London by Edward Rutherfurd is the best historical fiction novel I've read.
It's huge - thirteen hundred pages.
It takes you through sixteen centuries of the history of London, from Roman times right through to the developement of the docklands.
It's the story of London but also the story of the British Isles.
Each chapter revolves around a different generation, gradually moving through the ages. The characters are all geneticly related, a direct desent from Roman to present day.
This book should be on the national carriculum, as an history lesson for all British school children.
It might give them some pride in there country. If you like this book, then try Sarum by Rutherfurd, it's a more complete story of the whole of England.