“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.”
—Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, 1818
Historically, women (and people of color) have been sorely underrepresented on many reading lists. To help change that, we're highlighting women authors who more than deserve your attention.
Discover classic women authors who flew under the radar with male pen names, and re-discover those who broke the mold and dominated their genres (hello, Agatha Christie!) or invented new ones (see: the history of Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein).
You can also browse books by Black women, by early Irish female writers, or even books by royal women. For more modern and global women’s fiction, we suggest books that pass the Bechdel test, books by Elena Ferrante, and even books by women crime writers. Regardless of what you’re looking for, all of the recommendations below will add some much-needed feminine perspective to your reading list.
These underappreciated writers deserve your attention.
Learn more about the woman behind influential pieces of literature such as The Color Purple.
These stories will remind yourself that the world changes when one person steps up.
By Orrin Grey
The little-known author and journalist captured England and China like few others have.
These books of murder and obsession by the National Book Award-winning author will hook you.
By Olivia Mason
Flawed families and emotional trips down memory lane.
"Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise."
The author of The Keepers of the House was 91.
“Perhaps one really does end up telling the same story over and over, looking at it from every possible angle.”
The enduring haunting of a cold first wife.
The 91-year-old author may not be done with these novels just yet.
The Lying Life of Adults comes out on September 1.
Everything you need to know about the acclaimed author's newest novel.
It’s time to give credit where credit’s due.
The Montgomery Clift author was 86 years old.
Only women and nonbinary authors will be eligible to win.
Life's too short for boring books. Get inspired with these life-changing reads.
Read an essay from Alice Walker’s book, Living by the Word.
By Alice Walker
An excerpt from the memoir of a woman who bought her own freedom and became a dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln.