Great books by women, or with great female characters

[Hyo Shin]

Actually, there is a movie version of "Le coup de grace." It's a German movie.



us.imdb.com/Title?0074515

Quote:

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anything by marguerite yourcenar. my personal favourite is "fires", but i love all of her books. she was the first woman to be elected to the french academy of literature, even being american after joining her partner, grace frick, living in usa, during the second world war. "le coup de grace" is also a great one, but i have no clue what's its name in english. sophia, the main female carachter, is awesome.

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Edited by: Hyo Shin at: 9/24/02 8:43:11 am

[tyche]

Quote:

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Great. But no Zadie Smith?

---

I have a hunch that they're scared to nominate a novel by a black writer and by a lesbian writer in the same year, just in case they're accused of being politically correct. (Because of course, nominating black and gay writers on merit must mean that the barbarians are at the gate...)

[cassiopeia191]

Donna Leon writes criminal novels set in Venice. In book #1 and #5 (Acqua Alta) there is a lesbian couple (US archaelogist and Italian opera singer) that's an essential part of the storyline. They are wonderful and very strong characters...fun to read. Great books and if you like Italy, that's just the right thing.

[scifiacid]

Well Xita mentioned Tipping the Velvet a few pages back and I have to say that there are TWO other books by Sarah Waters that are equally fantastic. Affinity is her second novel and it’s ending is rather shocking. It takes place late 1800’s England. It’s about a woman who becomes a Lady Visitor at Millbank Prison. Much like Tipping the Velvet, it picks a particular setting, or theme to work around. In Affinity it is the Prison system in England and the mysterious world of spiritualism. Very good. Her most recent is Fingersmith. Takes place again in the 1800’s although a litter earlier than Affinity and the stories follows a young girl who lives a kind of Dickens like life. Surrounded by pickpockets, orphans, and asylums. It’s an interesting read because it’s divided into 3 different parts. Each told from a different narrative.



I know it she was mentioned way back when, but Patricia Cornwell is my current most favorite writer. I read all of her Kay Scarpetta novels, from Postmortem to The Last Precinct (10 in all) in the last 7 days. For me, what’s so wonderful about her books is the consistency of the characters throughout all the novels. The stories are all riveting, although I thought Cause of Death and Unnatural Expose were the two weakest when it came to the actual story, and the detail at times is all too vivid.



Finally, JM Redmann is also a favorite of mine. She writes a about a character called Micky Knight who is a detective in New Orleans. Mickys had a hard life and is the kind of character that is drunken and slovenly but whom you really care for because of all the good that shines through. There are four books thus far and they are all set in the ‘present’ day. Death by the Riverside, Deaths of Jocasta, The Intersection of Law and Desire and Lost Daughters, read in that order.



Tehe... I forgot, I suppose I should say that all of Sarah Waters novels are about Lesbians. Affinity is more a sort of desperate revealing type relationship, while Fingersmith has a lot of complex sexual references throughout. Most people know that in Cromwell's novels Kay Scarpetta's niece, Lucy is gay and has had lovers through most all of the novels (she starts out as 10 years old in the first one and she's now 28). Redmanns books are firmly lesbian. Micky Knight is and so are all of her friends!

Edited by: scifiacid at: 9/25/02 4:39:34 pm

[tyche]

My paper had an interview with Sarah Waters this morning:

www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,799056,00.html

She talks about being nominated for the Booker Prize, and about the TV adaptation of 'Tipping the Velvet'.

[Willow] should have taken time out for a few minutes to slowly torture Xander for sounding like a Hallmark card on crack. - My fiance's review of the 'yellow crayon' speech.

[cinemacell]

i have just started reading "the well of loneliness" last night as a friend lend it to me. i know it is a depressing story, but i want to read it... i'm on page 84 and i have a looongg way to go...

[slayer747]

okay... this is completely OT... but i'm using a net cafe's computer and apparently, someone logged in and didn't log out properly, so i thought i was the one who's currently in (multiple windows were open) and i posted under the name cinemacell...



so, cinemacell please log out after you're done...



-Tiffany (slayer747)



p.s.



in short, the post above me was mine.

------------
"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong, and those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie "Once and Again"

[missykittykatty]

I'm so glad I found this topic!!

I love Anne McCaffrey, her books are fantastic. I have read Moreta, Dragonlady of Pern so many times and cried my heart out on every occasion.



One author that I haven't seen mentioned is Suzy McKee Charnas . Fantastic author, wrote Walk to the End of the World, Motherlines and The Furies. Brilliant books and I would recommend them to any Kittens to read. They seem to be out of print here in the UK but I got copies through a book finding service who imported them from the US so they may be easier to find there.



Also love Memoirs of a Geisha - Lucy Liu would indeed be excellent to play Hatsumomo.



Maeve Binchy also has wonderful strong female characters.



Happy Reading!



Caroline

She's my everything

[jaycatt23]

Felt it was necessary to make a mention of Aphra Behn, the first woman to attempt to make a living from writing, in the late seventeenth century. Her novel, 'Loveletters between a Nobleman and his Sister' is interesting, and has a strong, (cross dressing) character in Sylvia, even if it is a little long. And the poem 'The Imperfect Enjoyment' is also worth a read, for its depiction of female sexuality, and description of (um) premature ejaculation.



Daniel Defoe writes (wrote) some good women - 'Moll Flanders' is the most well known, but I personally think 'Roxana' is a much more interesting and multi-layered character.



I also recommend:



Angela Carter's 'The Bloody Chamber' - a brilliant re-working of several fairytales.



Arnold Bennett's 'The Old Wives Tale' - portrays two very strong, very different women.



Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy - Lyra kicks ass!



Mary Leapor is my favourite writer, though. She was a poet from the mid-eighteenth century, who also had to work as a cook maid. She died at the age of 24, before any of her work reached publication, but after her death two volumes of her work were published. Her writing is sometimes derivative, but she writes with wit and humour and great wisdom, despite her early death. And so, I recommend Richard Greene's biog. of her, and also, if anyone is interested in early women's poetry, Roger Lonsdale's anthology of 'Eighteenth Century Women Poets.'



The literature geek is now leaving the building.

Edited by: jaycatt23 at: 10/6/02 12:45:43 pm

[Spice Faerie]

I love Anne McCaffery. She writes some very strong female characters. I also love Nora Roberts (again, great female characters especially in the Three Sisters Island trilogy) and Anne Rice rules, of course...



Spice

"No candles? Well, I brought one. It's extra flamey..."

[Arwen]

I don't know if she's been mentioned yet, but Diana Gabaldon's OUTLANDER series is outstanding! Her main female character, Claire is a strong, compassionate woman who deals with things thrown at her that would drive most completely insane. One warning though, they are BIG books! But that just makes the story last that much longer.



And I agree, Anne McCaffery rules! Love Marion Zimmer Bradley too, bless her soul.



Margaret Atwood is a favourite of mine as well. A great fellow Canadian author.

[snippygal]

I have to step in and recommend Jane Summer's The Silk Road. It's a wonderful coming of age story about a teenage girl who falls for a married woman. The writing is poetically simple and it's just a really great story.



One of my favorite excerpts:



“Adults have forgotten the feel of a teenager’s love. For you a teenager will walk through glass doors, stay awake three days in a row, be an angel standing under your window in the rain. So what that we don’t know how to order from the butcher or apply foundation or insert a diaphragm? Show us.”



Snipp

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A cool red rose and a pink cut pink, a collapse and a sold hole, a little less hot.

[Lily]

I didn't skim through all the previous posts so sorry if this has already come up



I'd recommend Tamora Pierce to anybody who enjoys 'junior' fiction (which is half of my adult friends btw!).



She has strong female characters and exciting plots set in a fuedalistic magical realm. The Alanna and Kelandry books feature young women training to be knights and the Daine and Circle of Magic books have girls with magical gifts.



Her web site is at www.tamora-pierce.com/

and she has a fan forum for discussion on strong women in fiction which includes Willow & Tara

[JulesP600]

How annoying!



Did anyone see "Tipping the velvet"? I read it a few months ago but I believe it was on TV here in the UK last night.



I heard one person saying it was absolute rubbish and another saying it was quite good.



I thought the book was great.

The only way to have a friend is to be one

[BytrSuite]

Tipping The Velvet as it was aired on the BBC is being discussed here.

————––

"There's a whole lot of singing that's never gonna be heard

Disappearing everyday without so much as a word somehow"

[slayer747]

radclyffe writes fanfic and original fiction, too.



visit her site at http://www.radfic.com

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong, and those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie "Once and Again"

[Cicca]

It's already been said, but I have to add my very enthusiastic recommendations for Tipping The Velvet and Fingersmith.

I haven't read Affinity yet, but I suspect it'll be equally well-written.



Tipping the Velvet is a good read even if you've already seen the show (which I haven't) or if you're familiar with the plot (which I was). I'd say that Fingersmith works best if you just start at page 1 and go. It just pulled me and wouldn't let me go. Don't go out and read any reviews (some of them tell too much of the plot), just go read the book.

And on a slightly silly note, the book itself is so nice. Kind of the publishers to put in a gorgeous red ribbon bookmark!

so what is love then is it dictated or chosen does it sing like the hymns of 1000 years or is it just pop emotion

[Rane018]

has anyone read *riverfinger women* by Elana Nachman or *girls, visions and everything* by Sarah Schulman? And, of course, my favorite semi autobiography ever *Zami* by one of my favorites: Audre Lorde. Oh! and anything by Joan Nestle.



I'm more into plays than novels though. Lorraine Hansberry is my favorite writer ever... she was a lesbian but only one of her three plays is about gays. understandable being that she wrote in the 50's. *Clit Notes* by holly hughes was good. cant think of others right now

[voxanglsm]

Okay, no one has posted in this thread recently, which seems a shame. So I'm going to fix that. Books. I love books. Almost as much as I love W/T fanfic

I'm not sure if some of these have been mentioned, but if they have, I think some of them deserve to be mentioned again. Okay, so some good books:

Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes

It even includes a lesbian couple. Plus it's just an awesome book. One of my favorites.



White Oleander by Janet Fitch

I haven't seen the movie, but I do know the book is good.



The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

I've seen a few other mentions of Barbara Kingsolver here, but I didn't notice this one. Sorry it if has been mentioned, but it's a wonderful novel. Everyone should read it.



I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

Technically, written by a guy and the main character is a guy, but one of the minor character's is a lesbian. And it's just such a great novel. Long, but great. Plus, after you read it you can use it to attack intruders. Anyway, it's another that everyone should read.



The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

She is an amazing author. I don't know how she knows people so well and is able to write about them so well, but she does.



Okay, so that's all for now. We'll see if anyone still reads this thread.

[mollyig]

Hi voxanglsm, nice to see this thread resurrected as I've found many books in here to add to my wish list.



"The Poisonwood Bible" is now my absolute favourite book. I've always been a big fan of Barbara Kingsolver, but this book is just superb.



"I know this much is true" is on my afore-mentioned wish list, I think I first heard of it on the Indigo Girls e-mailing list.



I hadn't read many of Toni Morrison's books, but a couple of months ago my girlfriend gave me two of her books, one being "The bluest eye", and I was immediately hooked.

Love is a place I dream of. A face that never leaves my mind
Luka Bloom

[xita]

I am a big fan of Toni Morrison, if you've read Beloved or The Bluest Eye, give Sula a shot.

-----------------------------------

En un mundo de ilusión yo estaba desahuciado, yo estaba abandonado.

Vivía sin sentido, pero llegaste tú. -
Mana

[BoredNow99]

Jazz and Paradise are also fantastic. I'd also recommend trying the audio tapes with Morrison reading her novels - she's got the most amazing voice.

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

[cheech]

I love to read and am currently working on Sarah Waters' Fingersmith. I was wondering if anyone has mentioned The Tent Peg by Aritha van Herk? She's a Canadian author...Also, anything by Ann-Marie Macdonald is amazing! She's written a couple of screenplays, one is called Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). Thanx for all the great suggestions everyone!

[nika]

I haven't read through the whole thread so I don't know if anyone's mentioned Anais Nin, her writing is amazing and for me twice as interesting because her best work is non-fiction. The Anais Nin diaries are beautiful and riveting. She was one hell of a woman. Also " the house of incest" is worth a look or twenty. Another great woman whose bio is a must is Lou Andreas Salome, really interesting.

[WebWarlock]

I have been reading a LOT of Celtic myths of late. Part research for my new project "All Souls Night", part because I enjoy it and part to satisfy my own search for my "roots".



So I have these two great books about Celtic women.



Horsley, Kate (2001) Confessions of a Pagan Nun. A Novel. Shambhala: Boston. ISBN: 1-570-62719-0



Horsley weaves this tale of Gwynneve, a nun in the service of the Abbey of St. Brigit. Fans of Lisa Countryman's Unexpected Consequences and Milestones or even my first book on Witches will recognize this group as the Daughters of the Flame (the reason I picked it up).



Anyway Gwynneve begins life as a pagan seeking truths in the service of a Druid, then later in life as a nun. The story takes place in one night (more or less) as she chronicles her day to day life with "flashbacks" of her past. The story is compelling and a fairly good insight to lives of Celtic women (who usually had it better than their counterparts on the main continent).



Paxon, Diane and Martine-Barnes, Adrienne (1993). Master of Earth and Water. William Morrow and Company, Inc: New York. ISBN: 0-688-12505-0



Paxon also tells a tale of women in Celtic times, but it is a side story to the main one about the Irish hero Fionn Mac Cumhail (Finn Mac Cool).



The parts that I am referring to deal with Fionn’s foster mothers Bodbmall (BOD VHull) and Liath (Lee AH). These are the same characters I used in my fic/adventure “The Dark Druid”, so I have read quite a bit about them.



In most legends Bodbmall (also Bodhmal) and Liath are depicted as sisters. In Paxon’s book they dance around the issue, but there is an enough text (both outright and sub) that they are lovers. Same sex lovers were not looked down apon in the warrior class, which Liath belongs to, but Bodbmall is a druidess. Paxon also gives Bodbmall a husband, but she even describes him as mostly absent and how she has spent most of her life with Liath. It should also be noted that I have not found any other mention of this husband.



Here is a scene from very early in the book. It is from the point of view of Bodbmall.

Quote:

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Though they lived apart as often as they did together, he was her husband. But the warrior woman had been Bodbmall’s companion for almost as long. She could never quite choose between them, her two loves.

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Of course Liath and Bodbmall do share a bed throughout the whole book and many references are made to the “surprising” sexual appetite of the Celts.



Reading these sections have made me really long for a story just about these two women.



Fionn, one of Ireland’s greatest hero’s, was raised by these two. Everything he is he attributes to their tutelage. He expresses his love for them his entire adult life.

Ireland’s archetype hero has two mommies.



In both cases if you have an interest in Celtic myths and legends, I would recommend these two books.



Warlock

Edited by: WebWarlock at: 4/21/03 9:04:18 am

[gspiggott]

I read a lot of Celtic myth stuff in my earlier years and came away thinking they were fixated on fighting and oral sex.Having read through this thread I'll offer a regional reccommendation,Florence King's ,"Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady"one of the funniest books I've ever read.

[mscheckmate]

gspiggott, count me as another Florence King fan, even though her politics are, as I think she put it, "to the right of Baby Doc." Have you read "Wasp, Where is Thy Sting?" (Probably out of print by now.) It's like she infiltrated my gf's family and spilled all of their secrets in book form. But I think that "Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady," is her best work so far. I found the book very moving, along with the gut-busting humor. And I also gained a better understanding of some of my relatives; I think my great-aunt could have given Florence's grandmother a run for her money in the ancestor-worshipping department. Like Florence's granny, my great-aunt was always trying to trace her roots back to royalty of one kind or another. Too bad my great-aunt's ancestor was actually a thief, who was banished from England to South Carolina for his crimes.



Fay Weldon is one of my favorite fiction writers. Great wit, appropriate and imaginative revenge scenarios, and lots of female empowerment. She wrote,"The Life and Loves of a She-Devil," and "The Cloning of Joanna May," among others.

It'll be the train, Walter, just the way you want it. Straight down the line.

Edited by: mscheckmate at: 4/18/03 12:50:40 am

[gspiggott]

Yes I've read all her books but I think Confessions is still my favorite. How can you not love a book with a line like,"No matter which sex I went to bed with, I never smoked on the street."I loved Life and Loves of a She Devil ,and some of Weldon's earlier work, but her later stuff strikes me as kind of a rehash of what went before.

[TyRex316]

Love Carol O'Connell as well and the Mallory character. But will she please write a sequel to "Judas Child".

[technopagan78]

Love Schulman's Girls, Visions and Everything, but love even more After Delores, Schulman's late 1980s novel, which unfortunately might be out of print. Love "Clit Notes" as well, and anything I can find by Split Britches and/or Lois Weaver and Peggy Shaw.

Edited by: technopagan78 at: 4/21/03 11:30:28 pm