Jezebel's Books All Women Should Read (772 books)

The books that all women should read as compiled by Jezebel.com and their readers. Vote for your favorites.
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1	Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.29 avg rating — 4,757,266 ratings score: 38,083, and 387 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	To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 4.26 avg rating — 6,826,975 ratings score: 31,211, and 319 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 Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 2,396,836 ratings score: 29,036, and 298 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	Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 4.16 avg rating — 2,307,088 ratings score: 28,834, and 297 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 Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.20 avg rating — 4,158,377 ratings score: 25,753, and 267 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	Little Women (Little Women, #1) by Louisa May Alcott 4.17 avg rating — 2,440,795 ratings score: 21,466, and 223 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	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.05 avg rating — 1,205,457 ratings score: 20,889, and 216 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	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.90 avg rating — 2,023,300 ratings score: 16,990, and 179 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 Color Purple by Alice Walker 4.28 avg rating — 748,964 ratings score: 14,040, 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
10	Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 4.31 avg rating — 1,253,903 ratings score: 13,898, and 148 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	Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) by Marjane Satrapi 4.27 avg rating — 229,271 ratings score: 12,821, and 134 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	The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (Goodreads Author) 4.20 avg rating — 629,939 ratings score: 12,127, and 126 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	Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables, #1) by L.M. Montgomery 4.33 avg rating — 1,105,275 ratings score: 12,067, and 130 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	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 1,722,593 ratings score: 11,641, and 121 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	A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith 4.30 avg rating — 509,631 ratings score: 11,597, and 123 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	I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou's Autobiography, #1) by Maya Angelou 4.30 avg rating — 578,279 ratings score: 11,161, and 120 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	Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 4.09 avg rating — 1,288,753 ratings score: 10,974, and 119 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	Persuasion by Jane Austen 4.15 avg rating — 771,201 ratings score: 10,508, and 113 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	A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf 4.22 avg rating — 257,394 ratings score: 10,264, and 111 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	Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 4.25 avg rating — 714,314 ratings score: 10,059, and 110 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	Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 3.99 avg rating — 384,584 ratings score: 9,964, and 108 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	Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1) by Toni Morrison 3.98 avg rating — 487,649 ratings score: 9,609, and 105 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	Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 3.90 avg rating — 1,861,688 ratings score: 8,659, and 97 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	Emma by Jane Austen 4.05 avg rating — 975,476 ratings score: 8,567, and 95 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	Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 4.16 avg rating — 2,102,932 ratings score: 7,915, and 87 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	Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert 3.71 avg rating — 372,588 ratings score: 7,317, and 80 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 Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir 4.18 avg rating — 47,053 ratings score: 7,164, and 80 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	The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Goodreads Author) 4.30 avg rating — 316,369 ratings score: 6,942, and 75 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	The Mists of Avalon (Avalon, #1) by Marion Zimmer Bradley 4.13 avg rating — 212,550 ratings score: 6,727, and 72 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	A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft 3.92 avg rating — 26,807 ratings score: 6,355, and 72 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 Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author) 4.47 avg rating — 3,001,881 ratings score: 6,264, 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
32	To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf 3.81 avg rating — 213,312 ratings score: 6,194, and 67 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 Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan 3.87 avg rating — 30,774 ratings score: 5,890, and 67 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	The Vagina Monologues by V (formerly Eve Ensler) 3.87 avg rating — 38,289 ratings score: 5,458, 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
35	The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) by Pearl S. Buck 4.01 avg rating — 260,074 ratings score: 5,362, 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
36	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson 4.18 avg rating — 3,428,204 ratings score: 5,315, and 60 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	The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 708,280 ratings score: 5,194, and 60 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	I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith 3.99 avg rating — 114,913 ratings score: 5,164, 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
39	The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker 4.34 avg rating — 11,916 ratings score: 5,054, 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
40	Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 3.59 avg rating — 106,265 ratings score: 4,996, and 55 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	Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 4.10 avg rating — 925,171 ratings score: 4,638, and 55 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	The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson 4.02 avg rating — 84,266 ratings score: 4,561, and 53 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	Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism by bell hooks 4.50 avg rating — 19,064 ratings score: 4,455, and 52 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 Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 4.11 avg rating — 790,676 ratings score: 4,387, and 53 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 of Mirth by Edith Wharton 3.97 avg rating — 105,470 ratings score: 4,332, 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
46	The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,854,098 ratings score: 4,330, 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
47	The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin 4.10 avg rating — 218,182 ratings score: 4,287, and 49 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	A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet, #1) by Madeleine L'Engle 3.97 avg rating — 1,278,187 ratings score: 4,248, 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
49	Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 386,797 ratings score: 4,182, 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
50	A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen 3.77 avg rating — 163,095 ratings score: 4,160, 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
51	The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides 3.78 avg rating — 409,216 ratings score: 4,149, and 46 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	Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 3.78 avg rating — 353,950 ratings score: 4,141, and 49 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	Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 3.86 avg rating — 378,147 ratings score: 3,988, 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
54	Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen 3.85 avg rating — 450,678 ratings score: 3,936, 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
55	And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie 4.27 avg rating — 1,597,062 ratings score: 3,926, 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
56	Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 3.81 avg rating — 132,922 ratings score: 3,829, 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
57	The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 30,920 ratings score: 3,750, 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
58	Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1) by Frank McCourt 4.15 avg rating — 656,619 ratings score: 3,571, 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
59	Middlemarch by George Eliot 4.04 avg rating — 178,418 ratings score: 3,558, and 43 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	The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 3.99 avg rating — 118,944 ratings score: 3,508, and 43 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	Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin 3.60 avg rating — 25,306 ratings score: 3,447, 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
62	Bridget Jones’s Diary (Bridget Jones, #1) by Helen Fielding (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 1,020,303 ratings score: 3,419, 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
63	Possession by A.S. Byatt 3.90 avg rating — 84,192 ratings score: 3,368, and 41 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	Sophie’s Choice by William Styron 4.17 avg rating — 94,301 ratings score: 3,360, 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
65	Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return (Persepolis, #2) by Marjane Satrapi 4.22 avg rating — 78,811 ratings score: 3,239, 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
66	The Story of My Life by Helen Keller 4.07 avg rating — 150,846 ratings score: 3,188, 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
67	Orlando by Virginia Woolf 3.87 avg rating — 114,052 ratings score: 3,186, 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
68	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.87 avg rating — 939,394 ratings score: 3,081, 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
69	The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing 3.77 avg rating — 24,600 ratings score: 3,070, 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
70	Fear of Flying by Erica Jong 3.48 avg rating — 23,378 ratings score: 2,928, 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
70	Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson 3.73 avg rating — 92,225 ratings score: 2,928, 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
72	Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 3.88 avg rating — 54,808 ratings score: 2,872, 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
73	Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio 3.89 avg rating — 10,638 ratings score: 2,829, 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
74	Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg 4.28 avg rating — 325,656 ratings score: 2,803, 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
75	Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 201,287 ratings score: 2,801, 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
76	The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston 3.73 avg rating — 33,756 ratings score: 2,774, 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
77	Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison 4.14 avg rating — 47,643 ratings score: 2,723, and 32 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	The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman 4.07 avg rating — 353,750 ratings score: 2,705, 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
79	Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity by Judith Butler 4.05 avg rating — 19,418 ratings score: 2,671, and 32 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	White Teeth by Zadie Smith 3.79 avg rating — 174,146 ratings score: 2,531, 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
81	The Secret History by Donna Tartt 4.15 avg rating — 1,011,848 ratings score: 2,522, 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
82	The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.70 avg rating — 40,397 ratings score: 2,472, 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
83	Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 156,115 ratings score: 2,444, 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
84	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne 3.44 avg rating — 914,828 ratings score: 2,407, 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
85	Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion 4.18 avg rating — 82,105 ratings score: 2,390, 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
86	Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 3.88 avg rating — 348,985 ratings score: 2,373, 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
87	The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter 3.90 avg rating — 64,903 ratings score: 2,275, 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
88	White Oleander by Janet Fitch (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 365,886 ratings score: 2,237, 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
89	Lysistrata by Aristophanes 3.87 avg rating — 53,226 ratings score: 2,192, 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
90	Excellent Women by Barbara Pym 3.91 avg rating — 20,556 ratings score: 2,122, 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
91	The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri 4.02 avg rating — 283,043 ratings score: 2,094, 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
92	A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating — 72,213 ratings score: 2,069, 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
93	She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 361,778 ratings score: 2,057, 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
94	The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 87,853 ratings score: 2,047, 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
95	The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë 4.03 avg rating — 129,958 ratings score: 1,891, 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
96	The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 4.40 avg rating — 204,100 ratings score: 1,826, 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
97	The Awakening and Selected Stories by Kate Chopin 3.89 avg rating — 14,299 ratings score: 1,818, 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
98	In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 79,073 ratings score: 1,816, 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
99	The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 3.80 avg rating — 276,012 ratings score: 1,770, 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
100	Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang 4.30 avg rating — 122,997 ratings score: 1,627, 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

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772 books · 1,399 voters · list created September 24th, 2008 by Sarah (votes) .

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

732 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (1399)

Sarah 1804 books
355 friends

Jennie 177 books
0 friends

Carolyn 89 books
58 friends

Brian 39 books
38 friends

Camilla 158 books
18 friends

Alec 458 books
7 friends

Greyweather 2660 books
65 friends

Patricia 216 books
5 friends

More voters…

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Comments Showing 1-34 of 34 (34 new)

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message 1: by Sarah (new)

Sep 30, 2008 12:40AM

I'm very annoyed- I spent 30 minutes up loading all the books from the Jezebel.com list and then they disappeared!

http://jezebel.com/5053732/75-books-e...

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message 2: by Tihleigh (new)

Nov 30, 2008 09:27PM

I don't know what's up, but not all of these books are on the list that I'm looking at on Jezebel.

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message 3: by Kathryn (new)

Jan 22, 2009 11:33AM

Many of these are wonderful books, but I can't get on board with the implication that women would get more out of them than men. ("A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" for example.) I think "Red Tent" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns", as well as "Snow Flower" have different meanings for women, since men don't have to worry about foot binding, menstrual huts, or being forced to wear burquas. However the majority of the books on this list, in my opinion, aren't any more relevant to women than men.

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message 4: by Carolyn (last edited Apr 10, 2009 10:40AM) (new)

Apr 10, 2009 10:33AM

I agree with you Kathryn! Or is it just that every 'well-rounded' woman should have read all these books? Which is the premise behind the list?

I also think that some books have been added erroneously - Laurel Hamilton's book Guilty Pleasures? c'mon!

I also don't think so many Jane Austen books need to be included - I like her books, but really?

The list is up to 84 books now, so probably needs some maintenance.

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message 5: by Brad (new)

Apr 10, 2009 11:23AM

I've read a number of these books, and I have to say that most of them gave me a rich and important experience. My daughter is named Bronte Woolf if that is any indication of how I feel about literature by women.

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message 6: by Dianna (new)

Jun 12, 2009 05:50PM

Where is The Thorn Birds?

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message 7: by Alana (new)

Jul 10, 2009 07:20AM

What about Not Without My Daughter?

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message 8: by [deleted user] (new)

Sep 03, 2009 08:38AM

Kathryn wrote: "Many of these are wonderful books, but I can't get on board with the implication that women would get more out of them than men. ("A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" for example.) I think "Red Tent" and "A ..."

I agree!

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message 9: by Colleen (new)

Sep 17, 2009 02:39PM

I think that Ophelia Speaks should be on this list somewhere! But I love, love, love this compilation.

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message 10: by Megan (new)

Dec 10, 2009 09:00PM

The Book EAT PRAY LOVE should be on this list! Every women should read this book!!

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message 11: by Marita (new)

Apr 13, 2010 07:28AM

There is absolutely no way that Twilight and its sequels should be on this list.

First of all, these books do not count as quality fiction so they should not be on ANY list of books that people should read. They would be better placed on a list of books that people absolutely should not read unless they are actively trying to lower their IQs.

Second of all, these "novels" (I hardly think they're worthy of the distinction) cannot be considered pro-women. The main character's M.O. is to moon around helplessly over two dudes who both have pejorative, possessive attitudes towards her, which she finds completely unproblematic. She never thinks anything interesting, she never does anything interesting, she never stands up for herself: she might as well be a potato.

The message of these books is basically that, if you're a young woman, it's fine for you to be a directionless lump without a sense of self because, if you're lucky, a moody, controlling guy (who reads like the text book abusive boyfriend) might come along and define your otherwise meaningless life for you.

I really hate that these books are so popular amongst teenage girls and I cannot believe that they made it onto a list that is associated with jezebel.com.

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message 12: by Deena (new)

Jul 16, 2010 09:28AM

Yes, agreeing with the Meyer commentary. Why is she even on here?

(And why is there so much Anais Nin?)

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message 13: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Aug 24, 2010 06:59AM

The original list contains 75 books -- this one is now up to 269. Sarah, you created the list ... would you want it to be pruned back to the list actually published at jezebel.com?

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message 14: by Jacqueline (new)

Sep 09, 2010 04:45PM

Mo wrote: "There is absolutely no way that Twilight and its sequels should be on this list.

First of all, these books do not count as quality fiction so they should not be on ANY list of books ..."
Yeah, a list of the Twilight books was NOT what I am looking for in a list tagged "feminist." Sheesh.

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message 15: by Derya (last edited Dec 20, 2010 04:57AM) (new)

Dec 20, 2010 04:49AM

I've added Jude the Obscure, since it's a product of "The New Woman Movement".

Should we delete those books, which do not belong the list? (Such as; Twilight, Harry Potter, etc.)

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message 16: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Dec 20, 2010 10:29AM

Personally I'd be all for pruning the list, but since Sarah is the one who created it, I think this should be her call first and foremost ...

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message 17: by Danielle (new)

Jan 11, 2011 10:04PM

Why are the Twilight books on here? They are the opposite of what this list should be. Unless they're meant to be critiqued?

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message 18: by [deleted user] (new)

Jan 19, 2011 05:56AM

Jane Eyre on this list? :/

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message 19: by Chantay (new)

Apr 04, 2011 12:49AM

Twilight books?! Seriously?

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message 20: by Sarah (new)

Apr 04, 2011 04:40PM

Hi Everyone, I was in the process of moving continents and jobs so missed a lot of the discussion about the list... I"m of two minds... I love the original list and would like to have it in its entirety but some of the books that have been added (NOT the Twilight series) really don't make it. Although I'm a librarian, I'm not quite that good at lists. Is there a way to move the "additions" to a "books that ought to be on the Jezebel.com list" ???

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message 21: by Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large) (new)

Apr 05, 2011 08:49AM

Alright -- I've cleared off the Twilight books, but have refrained from touching anything else so far. (Though I AM wondering about Danielle Steele as well ...)

And for everybody's reference, here is the rundown of the original "Jezebel.com" list:

* The Lottery (and Other Stories), Shirley Jackson
* To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
* The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
* White Teeth, Zadie Smith
* The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende
* Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion
* Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
* The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
* Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
* The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
* Beloved, Toni Morrison
* Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
* Like Life, Lorrie Moore
* Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
* Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
* The Delta of Venus, Anais Nin
* A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
* A Good Man Is Hard To Find (and Other Stories), Flannery O'Connor
* The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx
* You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down, Alice Walker
* Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
* To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
* Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
* Earthly Paradise, Colette
* Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
* Property, Valerie Martin
* Middlemarch, George Eliot
* Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid
* The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir
* Runaway, Alice Munro
* The Heart is A Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
* The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
* Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
* You Must Remember This, Joyce Carol Oates
* Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
* Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill
* The Liars' Club, Mary Karr
* I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
* A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith
* And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
* Bastard out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison
* The Secret History, Donna Tartt
* The Little Disturbances of Man, Grace Paley
* The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker
* The Group, Mary McCarthy
* Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
* The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing
* The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
* Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
* Against Interpretation, Susan Sontag
* In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez
* The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
* Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
* Three Junes, Julia Glass
* A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft
* Sophie's Choice, William Styron
* Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann
* Love in a Cold Climate, Nancy Mitford
* Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
* The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin
* The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
* The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
* The Face of War, Martha Gellhorn
* My Antonia, Willa Cather
* Love In The Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
* The Harsh Voice, Rebecca West
* Spending, Mary Gordon
* The Lover, Marguerite Duras
* The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
* Tell Me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen
* Nightwood, Djuna Barnes
* Three Lives, Gertrude Stein
* Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
* I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
* Possession, A.S. Byatt

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message 22: by dean (new)

Dec 11, 2011 10:16AM

Would have been nice if this was strictly Jezebel's list. But, I like some* of the other recommendations...

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message 23: by Sarah (new)

Jan 12, 2012 10:11PM

Audrey wrote: "Would have been nice if this was strictly Jezebel's list. But, I like some* of the other recommendations..."

It's not possible to keep the list locked but its nice that its an organic growing thing. I'll check it out and see if new "Twilight" books have been added....

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message 24: by Danna (new)

Aug 09, 2012 02:40AM

I love this list!

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message 25: by Ariel (new)

Jan 14, 2014 10:05PM

I think we should keep the Twilight books on the list. Although it is arguable that they have any value by means of good literature, I think it's important to be aware of the issues that are brought up in these books (i.e. abusive relationships, abstinence, etc.). This, to me, promotes discourse on cultural values in popular media.

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message 26: by Amanda (new)

May 10, 2014 04:23AM

Ariel wrote: "I think we should keep the Twilight books on the list. Although it is arguable that they have any value by means of good literature, I think it's important to be aware of the issues that are broug..."

I agree. It is part of our generation's culture, and it paved the way for a lot of abusive relationship in YA literature. We need to discuss about Twilight and its sorts.

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message 27: by cypt (new)

Oct 30, 2014 02:21AM

Why has Harry Potter made the list?

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message 28: by Paul (new)

Apr 06, 2015 08:17AM

Checked for duplicates: 3 books removed.

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message 29: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Aug 30, 2015 09:08AM) (new)

Aug 30, 2015 08:56AM

Themis-Athena (Does not and never will own a Kindle) wrote: "And for everybody's reference, here is the rundown of the original "Jezebel.com" list: ..."

The original Jezebel list only has 75 books on it ("75 Books Every Woman Should Read"). Themis-Athena already published the full list, but still there are 608 (!) books on this list at the moment. Some people really must have trouble understanding the description given...

@Sarah
I'm willing to make a start cleaning up, if you like, because now your list has just become 'one of many', which is a pity, in my opinion.

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message 30: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Aug 30, 2015 09:06AM) (new)

Aug 30, 2015 09:05AM

Themis-Athena (Does not and never will own a Kindle) wrote: "Personally I'd be all for pruning the list, but since Sarah is the one who created it, I think this should be her call first and foremost ..."

I agree, both with the pruning and with Sarah having the final say in this :-)

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message 31: by Michele (new)

Oct 22, 2015 12:39PM

Sarah, it is easy to keep the list locked down. Librarians just delete books that aren't on the Jezebel list. And you can also add that to the description.

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message 32: by Devorah (new)

Jan 02, 2016 05:48PM

When G-D Asks Me; When God Asks Me by Devorah Kalani

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message 33: by Mai (last edited Feb 14, 2020 03:11PM) (new)

Feb 14, 2020 03:11PM

Has Memoirs of a Geisha but not The Awakening. Seriously??

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message 34: by Sarah (new)

Feb 17, 2020 01:28AM

The original list got added to by other people on here and is no longer the original 75. Memoirs of a Geisha was not on the original list, but neither was the Awakening. Why not just add it?

https://jezebel.com/75-books-every-wo...

The Lottery (and Other Stories), Shirley Jackson
To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende
Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion
Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
Beloved, Toni Morrison
Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
Like Life, Lorrie Moore
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
The Delta of Venus, Anais Nin
A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
A Good Man Is Hard To Find (and Other Stories), Flannery O'Connor
The Shipping News, E. Annie Proulx
You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down, Alice Walker
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
Earthly Paradise, Colette
Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt
Property, Valerie Martin
Middlemarch, George Eliot
Annie John, Jamaica Kincaid
The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir
Runaway, Alice Munro
The Heart is A Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
You Must Remember This, Joyce Carol Oates
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill
The Liars' Club, Mary Karr
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, Betty Smith
And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie
Bastard out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Little Disturbances of Man, Grace Paley
The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker
The Group, Mary McCarthy
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing
The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Against Interpretation, Susan Sontag
In the Time of the Butterflies, Julia Alvarez
The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck
Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
Three Junes, Julia Glass
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft
Sophie's Choice, William Styron
Valley of the Dolls, Jacqueline Susann
Love in a Cold Climate, Nancy Mitford
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
The Face of War, Martha Gellhorn
My Antonia, Willa Cather
Love In The Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Harsh Voice, Rebecca West
Spending, Mary Gordon
The Lover, Marguerite Duras
The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
Tell Me a Riddle, Tillie Olsen
Nightwood, Djuna Barnes
Three Lives, Gertrude Stein
Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
Possession, A.S. Byatt

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