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Recently, I asked members of several Facebook book groups to share their favorite historical and literary fiction titles featuring female protagonists. The response was incredible—1,115 comments flooded in! The recommendations ranged from recent bestsellers to timeless classics like Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, as well as hidden gems by lesser-known authors. Interestingly, 25 titles made up 60% of the total list, with one book alone accounting for 10% of the recommendations. Notably, all the top picks are written by female authors, with five authors contributing at least two titles each, and two of them dominating the top five.
Here is a list of the 25 most popular titles (in ranking order).
1) “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon
2) “The Diamond Eye” by Kate Quinn
3) “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus
4) “Code Name Helene” by Ariel Lawhon
5) “The Rose Code” by Kate Quinn
6) “Maise Dobbs Series” by Jacqueline Winspear
7) “The Women” by Kristin Hannah
8) “The Nightengale” by Kristin Hannah
9) “These is my Words” by Nancy E. Turner
10) “The Rent Tent” Anita Diamant
11) “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Michelle Richardson
12) “The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd
13) “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn
14) “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls
15) “The Indigo Girl” by Natasha Boyd
16) “Go as a River” by Shelley Read
17) “Outlander Series” Diana Gabaldon
18) “Someone Else’s Shows” by Jojo Moyes
19) “The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See
20) “Her Last Flight” by Beatriz Williams
21) “The Lost Apothecary” by Sarah Penner
22) “The Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict
23) “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” by Lisa See
24) “My Antonia” by Willa Cather
25) “The Only Woman in the Room” by Marie Benedict
The clear winner, “The Frozen River” by Ariel Lawhon dominated the list coming in at 115 votes of the 1,115 entries!
Goodreads describes as “A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
Having read only 10 of these books myself, I realize how much catching up I have in my leisure reading! How many have you read from this list? And which titles are you adding to your "To Be Read" (TBR) list?
Happy reading,
Victoria
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