Best Women Author Recommendations

“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.

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An Interview with Manju Kapur, Bestselling Indian Author

“Perhaps one really does end up telling the same story over and over, looking at it from every possible angle.”

Jane Gardam Discusses Her Famous 'Old Filth' Trilogy

The 91-year-old author may not be done with these novels just yet.

Why You Should Be Excited About Elena Ferrante’s The Lying Life of Adults

Everything you need to know about the acclaimed author's newest novel.

In 2022, the Carol Shields Prize Will Award Female Novelists

Only women and nonbinary authors will be eligible to win.

12 Life-Changing Books Every Woman Should Read

Life's too short for boring books. Get inspired with these life-changing reads.

Alice Walker Tells Us How We Can Have Peace on Earth

Read an essay from Alice Walker’s book, Living by the Word.

How Former Slave Elizabeth Keckley Befriended the Lincolns

An excerpt from the memoir of a woman who bought her own freedom and became a dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln.

Revisiting The Color Purple: A Discussion with Alice Walker

Ms. Walker answers readers' questions about her most famous work.

The Best Jane Austen Movies

They've bewitched us, body and soul.

Gloria Steinem on Pat Conroy’s The Great Santini

The Great Santini stands as a classic account of families shaped by the rigid patriarchy around them.

Exploring Taylor Caldwell’s Historical Sagas

Do you love epic historical sagas? Then it's time to read Taylor Caldwell.