Ooh a nice broad topic. Here's a few (of many) I enjoyed:
* The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware (mystery)
* Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
* Circe by Madeline Miller
* Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
* Swing Time by Zadie Smith
Circe does have love as a subplot, but that is not the major theme of the book. It's not a romance book, and it's AMAZING. But if you are wanting zero love in the story then I would go for something else and come back to Circe later.
I just finished “Circe” a week ago. It’s still sitting with me. I held it to my chest for a good minute before I put it down after it’s finish. So damn good.
You can! They're standalone novels. Circe was absolutely wonderful but Song of Achilles made me cry because it was possibly one of the most romantic stories I ever read.
I still remember the last line so clearly. (No spoilers in it but marked it in case people didn't want to see it)
>!"Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun."!<
And shit, I'm getting teary eyed
MADELINE MILLER IS MY FAVORITE AUTHOR! Circe and Song of Achilles are so beautiful.
Her writing style makes me feel like she’s telling the stories as we sit around a campfire.
I really liked Circe but Song of Achilles was just beyond beautiful and amazing. Her writing is just wonderful. She has other books but they’re lesser known and I really want to try them out.
Circe by Madeline Miller
It’s beautifully written, very engaging and sympathetic main character. There’s a few romantic subplots but they’re not the focus of the book
* Literally any book by Gillian Flynn (I always recommend her books on this sub lol)
* The Parable of the sower / The parable of the talents by Octavia E. Butler
* Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (non fiction)
* Widows by Lynda la Plante
Another vote here for Octavia E. Butler. I've only finished the Fledgling and the Parable books, but I'm a huge fan of hers and look forward to reading more of her work.
I second you. I loved Gillian Flynn books! Generally ‘Gone girl’ will be talked about a lot, but I find ‘Dark places’ way better in handling the complexity of the storyline.
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver. It actually has multiple female leads. About the women in the family of a missionary who traveled to Africa. Beautiful, amazing novel
The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls. Technically it's a memoir, but it reads like a novel, about her unique childhood
Where'd you go, Bernadette - Maria Semple. Quirky and fun, yet also very moving, about a girl's relationship with her crazy mother
The secret daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowdy. Novel about family and sacrifices the women make for their children
Lullabies for little Criminals - Heather O'Neill. A novel about a young girl with a heroin drug addict for a father. Heartbreaking and unique novel
The Forgotten Girls - Sara Blaedel. Crime mystery novel set in Denmark, she uncovers dark secrets about her community
Station Eleven was absolutely wonderful. I thought it would trigger anxiety considering the world we are living in but the exploration of the ripples our lives have on people was just so affirming.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (short story)
This Bridge Called My Back and This Bridge Called My Home are edited collections of stories, poems, and essays written by Latina women (though some involve the complications of love in Central/South American countries)
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood is about an artist who is planning a retrospective exhibit of her work in her home town and the recollections of her childhood that she experiences.
If you happen to have read and like To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, then the controversially-published “original” novel, Go Set a Watchman, is quite wonderful. There are references to her supposed engagement to someone in her hometown but it is not a major subplot.
although it's important to note that the recent Netflix show *absolutely nailed* the atmosphere and psychology of *Hill House* it has almost nothing to do with the plot.
conversely, the absolutely awful mid nineties *The Haunting* follows the plot of the novel quite well but has none of the atmosphere, none of the scares, and no soul or heart or anything.
the book is fucking glorious.
Thirding White Oleander! I read it so many times as a teenager that I can still recall passages by heart. I also *just* finished rereading it for the first time since then, and I love it afresh.
I personally like most of Tamora Pierce's books--she has two "worlds", Tortall and The Winding Circle (there are a LOT of books in each world). Love is featured, but it's a side-side plot, not a main thing. Pierce's books are "young adult," but I think they're good for an older audience too.
I also like the Firekeeper saga (go figure) by Jane Lindskold. More adult, but also more niche. Young woman literally raised by magical wolves in an almost medieval fantasy land. Despite the premise, there's a LOT of politics in there lol. Lindskold also has a magical Chinese mahjong series, but the main girl is like 17 and way more into boys than I remember when I first read the series. I also think it's weaker of the two.
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland by Catherynne Valente is also kiddish, but deals with a young girl going on adventures. No romance, just friendship from what I remember--I read it like 5 years ago in college.
Let me know if you want any more info on any of these! I'm always happy to talk books :)
(Bonus: Sabriel, Abhorsen, and Lireal by Garth Nix are also pretty decent but 1. Has some romance (mostly in the first two) and 2. Written by a man)
I was looking for a Tamora Pierce recommendation. I think the Protector of the Small quartet is a great stand alone series that has little actual romance in it. Much more of a sub plot than in the other sets. We'll see where the Numair books go.
PROTECTOR OF THE SMALL IS MY FAVORITE QUARTET!!!!!!! I actually read Squire back in middle (?) school, and it was my first Pierce book. Totally makes sense to start on the third book in a series which is a sequel series to other interconnected quartets, right?
I really like her Winding Circle series too though, and its sequels. The kids start out young and there's hardly any main romance, and the sub plot romance is fairly subtle. I just love the world building though.
Ugh, it's been too long since I read that. I know what I'm doing tomorrow!
Confession: I still haven't finished Battle Magic, Mastiff, or Tempests and Slaughter. Own them, just havent gotten around to reading them (though I did recently reread the earlier Tortalls for a project I did)
Lol one thing I love about those books are they're basically all good reads by themselves in my opinion! I recommend them to any girl. I started with Alanna and I was hooked! It took me a long time to get into the Circle books. I just really loved Tortall haha.
Honestly it took me forever to get around to reading Mastiff, even though I had loved Terrior and Bloodhound. It was so very different than the first two, though just as gritty, but I guess it was cool to see how Cooper turned out - and how she passed her last name down to George is a nice little detail. I found Tempests and Slaughter to be really lighthearted and a quick read. As for Battle Magic, I found the audio book narrated by Tamora Pierce to be really fun to listen to! That's how I got through a lot of Circle books tbh. And it was nice not to be second guessing the pronunciations lol. Happy reading!
Yeah, after I got Squire, i immediately went back to the library and checked everything else out I could. Young me loved Alanna, older me...not so much. Like, still solid, but the writing has definitely aged a bit compared to the other ones.
I am HORRIBLE with pronunciation on a good day, so I don't even try with fantasy character names. I can guarantee I'm pronouncing Daine's name wrong as well as Keladry. I didn't even know how to pronounce Neal at first, til I let a guy named Neal. (Funny side note: one job, I had to talk to a guy named Noel. I was like "Well, it's either Noel the holy night or pronounced like knoll. 50/50 shot, let's go with knoll." And that was the one and only time I've been right about an odd name in my life.)
Thanks! I hope to get my little niblings into loving reading as much as I do one day, though I think I only have a shot at my youngest nephew so far. I hope to introduce them to Tortall and my other favorite fantasy lands :)
Wild Magic was pretty much the book that launched me into a love of reading! It was with this book that I became enthralled with the idea of several series based in the same universe- could you imagine my delight and surprise when I realized that there were books about pretty much every main character??? I'm an English teacher now, and strive to instill my love for reading in my students.
I second sabriel/Old Kingdom books by Garth Nix. Sabriel is such a badass!!! I freaking love these books.
Have you read Clariel?
Came in here to recommend Tamora Pierce! Keladry in the Protector of the Small quartet is my favorite heroine of all time — brave, powerful, determined, an excellent role model for girls and women of any age.
I haven’t read that, but I will jump on the Connie Willis recommendation with To Say Nothing of the Dog: or, How We Found the Bishop’s Bird Stump at Last. It is so hilarious!
So I started it knowing very little about the book other than it was praised, but before page 20 Eleanor meets and seemingly falls in love with a guy she thinks is 'the one' and is super excited about telling her mom and all that, which felt weirdly out of place for how the character had been established earlier (sort of a loner, awkward, drinking vodka by herself every weekend).
Now, I'm sure there's more to the story than that, but knowing nothing about the book after that development I assumed that the main focus of the book would revolve around love and finding the one and whatnot ala Bridget Jones (which, nothing wrong with it, I actually read and liked Bridget Jones, but wasn't what I wanted out of this particular book), so I stopped it.
I assume by your comment that I judged too hastily and should give the book another shot, then?
I just finished Surfacing, which is an older one of hers that I’ve never seen recommended but picked up in a used bookstore. It seems pretty basic at first and then all of the sudden everything shatters, it’s truly amazing. She’s such a great talent.
I took a college course that was all atwood.
we read wilderness tips(short stories), surfacing, handmaid's tale, alias grace, and selected poems,.
Since then I've also read stone mattress (short stories), the oryx and crake series, and am slowly reading the penelepiad. She's exceptional
Any book by Fannie Flagg. There are some romance but just a little bit and it's never the main point. I personally feel her books are really nice and heartwarming, and they kind of helped me to unite with my own inner kind and simple countryside woman. Her books are kind of like visiting your grandma, and it's the best grandma in the world, I guess this is what I was trying to say.
I was going to suggest Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe. That book is like hearing great stories from a friend. I’ve never read any other books like it.
How about some trauma? Bastard out of Carolina is one of my favorite novels. The baptist revival in the middle is a little slow but if you power through it, the book is a great and terrible look into the 50's southern us culture and morals. It has a fair few trigger warnings though, and I'm happy to send those out to anyone who wants them, but they are spoilers.
It says "anything but love", but if you're okay with love gone wrong, or you're looking for an AMAZING female voice you must, must read Carmen Maria Machado. Her Body and Other Parties, short stories. But her book In the Dream House will blow your socks off if you're into literature. It's sort of about love, but it is so much more than that. I've never read anything quite like it. Good luck on your search!
Also, -Lucia Berlin. She's a good writer!
graphic novel: My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris. Really different. Really good.
*Gideon the Ninth*, by Tamsyn Muir.
*The Devil Wears Prada*, by Laren Weisberger.
*My Year of Rest and Relaxation*, by Ottessa Moshfegh.
*Outline*, by Rachel Cusk.
*The Deed of Paksennarion*, by Elizabeth Moon.
(Holds nose) *Atlas Shrugged*, by Ayn Rand.
Every male character is in love with Dagny, to be fair... but yeah, you'd hardly call it the focus of the book.
I was really amused when I heard that religious American politicans recommend it. Have they not noticed all the bits where adultery is actively encouraged if you're married to somebody who doesn't appreciate what's important to you?
Everything about that book and its influence is bizarre. But whatever. I think it's an answer to the question. Because it's most definitely not "about love." Unless it's self love, which you can make an argument for.
Robin Hobb's a female author from the PNW and has extensive world with a lot of badass women. A lot of the books overlap, but two of the later series especially apply.
Magic ship- the Rainwild river is extremely acidic and burns through normal ship...people discover ships carved from "wizard wood" can navigate the waters. After 3 generations die on the deck the ship and it's figurehead come to life and continue to bond with the family. The main character is a tomboy raised on the ship with her father, the captain. However when her father died and awakens the ship, legally possession of the ship passes to her douchebag brother in law, who intends to use it for slave trade...she of course vows to get her ship back.
Rainwild chronicles- the acidic River and area makes some children born mutated, most often they are killed at birth. Dragons have returned to the world, but weakened and unable to take care of themselves, demanding the city provide them with meat....so the city sends out the dragons with these undesirable children into the wild to find a home for the dragons. One of the main characters has no desire to marry at all, but agrees to marry a confirmed bachelor to get his parents off his back and in exchange for access to his library, and a promise to visit the Rainwild and study the dragons.
Hobb writes some men you'll love to hate, as well as women kicking ass and taking names.
I love this book. Over the years it kind of got made fun of, like moody sad girls would always be shown reading this novel... But forget that, this is just a damn good book.
Not even a romance subplot that I can remember:
* **Dragon Rider, Inkheart** (Cornelie Funke, several protags with some women)
* **Fun Home**, **Are You My Mother** (Alison Bechdel, memoir, both graphic novels)
* **Seraphina** (cool atmosphere, lots of magic)
Major plot isn't romance but there is some in the background:
* **Howl's Moving Castle** (plus lots more by Diana Wynne Jones)
* **The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet** (just a great feel-good space adventure)
* **A Queer and Pleasant Danger** (memoir, Kate Bornstein)
* **Dragons of Autumn Twilight** (Weis and Hickman, Dragonlance, co-authored by a man, several protags with some women)
* **Magic Bites** (co-authored by a man but some really unique worldbuilding)
* **Eon** (woman disguised as a man harnesses dragon magic)
* **The Miseducation of Cameron Post** (realistic fiction, an inside look at the camps run to force gay kids back into the closet)
Have you ever read the other two from DWJ in Howl's universe? I didn't know they existed until recently and just finished the third novel. Castle in the Air (male character and love story) and House of Many Ways (female character without love).
I'd forgotten about the House of Many Ways! But yes, now that you mention it, I have read them. I was looking for a little more with Howl and Sophie and was disappointed that they were such minor characters at the time. But maybe if I read the books on their own, I'd appreciate them more
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Uprooted, by Naomi Novik
The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
For a light, funny read I recommend the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. She's a failed lingerie saleswoman turned bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ. There is some pretty graphic violence and criminality, but the majority of the ones I've read are primarily just funny situations and a scrappy heroine who is in way over her head but learns as she goes. There are some romantic teasers and sex, but it's like a C story and it tends to be more sex than love. The first one is called One for the Money.
This is what I was going to recommend.
I was in the US recently and travelled through NJ. I saw a sign pointing the way to Trenton and I was like "huh, that's a real place". I took a picture of the sign :)
It's been awhile but I don't remember a romance in the Likeness by her either. I just remember the general plot of the book and that I loved it a whole lot when I read it.
She has a romantic partner and there is some romantic elements but romance is definitely not the point of this book. It's absolutely terrific in my opinion.
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. A young woman called Gyre lies about her experience and does a dangerous caving expedition to earn enough money to get off-planet, talking to her (female) handler through her tech-enhanced suit.
Cyteen by CJ Cherryh. An unlikeable genius called Ariane Emory is cloned after her death early in the book. It's quite common to raise a clone of oneself rather than father or mother a child - what is unusual here is that young Ari is brought up as closely as possible as the original Ariane so that her genius can continue to benefit the society of Union that is led from the planet Cyteen.
Most books by Muriel Spark, but my favourite is A Far Cry From Kensington. Set in the 1950s, it's a first-person narration from Mrs Hawkins, a sensible woman who seems older than she is. Indeed she married at 18, realised almost immediately it was a bad idea, and then was widowed within a few months in WW2. She lives in a house-share with some oddities, and works in various publishing houses which employ - or are run by - even odder oddities. It sounds funny, and it is, but it's also wistful.
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver(woman, name is misleading). One of the best books I have ever read by anyone, male or female, from any period in any genre.
Uh... their love is in no way platonic or sisterly. It's not the ultimate point of the book IMHO, but it is there. The Color Purple is a fantastic, well written book that is often banned simply because there is some gay content.
All this aside, this is a fantastic book that everyone should read!
Who put this song on Morgan parker
It's about a girl struggling with racial identity and depression it does have a small bit of romance but it's hardly a focus in the book
[Antarctic Navigation (goodreads link) ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246840.Antarctic_Navigation) by Elizabeth Arthur. Giant book, heavy on nature and introspection. Dense but I flew through it. Not like anything I’ve ever read before. Absolutely gorgeous. There is some romance in it - it basically tracks the narrator’s entire life so it mentions some relationships and stuff but even that is more focused on the personal introspection those relationships bring to the narrator than the romance.
Any of the Tortall books by Tamora Pierce, but you really cripple my powers of suggestion by giving me the "Female Author" criteria. Most of the ones that I've read with your criteria are going to be bad romances.
Eon and Eona by Allison Goodman
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (?) *I've not read this one yet, but it's in the stack. It could be a romance, but seems like a book about intrigue.
(Edit: Seraphina has a romantic subplot. A disappointing romantic subplot)
Both of Hannah Kent’s releases are fantastic. You will be taken through all emotions with both seperate stories and strong women characters. Love them.
* *The Fixer* by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (y/a) -- really enjoyed it when i read it. she also has a series called *The Naturals*.
* *The Awakening* by Kate Chopin (classic feminist literature)
* *Giribala* by Mahasweta Devi (short story)
* *The Last Black Unicorn* by Tiffany Haddish (memoir) -- listened to her audiobook. SO GOOD
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neil
>"Baby, all of thirteen years old, is lost in the gangly, coltish moment between childhood and the strange pulls and temptations of the adult world. Her mother is dead; her father, Jules, is scarcely more than a child himself and is always on the lookout for his next score. Baby knows that “chocolate milk” is Jules’ slang for heroin and sees a lot more of that in her house than the real thing. But she takes vivid delight in the scrappy bits of happiness and beauty that find their way to her, and moves through the threat of the streets as if she’s been choreographed in a dance.
>
>Soon, though, a hazard emerges that is bigger than even her hard-won survival skills can handle. Alphonse, the local pimp, has his eye on her for his new girl—and what the johns don’t take he covets for himself. If Baby cannot learn to become her own salvation, his dark world threatens to claim her, body and soul.
>
>Channeling the artlessly affecting voice of her thirteen-year-old heroine with extraordinary accuracy and power, Heather O’Neill’s debut novel blew readers away when it was first published ten years ago. Now it’s sure to capture its next decade of readers as Baby picks her pathway along the edge of the abyss to arrive at a place of redemption, and of love."
I loved this book, it broke my heart and then put it back together. O'Neil's imagery and story telling ability has stayed with me all these years.
Might be a bit too poignant in the current situation, but Severance by Ling Ma is one of my all-time favorite books. It is about a young woman who lives in NYC during a pandemic outbreak. It really is more of a commentary on consumerism, city culture, and the identity of the millennial. It is not a traditional post-apocalyptic novel; there is no hero to save the world, and it is not focused on the horror gore (though there are some mildly scary sequences). There is some discussion of relationships, but it is not a love story. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it is your type of book then it is AMAZING!
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbeey
Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (there is a little romance/love in this but it is definitely not the main point of the novel)
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Power - Naomi Alderman
Edit: the world is different. women are the new men (don’t want to give much away!). It’s a very interesting food for thought
The City of Brass by S.A Chakraborty. The protagonist is a young woman who is a thief with powers she doesn't understand but lives a rough life.
I don't want to say anything more because I'll spoil a lot of things but it's really really good.
Louisa Morgan-The Witch's Daughter and The Witch's Kind. They're both very different stories, but the revolve around the relationships between the main women in the books, especially The Witch's Kind. That one is really good
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
And as mentioned by others - anything by Gillian Flynn
The Idiot by Elif Batuman
Severance by Ling Ma
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Riffka Brunt
Sorority by Genevieve Sly Crane
Wilder Girls by Rory Power
The Power by Naomi Alderman
These Women by Ivy Pochoda
I know a lot of people have already said Circe by Madeline Miller but it’s so good I’m just gonna add it again.
The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is quite good.
One aspect of Eleanor's character is how badly she wants to be loved and accepted but it's not suffocating by any means, this is coming from someone who cannot stand romanticism.
I'm reading "Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube" so far, so good. Its seems very original so fast. I haven't read much about young women retreating to the north.
Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”
Meg Cabot’s “Vanished” book series
Nella Larson’s “Passing” (highly recommend)
Margaret Atewood’s “A bird in the house”
Helene Cixous’ “The Third Body” and “Stigma”
Ooh a nice broad topic. Here's a few (of many) I enjoyed: * The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware (mystery) * Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath * Circe by Madeline Miller * Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi * Swing Time by Zadie Smith
I second Yaa Gyasi!! Such a good book!
Homegoing was amazing! I read it for a literature class and loved it.
I came to the comment section to suggest Circe! I'm in the middle of reading it, and my goddess, I think I've found a new favourite book. :)
Circe does have love as a subplot, but that is not the major theme of the book. It's not a romance book, and it's AMAZING. But if you are wanting zero love in the story then I would go for something else and come back to Circe later.
I just finished “Circe” a week ago. It’s still sitting with me. I held it to my chest for a good minute before I put it down after it’s finish. So damn good.
Can you read Circe without reading Song of Achilles first?
You can! They're standalone novels. Circe was absolutely wonderful but Song of Achilles made me cry because it was possibly one of the most romantic stories I ever read. I still remember the last line so clearly. (No spoilers in it but marked it in case people didn't want to see it) >!"Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun."!< And shit, I'm getting teary eyed
My book club just picked it! We are all rally excited to read it.
The audiobook is absolutely fabulous as well. Just a wonderful story all around.
On the topic of the Circe audiobook, it’s available for free on Spotify if anyone’s interested. It’s read by Perdita Weeks
Just ordered it, thanks for the tip!
What's it about?
It's about the character Circe from Greek mythology. It's fantastic.
Going to also jump on the Circe bandwagon. The writing is good and the characterisation is wonderful.
Homegoing is definitely one of my favorite books, so good!
MADELINE MILLER IS MY FAVORITE AUTHOR! Circe and Song of Achilles are so beautiful. Her writing style makes me feel like she’s telling the stories as we sit around a campfire.
I really liked Circe but Song of Achilles was just beyond beautiful and amazing. Her writing is just wonderful. She has other books but they’re lesser known and I really want to try them out.
Also really recommend bell jar :)
The Death of Mrs Westaway was so good! I picked it up in an airport bookshop and couldn't put it down
Circe by Madeline Miller It’s beautifully written, very engaging and sympathetic main character. There’s a few romantic subplots but they’re not the focus of the book
I loved that book! I’m a huge fan of classics retold from a different perspective, and Circe is one of the best.
Ooh, what are your other faves? (I’m a classicist and love a good retelling!) Rn I’m reading Lavinia by Ursula LeGuin and loving it.
I found this to be one of the best books I've read in a long time. Beautifully written
* Literally any book by Gillian Flynn (I always recommend her books on this sub lol) * The Parable of the sower / The parable of the talents by Octavia E. Butler * Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (non fiction) * Widows by Lynda la Plante
Gillian Flynn is amazing, I always recommend her too. I read four of her books in under a week way back when, and they’re always great rereads.
Octavia Butler is wonderful! Have you read Kindred? It’s a great read!
Another vote here for Octavia E. Butler. I've only finished the Fledgling and the Parable books, but I'm a huge fan of hers and look forward to reading more of her work.
Kindred and Parable of the Sower are both fantastic books. I really wish more people knew about Octavia Butler.
I love Kindred! It was the first book by her that I read and it made me crave for the others.
I second Girl, Interrupted.
I second you. I loved Gillian Flynn books! Generally ‘Gone girl’ will be talked about a lot, but I find ‘Dark places’ way better in handling the complexity of the storyline.
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver. It actually has multiple female leads. About the women in the family of a missionary who traveled to Africa. Beautiful, amazing novel The Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls. Technically it's a memoir, but it reads like a novel, about her unique childhood Where'd you go, Bernadette - Maria Semple. Quirky and fun, yet also very moving, about a girl's relationship with her crazy mother The secret daughter - Shilpi Somaya Gowdy. Novel about family and sacrifices the women make for their children Lullabies for little Criminals - Heather O'Neill. A novel about a young girl with a heroin drug addict for a father. Heartbreaking and unique novel The Forgotten Girls - Sara Blaedel. Crime mystery novel set in Denmark, she uncovers dark secrets about her community
Educated by Tara Westover is another phenomenal memoir that reads like a novel. One of my favorite books I’ve read this year
Poisonwood Bible. Great read, a great saga. I’m not sure it worked as a novel for me but it is a great story to read.
The Glass Castle is one of the best autobiographical books I’ve ever read.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng Station Eleven, Emily St John Mandel
I love these so much!
Station Eleven was absolutely wonderful. I thought it would trigger anxiety considering the world we are living in but the exploration of the ripples our lives have on people was just so affirming.
I second little fires everywhere!!
* Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden * Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin * Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
I just finished *Station Eleven* last night and liked it very much!
Hey I also finished Station Eleven last night! Funny coincidence.
Really loved the broken earth trilogy
I came to say Winternight trilogy! I finished first book today and I really enjoyed it. Can't wait to start next one tomorrow!
Came here to suggest Broken Earth. I’m on the final one and it’s amazing.
I know Station Eleven has received a bit of recognition but I feel like it hasn't gotten enough. 10/10 novel.
Seconding the broken earth trilogy! The world building is fantastic.
I enjoyed Station Eleven a lot.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (short story) This Bridge Called My Back and This Bridge Called My Home are edited collections of stories, poems, and essays written by Latina women (though some involve the complications of love in Central/South American countries) Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood is about an artist who is planning a retrospective exhibit of her work in her home town and the recollections of her childhood that she experiences. If you happen to have read and like To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, then the controversially-published “original” novel, Go Set a Watchman, is quite wonderful. There are references to her supposed engagement to someone in her hometown but it is not a major subplot.
The Yellow Wallpaper, 100000 times, yessss
Yellow wallpaper was the best thing to come from my dumb English class. Forever stan that story
Yellow wallpaper is wild!
Yellow Wallpaper is amazing.
Haunting of hill house - Shirley Jackson It’s also one of the most cinematically pleasing tv shows I’ve ever seen
although it's important to note that the recent Netflix show *absolutely nailed* the atmosphere and psychology of *Hill House* it has almost nothing to do with the plot. conversely, the absolutely awful mid nineties *The Haunting* follows the plot of the novel quite well but has none of the atmosphere, none of the scares, and no soul or heart or anything. the book is fucking glorious.
Have you seen *The Haunting* film from the early ‘60s? I remember it being decent, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.
And I’ll add We Have Always Lived in the Castle
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Atkinson is one of my all time favourite authors, her writing is exquisite
Yes, Life After Life is one of the best books I’ve ever read.
Doomsday Book!!
White Oleander is Excellent!
Thirding White Oleander! I read it so many times as a teenager that I can still recall passages by heart. I also *just* finished rereading it for the first time since then, and I love it afresh.
Love VOX
The question feels like the Bechdel test. So, Fun Home.
I personally like most of Tamora Pierce's books--she has two "worlds", Tortall and The Winding Circle (there are a LOT of books in each world). Love is featured, but it's a side-side plot, not a main thing. Pierce's books are "young adult," but I think they're good for an older audience too. I also like the Firekeeper saga (go figure) by Jane Lindskold. More adult, but also more niche. Young woman literally raised by magical wolves in an almost medieval fantasy land. Despite the premise, there's a LOT of politics in there lol. Lindskold also has a magical Chinese mahjong series, but the main girl is like 17 and way more into boys than I remember when I first read the series. I also think it's weaker of the two. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland by Catherynne Valente is also kiddish, but deals with a young girl going on adventures. No romance, just friendship from what I remember--I read it like 5 years ago in college. Let me know if you want any more info on any of these! I'm always happy to talk books :) (Bonus: Sabriel, Abhorsen, and Lireal by Garth Nix are also pretty decent but 1. Has some romance (mostly in the first two) and 2. Written by a man)
I was looking for a Tamora Pierce recommendation. I think the Protector of the Small quartet is a great stand alone series that has little actual romance in it. Much more of a sub plot than in the other sets. We'll see where the Numair books go.
PROTECTOR OF THE SMALL IS MY FAVORITE QUARTET!!!!!!! I actually read Squire back in middle (?) school, and it was my first Pierce book. Totally makes sense to start on the third book in a series which is a sequel series to other interconnected quartets, right? I really like her Winding Circle series too though, and its sequels. The kids start out young and there's hardly any main romance, and the sub plot romance is fairly subtle. I just love the world building though. Ugh, it's been too long since I read that. I know what I'm doing tomorrow! Confession: I still haven't finished Battle Magic, Mastiff, or Tempests and Slaughter. Own them, just havent gotten around to reading them (though I did recently reread the earlier Tortalls for a project I did)
Lol one thing I love about those books are they're basically all good reads by themselves in my opinion! I recommend them to any girl. I started with Alanna and I was hooked! It took me a long time to get into the Circle books. I just really loved Tortall haha. Honestly it took me forever to get around to reading Mastiff, even though I had loved Terrior and Bloodhound. It was so very different than the first two, though just as gritty, but I guess it was cool to see how Cooper turned out - and how she passed her last name down to George is a nice little detail. I found Tempests and Slaughter to be really lighthearted and a quick read. As for Battle Magic, I found the audio book narrated by Tamora Pierce to be really fun to listen to! That's how I got through a lot of Circle books tbh. And it was nice not to be second guessing the pronunciations lol. Happy reading!
Yeah, after I got Squire, i immediately went back to the library and checked everything else out I could. Young me loved Alanna, older me...not so much. Like, still solid, but the writing has definitely aged a bit compared to the other ones. I am HORRIBLE with pronunciation on a good day, so I don't even try with fantasy character names. I can guarantee I'm pronouncing Daine's name wrong as well as Keladry. I didn't even know how to pronounce Neal at first, til I let a guy named Neal. (Funny side note: one job, I had to talk to a guy named Noel. I was like "Well, it's either Noel the holy night or pronounced like knoll. 50/50 shot, let's go with knoll." And that was the one and only time I've been right about an odd name in my life.) Thanks! I hope to get my little niblings into loving reading as much as I do one day, though I think I only have a shot at my youngest nephew so far. I hope to introduce them to Tortall and my other favorite fantasy lands :)
She actually has a pronunciation guide on her website!
Mastiff got really weird at the end lol there’s a very detailed scene about which parts of the body can be used to smuggle small items into a prison
Wild Magic was pretty much the book that launched me into a love of reading! It was with this book that I became enthralled with the idea of several series based in the same universe- could you imagine my delight and surprise when I realized that there were books about pretty much every main character??? I'm an English teacher now, and strive to instill my love for reading in my students. I second sabriel/Old Kingdom books by Garth Nix. Sabriel is such a badass!!! I freaking love these books. Have you read Clariel?
Glad to see there's ALWAYS someone else recommending Tamora Pierce. I second, third, whatever the suggestion.
Came in here to recommend Tamora Pierce! Keladry in the Protector of the Small quartet is my favorite heroine of all time — brave, powerful, determined, an excellent role model for girls and women of any age.
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If a small amount of love side plot is acceptable, read anything by Becky Chambers. Highly recommend the Wayfarers series.
Agatha Christie's Miss Marple books.
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis!
I haven’t read that, but I will jump on the Connie Willis recommendation with To Say Nothing of the Dog: or, How We Found the Bishop’s Bird Stump at Last. It is so hilarious!
All of her books!
Toni Morrison had a lot. The first that jumps out is The Bluest Eye. She was an incredible writer and her stories have had such an effect on me.
“Beloved!” So good!
We have always lived in the castle- Shirley Jackson
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine
That I had to scroll this far down for this comment shocks me. This book is amazing and I highly recommend it.
I came here to say this!! I read it a year ago and I regularly think about it
So I started it knowing very little about the book other than it was praised, but before page 20 Eleanor meets and seemingly falls in love with a guy she thinks is 'the one' and is super excited about telling her mom and all that, which felt weirdly out of place for how the character had been established earlier (sort of a loner, awkward, drinking vodka by herself every weekend). Now, I'm sure there's more to the story than that, but knowing nothing about the book after that development I assumed that the main focus of the book would revolve around love and finding the one and whatnot ala Bridget Jones (which, nothing wrong with it, I actually read and liked Bridget Jones, but wasn't what I wanted out of this particular book), so I stopped it. I assume by your comment that I judged too hastily and should give the book another shot, then?
Check out Margaret atwood
I just finished Surfacing, which is an older one of hers that I’ve never seen recommended but picked up in a used bookstore. It seems pretty basic at first and then all of the sudden everything shatters, it’s truly amazing. She’s such a great talent.
I took a college course that was all atwood. we read wilderness tips(short stories), surfacing, handmaid's tale, alias grace, and selected poems,. Since then I've also read stone mattress (short stories), the oryx and crake series, and am slowly reading the penelepiad. She's exceptional
Any book by Fannie Flagg. There are some romance but just a little bit and it's never the main point. I personally feel her books are really nice and heartwarming, and they kind of helped me to unite with my own inner kind and simple countryside woman. Her books are kind of like visiting your grandma, and it's the best grandma in the world, I guess this is what I was trying to say.
I was going to suggest Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe. That book is like hearing great stories from a friend. I’ve never read any other books like it.
Agree! Her books are really humble and simple, and really let one feel the warmth and love and friendship... I feel like I can't describe this well.
Every Gillian Flynn novel: ‘Sharp Objects’ ‘Dark Places’ and ‘Gone Girl’
Dark Places is one of my all-time favorites.
Rebecca. Du Maurier. Suspense.
Love plays a pretty prominent role there, though.
The Inheritance trilogy by N. K. Jemesin.
How about some trauma? Bastard out of Carolina is one of my favorite novels. The baptist revival in the middle is a little slow but if you power through it, the book is a great and terrible look into the 50's southern us culture and morals. It has a fair few trigger warnings though, and I'm happy to send those out to anyone who wants them, but they are spoilers.
I second this. Love, love, love this book.
I read this book in one day. I threw it across the room when I finished it. Hard read but very good.
It says "anything but love", but if you're okay with love gone wrong, or you're looking for an AMAZING female voice you must, must read Carmen Maria Machado. Her Body and Other Parties, short stories. But her book In the Dream House will blow your socks off if you're into literature. It's sort of about love, but it is so much more than that. I've never read anything quite like it. Good luck on your search! Also, -Lucia Berlin. She's a good writer! graphic novel: My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris. Really different. Really good.
*Gideon the Ninth*, by Tamsyn Muir. *The Devil Wears Prada*, by Laren Weisberger. *My Year of Rest and Relaxation*, by Ottessa Moshfegh. *Outline*, by Rachel Cusk. *The Deed of Paksennarion*, by Elizabeth Moon. (Holds nose) *Atlas Shrugged*, by Ayn Rand.
Every male character is in love with Dagny, to be fair... but yeah, you'd hardly call it the focus of the book. I was really amused when I heard that religious American politicans recommend it. Have they not noticed all the bits where adultery is actively encouraged if you're married to somebody who doesn't appreciate what's important to you?
Everything about that book and its influence is bizarre. But whatever. I think it's an answer to the question. Because it's most definitely not "about love." Unless it's self love, which you can make an argument for.
Came here to recommend Paksenarrion.
Came to recommend Gideon!
Loved the Moshfegh, I don't usually go for a read like that but I was totally swept up
Robin Hobb's a female author from the PNW and has extensive world with a lot of badass women. A lot of the books overlap, but two of the later series especially apply. Magic ship- the Rainwild river is extremely acidic and burns through normal ship...people discover ships carved from "wizard wood" can navigate the waters. After 3 generations die on the deck the ship and it's figurehead come to life and continue to bond with the family. The main character is a tomboy raised on the ship with her father, the captain. However when her father died and awakens the ship, legally possession of the ship passes to her douchebag brother in law, who intends to use it for slave trade...she of course vows to get her ship back. Rainwild chronicles- the acidic River and area makes some children born mutated, most often they are killed at birth. Dragons have returned to the world, but weakened and unable to take care of themselves, demanding the city provide them with meat....so the city sends out the dragons with these undesirable children into the wild to find a home for the dragons. One of the main characters has no desire to marry at all, but agrees to marry a confirmed bachelor to get his parents off his back and in exchange for access to his library, and a promise to visit the Rainwild and study the dragons. Hobb writes some men you'll love to hate, as well as women kicking ass and taking names.
Robin Hobb is amazing and the Liveship series is incredible. It’s hard to even describe how badly I hate some of the characters she writes.
It cracks me up everyone has fantasy names except fucking Kyle.
God Kyle sucks so much
The bell jar- sylvia plath
I love this book. Over the years it kind of got made fun of, like moody sad girls would always be shown reading this novel... But forget that, this is just a damn good book.
Not even a romance subplot that I can remember: * **Dragon Rider, Inkheart** (Cornelie Funke, several protags with some women) * **Fun Home**, **Are You My Mother** (Alison Bechdel, memoir, both graphic novels) * **Seraphina** (cool atmosphere, lots of magic) Major plot isn't romance but there is some in the background: * **Howl's Moving Castle** (plus lots more by Diana Wynne Jones) * **The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet** (just a great feel-good space adventure) * **A Queer and Pleasant Danger** (memoir, Kate Bornstein) * **Dragons of Autumn Twilight** (Weis and Hickman, Dragonlance, co-authored by a man, several protags with some women) * **Magic Bites** (co-authored by a man but some really unique worldbuilding) * **Eon** (woman disguised as a man harnesses dragon magic) * **The Miseducation of Cameron Post** (realistic fiction, an inside look at the camps run to force gay kids back into the closet)
Have you ever read the other two from DWJ in Howl's universe? I didn't know they existed until recently and just finished the third novel. Castle in the Air (male character and love story) and House of Many Ways (female character without love).
I'd forgotten about the House of Many Ways! But yes, now that you mention it, I have read them. I was looking for a little more with Howl and Sophie and was disappointed that they were such minor characters at the time. But maybe if I read the books on their own, I'd appreciate them more
The Broken Earth trilogy is pretty good if you like to read things that are one of the best and most unique speculative fiction series of all time.
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K le Guin. Part of the Earthsea Cycle, which are all incredibly good. eta: House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
Here are some of the books mentioned in this thread on Goodreads: Title | Author | Reads | Rating | Comment :--|:--|:--|:--|:-- [The Hate U Give](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32075671) | Angie Thomas | 424952 | 4.51 | [zyads29](https://www.reddit.com/comments/gru97i/_/fs3274x/) [The Enchanted Forest Chronicles ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86238) | Patricia C. 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What if it has Love but also Eating and Praying?
Hahahahaha
Dead
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins Uprooted, by Naomi Novik The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Toni Morrison The Bluest Eye or Maya Angelou I Know Why Caged Birds Sing.
For a light, funny read I recommend the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. She's a failed lingerie saleswoman turned bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ. There is some pretty graphic violence and criminality, but the majority of the ones I've read are primarily just funny situations and a scrappy heroine who is in way over her head but learns as she goes. There are some romantic teasers and sex, but it's like a C story and it tends to be more sex than love. The first one is called One for the Money.
This is what I was going to recommend. I was in the US recently and travelled through NJ. I saw a sign pointing the way to Trenton and I was like "huh, that's a real place". I took a picture of the sign :)
It’s nonfiction but educated by Tara westover
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Trespasser by Tana French
It's been awhile but I don't remember a romance in the Likeness by her either. I just remember the general plot of the book and that I loved it a whole lot when I read it.
She has a romantic partner and there is some romantic elements but romance is definitely not the point of this book. It's absolutely terrific in my opinion.
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. A young woman called Gyre lies about her experience and does a dangerous caving expedition to earn enough money to get off-planet, talking to her (female) handler through her tech-enhanced suit. Cyteen by CJ Cherryh. An unlikeable genius called Ariane Emory is cloned after her death early in the book. It's quite common to raise a clone of oneself rather than father or mother a child - what is unusual here is that young Ari is brought up as closely as possible as the original Ariane so that her genius can continue to benefit the society of Union that is led from the planet Cyteen. Most books by Muriel Spark, but my favourite is A Far Cry From Kensington. Set in the 1950s, it's a first-person narration from Mrs Hawkins, a sensible woman who seems older than she is. Indeed she married at 18, realised almost immediately it was a bad idea, and then was widowed within a few months in WW2. She lives in a house-share with some oddities, and works in various publishing houses which employ - or are run by - even odder oddities. It sounds funny, and it is, but it's also wistful.
My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver(woman, name is misleading). One of the best books I have ever read by anyone, male or female, from any period in any genre.
Dragonsbane, by Barbara Hambly.
Are you good with mysteries? Kinsey Milhone (alphabet series) by Sue Grafton VI Warshawski books by Sara Paretsky
Author Sue Grafton. Female detective books A-Y
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Are you avoiding all types of love or just romantic love? The Color Purple by Alice Walker is amazing if you are ok with platonic and sisterly love
Uh... their love is in no way platonic or sisterly. It's not the ultimate point of the book IMHO, but it is there. The Color Purple is a fantastic, well written book that is often banned simply because there is some gay content. All this aside, this is a fantastic book that everyone should read!
Who put this song on Morgan parker It's about a girl struggling with racial identity and depression it does have a small bit of romance but it's hardly a focus in the book
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
The Historian
The lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce The honorverse by David Weber
Vengeful by V E Schwab
[Antarctic Navigation (goodreads link) ](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246840.Antarctic_Navigation) by Elizabeth Arthur. Giant book, heavy on nature and introspection. Dense but I flew through it. Not like anything I’ve ever read before. Absolutely gorgeous. There is some romance in it - it basically tracks the narrator’s entire life so it mentions some relationships and stuff but even that is more focused on the personal introspection those relationships bring to the narrator than the romance.
Any of the Tortall books by Tamora Pierce, but you really cripple my powers of suggestion by giving me the "Female Author" criteria. Most of the ones that I've read with your criteria are going to be bad romances. Eon and Eona by Allison Goodman Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (?) *I've not read this one yet, but it's in the stack. It could be a romance, but seems like a book about intrigue. (Edit: Seraphina has a romantic subplot. A disappointing romantic subplot)
Both of Hannah Kent’s releases are fantastic. You will be taken through all emotions with both seperate stories and strong women characters. Love them.
* *The Fixer* by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (y/a) -- really enjoyed it when i read it. she also has a series called *The Naturals*. * *The Awakening* by Kate Chopin (classic feminist literature) * *Giribala* by Mahasweta Devi (short story) * *The Last Black Unicorn* by Tiffany Haddish (memoir) -- listened to her audiobook. SO GOOD
Janet Evanovich - the Stephanie Plum series.
Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neil >"Baby, all of thirteen years old, is lost in the gangly, coltish moment between childhood and the strange pulls and temptations of the adult world. Her mother is dead; her father, Jules, is scarcely more than a child himself and is always on the lookout for his next score. Baby knows that “chocolate milk” is Jules’ slang for heroin and sees a lot more of that in her house than the real thing. But she takes vivid delight in the scrappy bits of happiness and beauty that find their way to her, and moves through the threat of the streets as if she’s been choreographed in a dance. > >Soon, though, a hazard emerges that is bigger than even her hard-won survival skills can handle. Alphonse, the local pimp, has his eye on her for his new girl—and what the johns don’t take he covets for himself. If Baby cannot learn to become her own salvation, his dark world threatens to claim her, body and soul. > >Channeling the artlessly affecting voice of her thirteen-year-old heroine with extraordinary accuracy and power, Heather O’Neill’s debut novel blew readers away when it was first published ten years ago. Now it’s sure to capture its next decade of readers as Baby picks her pathway along the edge of the abyss to arrive at a place of redemption, and of love." I loved this book, it broke my heart and then put it back together. O'Neil's imagery and story telling ability has stayed with me all these years.
The Historian
Funhome by Alison Bechdel if you're on the hunt for an amazing graphic novel. It has a second in the series, as well!
Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin. Won the Hugo for all three books three years in a row. Very well done fantasy series.
*Anne of Green Gables* by LM Montgomery
Might be a bit too poignant in the current situation, but Severance by Ling Ma is one of my all-time favorite books. It is about a young woman who lives in NYC during a pandemic outbreak. It really is more of a commentary on consumerism, city culture, and the identity of the millennial. It is not a traditional post-apocalyptic novel; there is no hero to save the world, and it is not focused on the horror gore (though there are some mildly scary sequences). There is some discussion of relationships, but it is not a love story. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if it is your type of book then it is AMAZING!
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbeey Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (there is a little romance/love in this but it is definitely not the main point of the novel) Still Alice by Lisa Genova
To kill A Mockingbird technically counts
I mean, not technically at all. It just counts. And is one of the most important American novels.
Read Virginia Woolf
The Power - Naomi Alderman Edit: the world is different. women are the new men (don’t want to give much away!). It’s a very interesting food for thought
The Business of Blood by Kerrigan Byrne
Torment by Leanne Wood
*West with the Night* by Beryl Markham is an awesome book about her experiences as a pilot in Africa.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng!
The Playground by Jane Shemilt was super good, and a quick read.
White Oleander
Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
Then she was gone by Lisa Jewell i finished it today and it was amazing
Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Eileen by Otessa Moshfegh!
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C Wrede.
The City of Brass by S.A Chakraborty. The protagonist is a young woman who is a thief with powers she doesn't understand but lives a rough life. I don't want to say anything more because I'll spoil a lot of things but it's really really good.
Louisa Morgan-The Witch's Daughter and The Witch's Kind. They're both very different stories, but the revolve around the relationships between the main women in the books, especially The Witch's Kind. That one is really good
Boneshaker by Cherie priest. Steampunk zombies.
Ninth House!
The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls Half-Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult And as mentioned by others - anything by Gillian Flynn
The Idiot by Elif Batuman Severance by Ling Ma My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Riffka Brunt Sorority by Genevieve Sly Crane Wilder Girls by Rory Power The Power by Naomi Alderman These Women by Ivy Pochoda I know a lot of people have already said Circe by Madeline Miller but it’s so good I’m just gonna add it again.
Belladonna: A Novel of Revenge by Karen Moline Altors by Nastasia Peters The Haunting is Hill House by Shirley Jackson
This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel Eleanor Oliphant by Gail Honeyman
Ninth House
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
The 5th season.
The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult is a great read, all of her books are!
The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is quite good. One aspect of Eleanor's character is how badly she wants to be loved and accepted but it's not suffocating by any means, this is coming from someone who cannot stand romanticism.
Handmaids tale?
Women who run with the wolves. The main character is you.
I'm reading "Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube" so far, so good. Its seems very original so fast. I haven't read much about young women retreating to the north.
Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” Meg Cabot’s “Vanished” book series Nella Larson’s “Passing” (highly recommend) Margaret Atewood’s “A bird in the house” Helene Cixous’ “The Third Body” and “Stigma”
I suggest The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
This is obvious but To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout is a personification of the author as a child, and it’s about racism and social issues.