Tobias MacIvey's arrival in the harsh frontier.
- 14
The Reformatory
by Tananarive Due
Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt
★ 4.68 ABR Score (81.3K ratings)★ 4.43 Goodreads (78.1K) ★ 4.79 Audible (3.2K)More about this pick
Twelve-year-old Robbie faces the living and dead horrors of a Jim Crow reform school in this haunting blend of historical injustice and supernatural terror.
- 15
The Alice Network
by Kate Quinn
Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
★ 4.67 ABR Score (694.1K ratings)★ 4.32 Goodreads (642.8K) ★ 4.63 Audible (51.3K)More about this pick
Two timelines connect female spies: Eve infiltrating German-occupied France in WWI, and Charlie searching for her missing cousin in 1947's aftermath.
- 16
Gates of Fire
by Steven Pressfield
Narrated by George Guidall
★ 4.66 ABR Score (51.0K ratings)★ 4.4 Goodreads (44.4K) ★ 4.76 Audible (6.6K)More about this pick
The lone survivor of Thermopylae recounts how three hundred Spartans held the pass against Persia's massive army in history's most famous last stand.
- 17
The Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
Narrated by Frazer Douglas
★ 4.66 ABR Score (2.1M ratings)★ 4.3 Goodreads (2.0M) ★ 4.61 Audible (40.8K)More about this pick
Miller reimagines the Trojan War through Patroclus's eyes, transforming mythology into an achingly intimate love story.
- 18
This Tender Land
by William Kent Krueger
Narrated by Scott Brick
★ 4.62 ABR Score (236.9K ratings)★ 4.39 Goodreads (223.8K) ★ 4.64 Audible (13.0K)More about this pick
Scott Brick's weathered narration transforms this Depression-era journey into something haunting and deeply human, turning what could be a heavy historical tale into an unforgettable emotional gut-punch.
- 19
The Kitchen House
by Kathleen Grissom
Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy, Bahni Turpin
★ 4.61 ABR Score (309.3K ratings)★ 4.24 Goodreads (304.9K) ★ 4.75 Audible (4.4K)More about this pick
Irish orphan Lavinia grows up among plantation slaves, creating a powder keg of forbidden bonds that explodes into tragedy. Dual narrators Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin switch perspectives seamlessly, highlighting the racial divide at the story's heart.
- 20
The Huntress
by Kate Quinn
Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld
★ 4.60 ABR Score (231.7K ratings)★ 4.3 Goodreads (217.5K) ★ 4.66 Audible (14.3K) - 21
The Book of Lost Friends
by Lisa Wingate
Narrated by Sophie Amoss, Lisa Flanagan, Dominic Hoffman, Sullivan Jones, Robin Miles, Bahni Turpin, Lisa Wingate
★ 4.56 ABR Score (135.7K ratings)★ 4.15 Goodreads (123.9K) ★ 4.72 Audible (11.8K)More about this pick
The ensemble cast transforms this post-Civil War saga into something transcendent, each narrator embodying their character so distinctly you forget you're listening to a book rather than witnessing history unfold.
- 22
City of Thieves
by David Benioff
Narrated by Ron Perlman
★ 4.55 ABR Score (176.9K ratings)★ 4.3 Goodreads (169.7K) ★ 4.65 Audible (7.2K)More about this pick
Two unlikely friends hunt for eggs in siege-starved Leningrad while Ron Perlman's gruff warmth captures both the horror and dark humor.
- 23
1970 Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
by Dee Brown
Narrated by Grover Gardner
★ 4.54 ABR Score (108.9K ratings)★ 4.26 Goodreads (103.3K) ★ 4.69 Audible (5.6K)More about this pick
Grover Gardner's measured, respectful narration transforms this devastating history into something that feels less like documentation and more like testimony you can't look away from.
- 24
Winter Garden
by Kristin Hannah
Narrated by Susan Ericksen
★ 4.54 ABR Score (481.8K ratings)★ 4.28 Goodreads (453.3K) ★ 4.56 Audible (28.5K)More about this pick
Sisters Meredith and Nina return home when their father falls ill, finally hearing their cold Russian mother's wartime stories. Susan Ericksen captures both the family tensions and the harrowing beauty of Anya's Leningrad siege memories.
- 25
All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front/The Road Back • Book 1
by Erich Maria Remarque
Narrated by Frank Muller
★ 4.54 ABR Score (537.6K ratings)★ 4.11 Goodreads (525.3K) ★ 4.67 Audible (12.3K)More about this pick
Muller's raw narration captures a young soldier watching everything he believed in collapse in the trenches. Unflinching, intimate, and absolutely merciless.
Historical fiction pairs beautifully with audiobooks for road trips and long walks. Once you find an era or author that clicks, the genre has incredible depth to explore.
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How We Rank Audiobooks
Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.
Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.
We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.
Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.