Posted on January 9, 2009 - by Amanda

100 Books Every Woman Should Read Part 2

Part one of this list took you from Joan of Arc to The Chronicles of Narnia. We hope you enjoy the recommendations that follow.

P.G. Wodehouse authored around 90 novels. They are all worth at least some of your time but Very Good, Jeeves is one of the best. If this book doesn’t make you laugh then you probably need to check with a psychiatrist or something and have your sense of humor examined.

William -an Englishman by Cicely Hamilton was ‘written in a rage in 1918; this extraordinary novel… is a passionate assertion of the futility of war’ (the Spectator). “In our view William is one of the greatest novels about war ever written: the book, which won the Prix Femina-Vie Heureuse in 1919, is a masterpiece, written with an immediacy and a grim realism reminiscent of an old-fashioned, flickering newsreel.” (From Persephone Press.)

This sweet novel by Elizabeth Gaskell is very moving for its depiction of Britain’s “spare women”; those gentlewomen who had no inheritance and no hope of marriage. It reads quickly and raises many intriguing issues that are almost without hope of answer.

A Catholic writer living in the highly Protestant Bible Belt, O’Connor wrote astonishing stories. Her style is distinctive and her stories will refuse to leave you after you read them.

Evelyn Waugh was an astonishingly gifted writer. Some of his comic novels are hard to read through the laughter-induced tears. Brideshead Revisited was written in the middle of World War Two as he was convalescing from a wound. We don’t know anything about the series or the movies but we can assure you that the book is better (Hollywood never gets it quite right).

This semi-autobiographical novel is full of interesting twists and surprises.  If you’ve ever wanted to live “a hundred years ago” David might convince you not covet the trials of a previous generation.

Many have tried to pretend that by imitating elements of Faulkner’s style they can lay claim to his greatness. This novel, while not easy to digest, will establish him as the standard. Faulkner-esque isn’t good enough, you must be Faulkner.

Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day is a lovely little novel is ‘the sweetest grown-up book in the world’ (India Knight) and we find it to be a thrilling read.

Jonathan Swift’s satiric masterpiece, Gulliver’s Travels is fascinating and readable on several levels. Parts of it are quite appropriate for children while other bits are most certainly not. It is both amusing and thought-provoking and is highly recommended.

Whether or not you consider yourself a feminist, it is entirely necessary for a thinking woman to understand early femininist thought. Friedan’s seminal work will help you along that path.

Another classic work that colors so much of American thought, Pilgrim’s Progress is also an enjoyable and eminently readable bit of allegory. It will not readily fit into modern fiction paradigms but is worth the effort it will take to appreciate it.

This Hardy novel is intriguing and sad (like most of Hardy) and it deals with many institutions of Western culture. Education and marriage and parenting are all up for grabs and the book holds some disturbing surprises.

The Wind in the Willows by Kennethe Grahame is a children’s classic but works for adults also. This is another one of those books that defines the reader and if you don’t care for it, we suggest trying again because the book is not at fault.

The short story is what made Hemingway famous and while he was the quintessential “man’s man” his fiction is a worthwhile area of study for women. Understanding the male psyche is useful on several levels.

This play was so controversial when it first came out that an alternative ending was required for the first German production of it.

This book comes with a high recommendation from P.G. Wodehouse but if that isn’t enough for you (it is for us) it may help to know that it is that rarity of fiction – an homage to happy married life.

This ancient epic is both an interesting look into the earliest stages of civilization and a testament to the…um…power of women.

This novel by Salman Rushdie is a post-modern fantasy that illumines Indian culture and social expectations. It is well regarded by critics though not as famous as his The Satanic Verses.

Despite it’s intimidated heft, Middlemarch is a genuinely enjoyable read and will repay your investment as you go.

The Metamorphoses by Ovid is a narrative poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world. Completed in 8 AD, it has remained one of the most popular works of mythology, being the Classical work best known to medieval writers and thus having a great deal of influence on medieval poetry and of course having an influence on the rest of Western thought and literature.

“Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer.” From E.M. Forster’s Howards End.

Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a masterpiece and lends credence to genetic theories of talent. The same family produced both Jane Eyre and this enduring classic.

I’m sure you loved the movie, blah, blah, blah…but seriously you must read Gaston Leroux’ Phantom of the Opera. It is well worth it!

Oscar Wilde was a renowned wit and fop in his day, and in our opinion that should be reason enough to read his works. “The Importance of Being Earnest” is his best-known work: it is a delightful romantic comedy about a case of mistaken identity. Wilde’s sharp and satirical social commentary and his insights into human nature ensure that there is never a dull moment in this play.


Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness ought to be read together with our next recommendation. On its own it is full of insight into Colonial thought and together with Achebe it provides more understanding of Africa and Africa’s problems today than you will find on CNN.

This novel by Nigerian author, Achebe, is full of intriguing detail and in addition to being a seminal moment in literature is also just a rich story.

The Priory by Dorothy Whipple deserves renewed recognition as a minor classic. Whipple is not quite Jane Austen class but she understands as well as Austen the enormous effects of apparently minor social adjustments…

Henry David Thoreau’s masterpiece is remarkable for it’s philosophy of self-reliance and for its lovely nature writing. You may not be particularly interested in a scientific theory of the dimensions of ponds, but the idea of only working as much as is absolutely necessary for survival is sheer fantasy for most women.

Just having a copy of this book on your shelf will get you some serious street-cred with intellectual friends. Reading it is even better. Living in a culture deeply imbued with Christian thought and morals makes it necessary to understand these foundational works.

And speaking of foundational works…the Christian Scriptures are essential knowledge for interacting with Western Literature. Much of the symbolism of our poetry can only be understood in light of common Biblical stories. Not to mention, that Jesus guy had some really interesting things to say…oh and David wrote some incredible poetry. And don’t forget to read Job!

Any of Chekhov’s short stories would gain a place on this list but rather than limit our selection to one (like “The Black Monk”) we will recommend picking up a collection and reading at least two or three. They are all excellent.

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense is foundational both to American thought and to American self-perception. Yankee ingenuity, pragmatism and just basic philosophy abound. Worth reading if only to understand why and how we share so many basic ideas.

Having already recommended several Lewis books we’re hesitant to offer many more. However we would hate to let some prejudice about proportion prevent us from letting you know how absolutely incredible The Great Divorce is. We promise that it is not about the dissolution of lawful unions.

The BFG is another of those wonderful books that is great for children or adults. Read it on your own or read it aloud to your kids (or nieces and nephews, or brothers and sisters).

This is an exceptionally long book. Really, it is four books in one. But it is a striking example of the joy of simply luxuriating in well-written prose. We highly recommend the Everyman’s Library edition both for its sturdy binding and the excellent translation work of John E. Woods.

This short novel is a justly famous and very moving. We find it to be an excellent book to recommend to those readers who are afraid of tackling the big Russian novels.

Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is one of the best of the Dystopian novels; both for the intriguing and counter-intuitive world she imagines and for the deft way she handles words. We found it disturbing but in the best possible sense.

This fascinating novel of medieval monastic life is rich and rests in rich history. The details about book storage and organization in Medieval times are simply mind-boggling and the mystery in the monastery is appropriately complex.

This classic work on politics and intrigue is fresh and relevant to many modern situations. Things like book clubs, scout troops and the boardroom.

This delightful novel is full of twists and turns and has the single most satisfying denouement in the history of literature. There are even sequels, though none quite measure up.

You probably already know that you need to read this and we would highly recommend that you do so. Knowing what you ought to do and yet avoiding to do it shows great weakness of character (we plan on reading it this year since we have not yet done so. Ahem.)

This is another of the ones you (and we) know we should have read by now, but probably haven’t. What are we waiting for? We’ve already worked through 91 books on the list.

While we’re on Steinbeck, we’d like to recommend his short novels too. The Pearl is one of the greatest and clearly demonstrates the problem of wealth. Sad but good nonetheless.

This isn’t as highbrow as our usual taste but this novel, based on true events, is a striking portrait of independent American womanhood. The cheesy movie notwithstanding, we are impressed by the life of Catherine Marshall’s grandmother Christy.

This classic play of romance, deception and crippling disfigurement is ripe with humor and full of charm. Rostand’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” is as thrilling on the page as in performance. We also recommend the Steve Martin movie adaptation “Roxanne”.

Rider Haggard created a fascinating novel with unusual features. We are especially fond of the the full title She Who Must Be Obeyed. In most lives that is “mom” not an immortal goddess.

This is the great western romance. It is a rich, full-blooded book and well worth it. Be advised that you may be tempted to explore a Western state to find your own cowboy after reading this. We recommend a two month waiting period before heading off on such an expedition.

This book is over-the-top hilarious. It’s a trilogy in five books, nihilistic and did I mention hilarious? The movie was in no way representative of the deep humor of the original. Definitely worth a read or two.

This novel of China is one of the true classics that is just a deeply engaging story. It really is very hard to put down even from the first few chapters.

Joy Davidman authored a fascinating book on the Ten Commandments called Smoke on the Mountain. Her interpretive framework is colored by both her Jewish heritage and her Christian faith. She later married C.S. Lewis and while her work is much less famous than his, it is of a very high quality. Her insights on the sixth commandment are of particular note.