9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

March 21 2019
Share 9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

All readers look for themselves in a work of fiction, and women have long carved out representation in literature, often against seemingly insurmountable odds. One thing is certain: women are fantastic conveyors of their experiences. These incredible women are only a small sample of the groundbreaking characters we know and (maybe) love, and there is no better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than to honor some of the fictional women who shaped us, and the phenomenal writers who created them in both classic and modern literature. We hope you continue to support groundbreaking women in fiction and in life.

Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre
Is there any more empowering moment in literature than when Jane stands before Mr. Rochester and tells him that she is a person with a soul and it is equal to his own? Jane, who is described as being plain and small, is an icon for not letting class, gender, or stature stand in the way of her voice and independence, a rarity in the Victorian era, which boasted some extremely rigid gender norms, and strict ideas for social behavior.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

8 Historical Novels with Epic Love Stories to Swoon Over

By Hannah Schaffer | November 5, 2019

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

5 Star-Crossed Love Stories for “Roswell, New Mexico” Fans

By Heather Waters | January 18, 2019

9 Star-Studded Audiobooks Read by Your Favorite Celebrities

By Tolani Osan | August 22, 2018

A Peek Behind Stu’s Shelf

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 29, 2018

Close
To the Lighthouse
by Virginia Woolf

Lily Briscoe
Considered one of the best novels of the twentieth century and a defining novel on gender and family relations, Virginia Woolf’s TO THE LIGHTHOUSE presents Lily Briscoe, an aspiring artist desperate to leave a lasting imprint on the world. Lily shies against family life, and throughout the story she rebels against convention and strives to find fulfillment in her art. At a time when women were beginning open the boxes in which they had been contained, Lily’s audacity to have a dream outside family life speaks to many artists who continue to push boundaries.

Read the full review of TO THE LIGHTHOUSE. .

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
To the Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Readers’ Choice: 12 Treasured Books You Read Again and Again and Again…

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 4, 2020

12 Bonnie Novels That Will Make You Fall in Love with Scotland

By Hannah Schaffer | September 4, 2019

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

An Astonishing Novel That Continues to Inspire

By Elizabeth Rosner | October 5, 2015

Close
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

Janie Crawford
Zora Neale Hurston’s best known novel, THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, details an old woman named Janie who is recounting her life story to a friend. Janie’s journey is not easy or satisfying, but she holds on fiercely to her identity and is determined to find love and freedom in her life despite experiencing ongoing pain and violence. Her belief in herself and her resistance to fold to others’ expectations are admirable and emotional, and show that a fierce female character lives on in her stories.

Read the full review of THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

9 Enchanting Books for Readers of Magical Realism

By Sarah Jane Abbott | May 2, 2019

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

17 Amazing Books Featured in the “Fahrenheit 451” Movie

By Sarah Jane Abbott | July 19, 2018

17 of Our Favorite First Lines to Start 2017

By Kerry Fiallo | January 3, 2017

Growing Up Zora: What Literature Can Teach You About Home

By Meg Miller | August 1, 2014

Close
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee

Scout Finch
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’s Scout Finch was a welcome representation of “tomboy” little girls. Smart, curious, and deeply ethical for a child, Scout’s narration gives credence to little girls when serious literature was all about men’s experiences and boys got to go on all the adventures. Scout narrates one of the greatest novels in history, and we are all the better for having her.

Read the full review of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee

Wendy’s Fictional Dinner Party Guest: Atticus Finch

Perhaps it’s a cliché to want to have dinner with Atticus Finch—lawyer, father, all-around good man. Atticus is known for his conscience, grace, compassion, and morality. I suspect that his words would be full of insight and wisdom, and challenge me to sit straighter in my chair.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Close
Manhattan Beach
by Jennifer Egan

Anna Kerrigan
MANHATTAN BEACH’s standout main character, Anna, is a young, independent woman who works at the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II. Through her cunning and will, Anna becomes the first and only female civilian diver and manages to convince a gangster to reveal her missing father’s fate. Anna values her independence and is confident enough to know that she has every right to occupy a space as anyone else. In the end, this willpower and wit enable her to hold on to her independence and live the life she chooses instead of a life of unhappy domesticity.

Read the full review of MANHATTAN BEACH.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo
Manhattan Beach
Jennifer Egan

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo Libro.fm logo

MENTIONED IN:

An Ode to Indies: 12 Wonderful Books I Found At Independent Bookstores

By Erin Madison | April 14, 2020

14 Bold Novels About Women Everyone Should Read

By Off the Shelf Staff | August 26, 2019

New York, New York!: 10 Historical Novels Set in the Big Apple

By Hannah Schaffer | May 29, 2019

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

11 Fantastic Books New in Paperback This Year

By Meagan Harris | December 19, 2018

6 Favorite Novels New in Paperback This June

By Meagan Harris | June 25, 2018

Close
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn

Amy Dunne
Amy was terrifying and cruel, and that is exactly why she was shocking to so many readers. She was a three dimensional, complicated villain, and as a reader, it was hard to tell when to root for her or despise her. Sometimes she was a straight-up villain, sometimes she was a fascinating antihero, an archetype we still don’t see enough of in female characters.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn

Some say she’s cold and unfeeling, calculating to a subhuman degree, and basically totally nutso. I say Amy Dunne is just a smart, sensitive woman in a man’s world, frustrated by patriarchy, down with to-do lists, and dedicated to the fine art of revenge! This powerhouse of a novel sees crime writer Gillian Flynn come into her own as a dramatic storyteller in full command of her many gifts.

Crazy like: A fox! Amy is a hottie!

Best crazy moment: The box cutter. ’Nuff said.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

Summer Reading Challenge: 7 Recs to Kickstart Your Season

By Holly Claytor | June 18, 2020

Our Top 20 Books from the 21st Century (So Far)

By Off the Shelf Staff | January 15, 2020

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

Love Is Dead: The Best Breakup Reads Based on Your Go-To Breakup Album

By Julianna Haubner | February 14, 2019

8 Really Great Books We’ve Lied About Reading (Sorry)

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 17, 2017

A Game of Books: What Would Your Favorite Game of Thrones Character Read?

By Will Rhino | July 11, 2017

Close
The Blazing World
by Siri Hustvedt

Harriet Burden
Harriet, a long-struggling artist, gets three young men to present their work as her own. Unsurprising to Harriet, they are successful; the bizarre events that follow are not universal to every woman, but we can all feel the pain of not getting due credit for our work. Harriet’s drastic measures feel somewhat familiar, as if we’ve all imagined pulling a scheme and revealing the truth along with it, and powering through the ensuing chaos with our own determined belief that we’ve earned whatever rewards are to follow.

Read the full review of THE BLAZING WORLD.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
The Blazing World
Siri Hustvedt

Intellectually ambitious, electric in its prose, and emotionally satisfying, The Blazing World confronts the joy and fury of Harriet Burden, an artist whose work has long been dismissed and ignored by the male-dominated art world. Longlisted for 2014’s prestigious Man Booker Prize and described by NPR as “complex, astonishing, harrowing, and utterly, completely engrossing,” it is a polyphonic tour de force from one of America’s most fearless writers.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Prize-Winning Books to Read During Book Awards Season

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 29, 2019

13 Man Booker Nominated Novels You Need to Read Before You Die

By Alice Martin | September 3, 2019

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

15 Stories of Betrayal to Read for the Ides of March

By Taylor Noel | March 15, 2017

A Provocative and Intelligent Narrative Puzzle

By Elizabeth Breeden | August 22, 2016

11 Essential Reads for Women’s History Month

By Caitlin Kleinschmidt | March 10, 2015

Close
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi

Esi and Effia
Half-sisters Esi and Effia, who embark on drastically different paths and never meet, have stories that are both heart-wrenching. Each sister holds on to a piece of her past and a piece of herself through her experience, despite incredible tragedy and change. The sisters’ stories exist separately, but they are equally rich in characterization and a depth that is cast over their ancestors and all the women who will later know their stories.

Read the full review of HOMEGOING.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo
Homegoing
Yaa Gyasi

Two half-sisters are separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. HOMEGOING traces the descendants who follow, as their destinies lead them through two continents and 300 years of history, each life indelibly drawn.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo

MENTIONED IN:

8 Enlightening Books that Will Change Your Worldview

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 28, 2019

14 Bold Novels About Women Everyone Should Read

By Off the Shelf Staff | August 26, 2019

11 Historical Novels That Will Enlarge Your Worldview

By Sarah Jane Abbott | March 26, 2019

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

14 Remarkable Immigrant Stories You Can Find in a Favorite Museum’s Gift Shop

By Sarah Jane Abbott | January 29, 2018

6 Recommended Reads from a Small Town Library

By Allison Tyler | January 24, 2018

Close
The Mars Room
by Rachel Kushner

Romy Hall
In Rachel Kushner’s THE MARS ROOM, Romy is in a correctional facility for life. And then some. Romy and her fellow inmates lay bare the issues faced by women in prison and the class and racial problems that helped land them there. Romy Hall is a one-of-a-kind narrator in an unusual setting, and her powerful voice alongside Kushner’s vivid writing allows this groundbreaking character to leave a lasting impression that will make you think long after you’re done reading.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo
The Mars Room
Rachel Kushner

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

5 Sensational Reads Recommended by Your Favorite Thriller Authors

By Get Literary | February 27, 2020

9 Groundbreaking Women in Fiction

By Carrie Cabral | March 21, 2019

Summer Reading Recommendations from Off the Shelf

By Off the Shelf Staff | June 21, 2018

Close

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.