Best Feminist Fiction (1504 books)

Fiction of which feminism* is a primary theme. Stories about people challenging and overcoming gender roles, sexism, discrimination, etc.

*Feminism is a range of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women.

(Please only add fiction books to this list)

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1	The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 2,409,471 ratings score: 88,826, and 899 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.16 avg rating — 2,315,332 ratings score: 47,546, and 485 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.05 avg rating — 1,212,904 ratings score: 42,951, and 438 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.28 avg rating — 750,494 ratings score: 42,944, and 439 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	The Awakening by Kate Chopin 3.69 avg rating — 226,850 ratings score: 30,380, and 311 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 4.07 avg rating — 356,229 ratings score: 29,173, and 302 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 3.99 avg rating — 385,534 ratings score: 20,578, and 214 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1) by Marion Zimmer Bradley 4.13 avg rating — 212,720 ratings score: 18,994, and 197 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 708,959 ratings score: 16,949, and 177 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (Goodreads Author) 4.21 avg rating — 630,753 ratings score: 16,471, and 171 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen 3.77 avg rating — 163,557 ratings score: 16,266, and 169 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) by Toni Morrison 3.98 avg rating — 489,052 ratings score: 15,738, and 167 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 3.78 avg rating — 355,293 ratings score: 14,447, and 152 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Goodreads Author) 4.30 avg rating — 317,936 ratings score: 13,496, and 141 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg 4.28 avg rating — 326,135 ratings score: 12,248, and 131 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Orlando by Virginia Woolf 3.87 avg rating — 114,571 ratings score: 9,734, and 104 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Kindred by Octavia E. Butler 4.31 avg rating — 269,933 ratings score: 8,196, and 89 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 3.59 avg rating — 106,568 ratings score: 7,776, and 83 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Hours by Michael Cunningham (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 148,565 ratings score: 7,698, and 81 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness, #1) by Tamora Pierce (Goodreads Author) 4.27 avg rating — 136,648 ratings score: 7,389, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 156,448 ratings score: 7,377, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 72,557 ratings score: 7,283, and 77 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Circe by Madeline Miller (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 1,339,014 ratings score: 7,262, and 77 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) by Octavia E. Butler 4.19 avg rating — 260,624 ratings score: 6,859, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 3.81 avg rating — 214,009 ratings score: 6,809, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.10 avg rating — 219,231 ratings score: 6,783, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	The Women's Room by Marilyn French 3.99 avg rating — 9,395 ratings score: 6,497, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy 3.91 avg rating — 18,706 ratings score: 6,376, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Moving Castle, #1) by Diana Wynne Jones 4.28 avg rating — 445,513 ratings score: 6,014, and 66 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.71 avg rating — 86,443 ratings score: 5,718, and 62 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.70 avg rating — 40,507 ratings score: 5,487, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch 4.31 avg rating — 52,296 ratings score: 5,484, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	The V Girl: A Coming of Age Story by Mya Robarts 3.96 avg rating — 16,837 ratings score: 5,463, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Lysistrata by Aristophanes 3.87 avg rating — 53,323 ratings score: 5,355, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 4.31 avg rating — 411,373 ratings score: 5,294, and 57 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.29 avg rating — 4,779,924 ratings score: 5,156, and 56 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	Sula by Toni Morrison 4.05 avg rating — 122,908 ratings score: 5,105, and 57 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 163,308 ratings score: 4,902, and 56 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing 3.77 avg rating — 24,653 ratings score: 4,821, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë 4.03 avg rating — 130,400 ratings score: 4,753, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter 3.90 avg rating — 65,083 ratings score: 4,583, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson 3.73 avg rating — 92,547 ratings score: 4,491, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 3.98 avg rating — 105,658 ratings score: 4,282, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper 4.06 avg rating — 14,089 ratings score: 4,187, and 45 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 3.68 avg rating — 232,767 ratings score: 4,165, and 47 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery 4.33 avg rating — 1,109,448 ratings score: 4,136, and 48 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 87,933 ratings score: 3,954, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell 4.15 avg rating — 182,854 ratings score: 3,850, and 42 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	Graceling (Graceling Realm, #1) by Kristin Cashore 4.06 avg rating — 479,970 ratings score: 3,661, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Middlemarch by George Eliot 4.04 avg rating — 178,801 ratings score: 3,597, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi 3.86 avg rating — 88,060 ratings score: 3,533, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver 4.05 avg rating — 127,766 ratings score: 3,526, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Little House Collection (Little House, #1-9) by Laura Ingalls Wilder 4.36 avg rating — 157,127 ratings score: 3,479, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Bean Trees (Greer Family, #1) by Barbara Kingsolver 4.01 avg rating — 174,193 ratings score: 3,472, and 40 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott 4.17 avg rating — 2,451,063 ratings score: 3,360, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 3.99 avg rating — 119,159 ratings score: 3,275, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin 4.06 avg rating — 26,767 ratings score: 3,245, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Fear of Flying by Erica Jong 3.48 avg rating — 23,439 ratings score: 3,144, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Clan of the Cave Bear, the Valley of Horses, the Mammoth Hunters, the Plains of Passage (Earth's Children, #1-4) by Jean M. Auel 4.33 avg rating — 5,901 ratings score: 3,078, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 4.02 avg rating — 118,216 ratings score: 2,964, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison 4.14 avg rating — 47,709 ratings score: 2,678, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	My Ántonia by Willa Cather 3.84 avg rating — 147,327 ratings score: 2,676, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 4.18 avg rating — 142,369 ratings score: 2,612, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson 4.18 avg rating — 3,438,191 ratings score: 2,573, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.83 avg rating — 49,671 ratings score: 2,553, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Sisterhood, #1) by Ann Brashares 3.85 avg rating — 733,440 ratings score: 2,524, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Paradise (Beloved Trilogy, #3) by Toni Morrison 3.86 avg rating — 29,017 ratings score: 2,512, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier 3.89 avg rating — 249,806 ratings score: 2,454, and 28 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	The Essential Dykes To Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 13,438 ratings score: 2,389, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Medea by Euripides 3.95 avg rating — 87,003 ratings score: 2,209, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor (Goodreads Author) 3.93 avg rating — 28,245 ratings score: 2,207, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates 3.93 avg rating — 93,296 ratings score: 2,174, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Free to Be...You and Me by Marlo Thomas 4.43 avg rating — 843 ratings score: 2,164, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 3.69 avg rating — 406,514 ratings score: 2,164, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	Herland (The Herland Trilogy, #2) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 3.48 avg rating — 25,915 ratings score: 2,138, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis, #1-3) by Octavia E. Butler 4.37 avg rating — 21,930 ratings score: 2,097, and 24 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler 3.79 avg rating — 39,247 ratings score: 2,071, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 3.88 avg rating — 349,397 ratings score: 2,035, and 25 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El Saadawi 4.23 avg rating — 29,886 ratings score: 2,017, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence 3.50 avg rating — 137,519 ratings score: 2,011, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 4.34 avg rating — 182,731 ratings score: 1,943, and 23 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Daughter of the Forest (Sevenwaters, #1) by Juliet Marillier (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 70,992 ratings score: 1,912, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	Equal Rites (Discworld, #3; Witches, #1) by Terry Pratchett 4.07 avg rating — 199,051 ratings score: 1,841, and 22 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts 4.04 avg rating — 252,651 ratings score: 1,723, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	The Piano Teacher by Elfriede Jelinek 3.61 avg rating — 16,278 ratings score: 1,718, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating — 72,286 ratings score: 1,705, and 21 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	So Far from God by Ana Castillo 3.88 avg rating — 4,568 ratings score: 1,692, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (Goodreads Author) 3.62 avg rating — 55,209 ratings score: 1,668, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 55,478 ratings score: 1,666, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Fire (Graceling Realm, #2) by Kristin Cashore 4.09 avg rating — 193,876 ratings score: 1,662, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30) by Terry Pratchett 4.30 avg rating — 120,418 ratings score: 1,614, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Chocolat (Chocolat, #1) by Joanne Harris (Goodreads Author) 3.96 avg rating — 131,096 ratings score: 1,605, and 20 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (Goodreads Author) 3.80 avg rating — 50,789 ratings score: 1,595, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer 4.19 avg rating — 808,604 ratings score: 1,531, and 18 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.67 avg rating — 15,567 ratings score: 1,529, and 19 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	Dietland by Sarai Walker (Goodreads Author) 3.56 avg rating — 22,417 ratings score: 1,519, and 16 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	Pigs in Heaven (Greer Family, #2) by Barbara Kingsolver 4.02 avg rating — 68,567 ratings score: 1,513, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin 3.99 avg rating — 9,151 ratings score: 1,453, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	The Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley 4.07 avg rating — 11,432 ratings score: 1,441, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Passion by Jeanette Winterson 4.11 avg rating — 26,441 ratings score: 1,411, and 17 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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1,504 books · 2,674 voters · list created June 22nd, 2008 by Brimate (votes) .

Tags: best, female, feminism, feminist, fiction, women

1114 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

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Brimate 459 books
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Comments Showing 1-50 of 74 (74 new)

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newest »

message 1: by Erik (new)

Feb 03, 2010 05:28PM

Lysistrata ought to be on there.

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message 2: by Beeeeee (new)

Jun 02, 2010 02:16AM

This list just states at the top, that might just be a specification for this list, that these books need to be written by women? Curiosity compels me to ask whether this is justfor this list or whether feminist fiction can be written by males.

I would like to think that feminist fiction can be written be males or females and for a book to have a central feminist theme does not necessarily mean its author has to be female also.

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message 3: by Beyad (new)

Jun 03, 2010 03:48PM

yes i paused at seeing khaled hosseini there. and too bad no anais nin

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message 4: by Derya (new)

Jul 23, 2010 03:31AM

A Room of One's Own for the win!

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message 5: by Jennifer (new)

Aug 06, 2010 05:27PM

Gone With the friggin' Wind? Seriously...

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message 6: by Nicole (new)

Sep 14, 2010 01:34PM

i wouldn't consider half of these to be feminist fiction

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message 7: by Briar Rose (new)

Sep 24, 2010 10:00AM

A number of these aren't even fiction - Dance of the Dissident Daughter, The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson and A Vindication on the Rights of Women, among others.

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message 8: by Lucy (new)

Sep 26, 2010 05:41PM

What on Earth is Gone With the Wind doing on this list?

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message 9: by Serenity (new)

Nov 07, 2010 03:43PM

Beyad wrote: "yes i paused at seeing khaled hosseini there. and too bad no anais nin"

I was looking for Anais Nin too. I liked her perspective

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message 10: by jo (last edited Dec 23, 2010 09:05PM) (new)

Dec 23, 2010 09:03PM

feminist fiction can be written by men or women, IMMO.

also, i love a room of one's own and three guineas, but neither is fiction. they should not be here.

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message 11: by Karyn (new)

Jan 04, 2011 11:08AM

I don't think Gone with the Wind is totally out there. Scarlett O'Hara is a woman who bucks the standards of how a woman is supposed to act, in particular, running her own business and taking men on as equals. Of course, she's very silly in her love life...

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message 12: by Mindy (new)

Jan 17, 2011 03:44AM

Wonderful list. Funny thing is I own most of these and haven't had the time to read them. Thanks for reminding me.

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message 13: by Jeanne (new)

Feb 27, 2011 03:56PM

Reviving Ophelia is not fiction.

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message 14: by Baxter Clare (new)

Jun 18, 2011 10:35PM

If you like strong female characters check out the latest from Lambda Literary Award nominee, Baxter Clare Trautman. The River Within follows three women whose bonds are strained, reforged, and ultimately strengthened as they struggle to choose between the lives they think they should have and the lives they want.

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message 15: by Jessica (new)

Aug 21, 2011 11:22AM

Bethany wrote: "This list just states at the top, that might just be a specification for this list, that these books need to be written by women? Curiosity compels me to ask whether this is justfor this list or wh..."

If you'll notice, His Dark Materials is high on the list (quite rightly, in my opinion) and it's written by Philip Pullman. Feminist books can be written by men, it's just rarer to find them.

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message 16: by Carolyn (new)

Oct 20, 2011 09:55AM

Well, I cleaned off some of the obvious non-fiction books, but I'm really disappointed that this list has been turned into garbage. From 'feminist' to 'has a female character' - it's a crying shame.

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message 17: by Amalie (new)

Oct 27, 2011 09:01AM

You know some of the books in this list cannot be called "feminist" fiction, only the writers just happens to be feminists. And others... what on earth "Alice in Wonderland" doing here?

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message 18: by Joan (new)

Dec 03, 2011 10:36AM

Add: A 2011 Award Winning Finalist in the Fiction Chick/Lit Women's Lit category (there was no category for Feminism) of USA Book News, "Among Us Women" by Joan Lerner has important social and political issues about women and their aim for independence and choice.

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message 19: by David (new)

Dec 10, 2011 08:46AM

Cate Fosl's biography of Anne Braden should be included.

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message 20: by Ingrid (new)

Dec 12, 2011 07:21PM

The Bluest Eye is one of my favourite books, but Pecola definitely doesn't "overcome" her discrimination in the end... quite the opposite, actually. hmm.

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message 21: by Jessica (new)

Dec 23, 2011 01:32AM

David wrote: "Cate Fosl's biography of Anne Braden should be included."

Key word: Fiction.

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message 22: by Briar Rose (new)

Dec 31, 2011 11:41PM

Katherine wrote: "Y The Last Man has extremely misogynistic stereotypes. If the scientific inaccuracies, WTF moments, and misogynistic stereotypes were removed it could be considered feminist ..."

+1. It's a book about a world full of women, but it's completely focussed on the one man and tells his story. So while it's got a lot of female characters, that's not enough to qualify it as a feminist work.

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message 23: by Lyon (new)

Jan 22, 2012 02:27PM

I'd like to note that the original title for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is called Men who Hate Women, so feminist? I really don't think so,especially(Spoiler) when almost every female in the book throws herself at Blomkvist and sleeps with him.

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message 24: by David (new)

Jan 22, 2012 03:01PM

They choose Blomkvist. Even feminists like love and sex. He is a good guy.

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message 25: by [deleted user] (new)

Jan 24, 2012 09:37AM

On the books where the women commit suicide ...is that a positive feminist statement????? I don't think so.

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message 26: by David (new)

Jan 24, 2012 10:55AM

Alice wrote: "David wrote: "They choose Blomkvist. Even feminists like love and sex. He is a good guy."

he is a sleezeball IMO but Salander is sure tough!"
You seem to be very judgmental and puritanical.Blomkvist is not a sleezeball.

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message 27: by Sarah (new)

Jan 27, 2012 08:03AM

Carolyn wrote: "Well, I cleaned off some of the obvious non-fiction books, but I'm really disappointed that this list has been turned into garbage. From 'feminist' to 'has a female character' - it's a crying shame."

Seriously.

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message 28: by Brimate (last edited Feb 15, 2012 04:40PM) (new)

Feb 15, 2012 04:40PM

So how can we change the list to better fit the original idea? Does anyone have the capability to remove books? Is Carolyn still around?

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message 29: by Ibrahim (last edited Apr 16, 2012 08:22AM) (new)

Apr 16, 2012 08:21AM

Honestly? Hunger Games got a higher ranking than The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo??? This is just jokes,watch out! we just got another hunger games fangirl here!

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message 30: by Mostly on Storygraph (last edited Apr 26, 2012 04:47PM) (new)

Apr 26, 2012 04:45PM

I just added The Woman Warrior and How the García Girls Lost Their Accents on there. Not there already? Really?!

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message 31: by Mostly on Storygraph (new)

Apr 26, 2012 04:49PM

Brimate wrote: "So how can we change the list to better fit the original idea? Does anyone have the capability to remove books? Is Carolyn still around?"

Btw I think any librarian should be able to do so.

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message 32: by Max (new)

May 04, 2012 11:59AM

Some of the books here are not exactly feminist. Speak is an empowering YA novel but it's not really feminist. Also, why is Hunger Games here? It's not at all feminist just because it has a female protagonist.

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message 33: by Mostly on Storygraph (new)

May 04, 2012 12:21PM

I think a definition of feminism is in order. As Max indirectly points out, female-empowering is not necessarily the same as feminist - so how do we define this?

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message 34: by Gargi (new)

May 09, 2012 11:15PM

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message 35: by Diamondgemstones (new)

Jun 27, 2012 11:42AM

The Hunger Games? Really? :(

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message 36: by Hoyadaisy (new)

Jul 30, 2012 03:42PM

What a good list, but a lot of people are putting books that just have a woman as the main character but aren't necessarily feminist. As Leah et al. suggest that's a hard thing to define, as women are not a monolith. Could a working def. be "Wishing to document and improve the status of women or to explore the complex culture of women." (I put "complex" in to avoid a "Lifetime: Television for Women" view of the culture of women.)

As for "The Hunger Games," I think it's thorny. Put a girl warrior in a book 50 years ago, that's feminist. Put a girl warrior in a book now, with no special barriers or skills because she's a woman, I think, "Not so much."

Anyway, kudos to list maker who is getting 6 million replies.

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message 37: by Hoyadaisy (new)

Jul 30, 2012 03:47PM

Sorry all, I wrote that after one page. I'm dying: lots of books by men. Huge issue whether a man's book should be here, but I see lots of books by men, many of which I enjoyed, but that do strike me as so valuable on the subject of women that they ought to be included. At minimum, bar should be higher.

And the chick lit. It's an insulting term, but it does describe fiction that looks at women in a really naive, uncomplicated way and isn't impressive as writing. I can't look beyond the third page...

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message 38: by Amy (new)

Jul 31, 2012 02:06PM

Why is Memoirs of a Geisha on this list? Blergh!

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message 39: by pattrice (new)

Aug 18, 2012 07:02AM

How is The Help--which was condemned by the Association of Black Women Historians--on this list????

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message 40: by Yeliz (new)

Aug 22, 2012 07:21AM

What a joke you are, the Goodreads reader. Hunger Games, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo... Oh my.

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message 41: by Liz (new)

Sep 13, 2012 10:03AM

The Scarlett Letter? Just pointing out that it was hard to be a woman in Puritan society is not feminist. It just sucks. And Atlas Shrugged? Maybe I need feminism redefined for me because the current understanding I have computes with very little on this list.

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message 42: by Pixieg (new)

Dec 04, 2012 09:52AM

Great list!

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message 43: by Marne (new)

Dec 11, 2012 04:48AM

I removed Reading Lolita in Tehran and Women Who Run with Wolves because both are nonfiction, and this list is called Best Feminist *Fiction*. There are a bunch of other books that make me cringe because they sure don't seem feminist to me, but if I started on them I'd be here all day!

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message 44: by Danna (new)

Apr 15, 2013 04:07AM

TWILIGHT???!!! HOW?!

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message 45: by Daisy (new)

Apr 21, 2013 06:47PM

Delaney wrote: ""

Absolutely!

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message 46: by Kelley (new)

Jun 20, 2013 09:00AM

How is "His Majesty's Dragon" (662) a feminist book? A woman wrote it, but that alone certainly would not qualify it for inclusion on this list.

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message 47: by Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship (new)

Aug 14, 2013 01:09PM

Defining what is a feminist book is incredibly tricky. I can see how the list got watered down--when it comes to politics, everyone's heard that "if you believe women should be paid the same as men for the same work, you're a feminist"--apply the same principle to books and you can see why people might vote for anything with a female protagonist.

My personal definition wouldn't be as narrow as the one that's in the list description right now: a book doesn't have to depict characters struggling with sexism to be feminist. Books focusing on women and their concerns, depicting positive relationships among them, etc., can absolutely be feminist without any discrimination involved. But I am inclined to say that a book has to be saying something about gender to be feminist, and to agree with the commenter above who said that in this day and age, just having a tough female protag a la The Hunger Games doesn't necessarily cut it.

But then, The Hunger Games isn't un-feminist either--it just didn't strike me as dealing with gender in any particular way. The books I really question are the ones by men depicting women trying to get men, like Memoirs of a Geisha, or where the female character is really just there to reflect the awesomeness of the male characters, like Atlas Shrugged. And I never did get Their Eyes Were Watching God--the protag gets beaten by her husband and considers it a sign of love, what the hell is feminist about that?--although I had to read it at age 13 or something and am willing to allow that I might have missed something.

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message 48: by Melinda (new)

Sep 08, 2013 01:17AM