Subject
Married women -- Fiction Books
Best books
F. Scott (Francis Scott) Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel published in 1925. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, it follows narrator Nick Carraway as he becomes drawn into the world of his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, a wealthy millionaire who throws extravagant parties. Gatsby harbors an obsession with reuniting with Daisy Buchanan, a woman from his past now married to the affluent Tom. The story captures the glamour, excess, and moral complexities of 1920s America.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter
"The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a historical novel published in 1850. Set in Puritan Massachusetts during the 1640s, it follows Hester Prynne, who bears a child out of wedlock and must wear a scarlet "A" as punishment for adultery. While she refuses to name the father, her long-lost husband arrives in town seeking revenge. The story explores themes of sin, guilt, and redemption as secrets threaten to destroy lives in this unforgiving community.
Leo Tolstoy
Anna Karenina
Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Karenina
William Makepeace Thackeray
Vanity Fair
"Vanity Fair" by William Makepeace Thackeray is a novel published serially from 1847 to 1848. Set during and after the Napoleonic Wars, it follows two contrasting women: the cunning, ambitious Becky Sharp, who schemes her way through society despite having no money, and the gentle, wealthy Amelia Sedley. Subtitled "A Novel without a Hero," this satirical work deconstructs traditional ideas of heroism while exposing the vanities and pretensions of early 19th-century British society through an unreliable narrator who frames the story as a puppet show.
Gustave Flaubert
Madame Bovary
"Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert is a novel published in 1857. Emma Bovary, a beautiful young woman raised on romantic novels, marries a country doctor but finds provincial life suffocating. Craving luxury, passion, and high society, she seeks escape through increasingly reckless means. This groundbreaking work of literary realism caused scandal upon publication, with prosecutors attacking it as obscene. The resulting trial made it notorious before it became a bestseller and one of literature's most influential works.
M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon
Lady Audley's Secret
"Lady Audley's Secret" by M. E. Braddon is a sensation novel published in 1862. The story follows the beautiful and enigmatic Lucy Graham, who marries wealthy Sir Michael Audley despite her mysterious past. When Robert Audley's friend George Talboys vanishes after visiting the estate, Robert begins investigating—and troubling evidence points toward the charming Lady Audley herself. This tale of secrets, possible bigamy, and dark deeds became the most successful sensation novel of its era.
Virginia Woolf
Mrs. Dalloway
"Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf is a novel published in 1925. It follows a single day in the life of Clarissa Dalloway, an upper-class woman in post-World War I London, as she prepares to host an evening party. Through stream of consciousness narration, the story weaves between present moments and memories, exploring Clarissa's past relationships and choices. A parallel narrative follows Septimus Warren Smith, a war veteran struggling with trauma, whose fate will unexpectedly touch Clarissa's world by day's end.
Henry James
The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1
"The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1" by Henry James is a novel first published in 1880-81. It follows Isabel Archer, a spirited young American woman who inherits a fortune and travels to Europe seeking independence. There she encounters marriage proposals, complex expatriates, and ultimately makes a choice that leads to entrapment rather than freedom. The novel explores themes of personal liberty, responsibility, and betrayal as Isabel discovers that wealth and marriage have drawn her into a web of manipulation and unhappiness.
Benito Pérez Galdós
Doña Perfecta
"Doña Perfecta" by Benito Pérez Galdós is a realist novel published in 1876. When liberal-minded Pepe Rey arrives in the provincial cathedral city of Orbajosa to marry his cousin Rosario in an arranged match, he expects a simple union. Instead, he faces fierce opposition from his aunt Doña Perfecta and the meddling cathedral canon Don Inocencio. Their conflict exposes a bitter clash between modern liberal values and traditional provincial power, revealing the church's overwhelming influence in nineteenth-century Spain.
Anne Brontë
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
"The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Brontë is a novel published in 1848. A mysterious widow arrives at an isolated mansion with her young son, defying social convention by earning her living as an artist. When she becomes the target of scandal and gossip, a local farmer defends her—until he discovers shocking secrets about her past. Through diary entries, the truth emerges about a disastrous marriage and a desperate escape that violated both society's rules and the law itself.
Willa Cather
My Ántonia
"My Ántonia" by Willa Cather is a novel published in 1918. It follows orphaned Jim Burden and Ántonia Shimerda, a Bohemian immigrant girl, as they arrive as children in the Nebraska frontier. Their friendship deepens through shared adventures and hardships on the harsh prairie. As they grow older, their paths diverge—Jim pursues education while Ántonia faces family tragedy and hard labor. The story explores memory, pioneering life, and the enduring bond between two people shaped by the American West.
Sinclair Lewis
Main Street
"Main Street" by Sinclair Lewis is a novel published in 1920. It satirizes small-town life through Carol Milford Kennicott, an idealistic young woman who moves to Gopher Prairie, Minnesota, and clashes with its narrow-minded residents. Determined to bring progressive change and beauty to the drab town, Carol faces constant resistance from the conservative community. The novel explores her struggles between conformity and independence, tradition and reform, in a provincial American setting that refuses to embrace her vision.
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