Women's fiction

Contemporary women's fiction

Contemporary women's fiction is a sub-category of the women's fiction genre.

Women's fiction: examples

This section will look into the authors and some of their key works in the women's fiction genre.

Women's fiction authors

Some influential authors of works of women's fiction include Jane Austen, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Margaret Atwood.

Jane Austen

Jane Austen is one of the most prominent writers to emerge from the nineteenth century. Her books are written from the perspective of the female lead. They touch upon the issues of marriage and social status in the nineteenth century and the interpersonal relationships of the female protagonist with her family, friends, and acquaintances.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Adichie is a Nigerian author who writes works of short and long fiction and non-fiction. In her fictional works, Adichie offers multiple perspectives on contemporary social issues faced by the people of Nigeria.

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Reid is one of the most prominent contemporary women's fiction authors to emerge in the previous decade. Her works have been received favourably by readers, included in Reese Witherspoon's book club, and adapted for the small screen.

Margaret Atwood

Atwood is a Canadian writer, poet, and critic who has written numerous works featuring strong female protagonists and has won multiple accolades for her writing.

Women's fiction books

Some notable works of women's fiction include the following:

My Sister's Keeper (2004) by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is a prominent author of women's fiction. Her works feature female protagonists that must overcome obstacles and come into their own as they assert their rights and claim their identity. This is also a central theme in Picoult's novel, My Sister's Keeper.

In the novel, Anna is a teenager who has undergone numerous medical procedures for her sister, Kate, who suffers from a chronic illness. Anna was conceived because she would be a bone marrow match for Kate and the key to Kate's survival. However, tired of being defined by her sister's existence, Anna takes a drastic decision that will impact the lives of those around her and irrevocably transform her relationship with her family.

Bridget Jones' Diary (1996) by Helen Fielding

Helen Fielding's fictional protagonist, Bridget Jones, holds excellent appeal to female readers worldwide. The Bridget Jones series by Fielding is adapted to the big screen starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant. It is often seen as a modern-day retelling of Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1813).

Bridget Jones' Diary centres on a 30-something-year-old single woman who is on a mission of self-improvement that involves diets, socialising, and chronicling her day-to-day interactions so that she may finally be her best self.

The Time Traveler's Wife (2003) by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife is a work of women's fiction that also overlaps with the genres of science fiction and romance. In the novel, we learn of the two protagonists, Clare and Henry. They are deeply in love and have a turbulent marriage because of Henry's Chrono-Displacement Disorder. As a result of this disorder, Henry often vanishes without preamble and appears years in the past or the future. The novel centres on Clare and Henry's attempt to lead an everyday life while having no control over Henry's disorder.

Women's fiction today

Today, women's fiction continues to be a trendy and widely read genre. It particularly appeals to female readers as they relate to the themes and characters presented in works of women's fiction.