The Appeal of Historical Family Saga Stories

There’s something deeply comforting about settling into a story that spans generations. The kind of story that weaves together the lives of families against the backdrop of history. Are you like me? Are you drawn to those TV series and books, where family dramas unfold alongside momentous events? Downton Abbey or Yellowstone and its pre-series where the past feels alive and relevant. For books, I'm thinking particularly of Ken Follett's Kingsbridge novels. Maye you've read Pillars of the Earth — my absolute favourite.

Family saga stories like this have a unique way of connecting us to times long gone, yet they resonate with emotions and experiences that are timeless. We chuckle to ourselves, perhaps thinking, 'not much has changed there then'. Those cycles and patterns seem to track through our family trees or our country politics decade after decade, century after century.

Each individual building their side of the family story

Why Do Historical Family Sagas Have this Magical Attraction?

When I dive into a historical family saga, firstly, there is that relief of knowing that for the next three books I don't need to make a decision on what to read next — unless I don't get on with book 1 of course. From there, it's not just getting to know the characters - stepping into their world whether it's 12th Century England or France in World War 2. A well-written saga offers a rich tapestry of human experience, blending the personal with the historical. After considerable pencil sucking I've come up with these reasons why they appeal to me:

Generational Depth

I love watching a family evolve over decades or even centuries. Witnessing the continuity and change is like watching a tree grow, its roots deepening while branches reach out in new directions. Same tree just different background, context, seasons, ages.

Historical Context

The backdrop of real historical events adds layers of meaning. Wars, social upheavals, and cultural shifts aren’t just settings; they shape the characters’ lives and choices. These are the research rabbit holes I adore. Just by asking, "How would they respond to this news, how would they feel?" Simple questions which open up endless possibilities and make me step into the heart of my character.

Emotional Complexity

Family sagas explore relationships in all their messy, beautiful complexity. Love, betrayal, loyalty, and loss are magnified across generations. The first argument Matthew has with William over the rifling machine holds such great importance for the rest of the story. The reader won't know this until they reach the end and start to run their finger back through the complex journey of behaviour, relationships and decisions made.

Sense of Place

Historical family sagas often evoke a strong sense of place, transporting readers to distant lands or forgotten corners of the world. In the case of the Seller & Son series, my readers are transported to industrial Birmingham — a much maligned city recently, but with an extraordinary past and one which is rarely explored in fictional novels. You'll find London, but not many books take you into the back-to-backs of Birmingham.

Another joy for me is in the slow unfolding of the story over several books. I get a real sense of the way small moments ripple through time, creating a rich, immersive experience. It’s like being handed a family album filled with stories that reveal not just who these people were, but how they lived and loved.

How Does This Affect Me As A Writer?

It puts the pressure on, that's for sure! But, it also gives me a sense of knowing where I'm going with my story. I identify the characters I need to build and the ones who need to stay in the shadows. I figure out which characters will tell the story of city, national or global events and which ones will give the reader a taste of social history — the day to day life.

I am currently writing the second in my series of Seller & Son and have covered the first ten years of the 20th Century. I am staring down the barrel of not just the women's suffrage movement but also the First World War. How will this impact on each of my characters? How will their stories engage the reader and what relevance will they bring to on-going events?

I have my plan, but one thing I can be absolutely sure of is that my plan will only last as long as my characters want it to last. One of them will decide on another route altogether and I will just have to go along with it and trust they know what they are doing.

---

If you enjoy historical family sagas, take a look at A Legacy Forged. It starts in 1822 and sets up a sweeping tale that will take you up to the end of the 20th century. Currently a trilogy but I'm wondering if it may have to be a quartet or a quadrilogy — the internet seems undecided on that description.

Character insights and explorations of how Birmingham became the Workshop of the World and the City of a Thousand Trades are covered in my newsletters. If you sign up to receive these fortnightly jollies in your inbox, you'll be a front-runner for new publications, advance reads pre publication and competitions to choose a name or an event to feature in future novels. Click the button below — you might have to scroll down a bit.

SUBSCRIBE